the Villainess they took for granted

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: The Wrong Person

Marian did not know where she was going.

That became apparent approximately ten minutes after she left Adrian.

Or perhaps twenty.

Time felt strange.

Unreliable.

One moment she was standing beside the stream.

The next she was riding through a quiet forest trail.

She couldn’t remember choosing the path.

She couldn’t remember much of anything.

Only three words.

Choose me.

And the answer that followed.

Maybe we need time.

Marian laughed.

A miserable sound.

Her horse flicked an ear.

Concerned.

"Don’t look at me like that."

The horse ignored her.

Rude.

The forest grew quieter.

The sounds of the hunting party faded behind her.

Only then did Marian realize she was alone.

Completely alone.

Under normal circumstances, that realization would’ve alarmed her.

Today she simply didn’t care.

Eventually the trail opened into a clearing.

A small lake reflected the afternoon sunlight.

Golden leaves drifted lazily across the water.

Wildflowers still bloomed along the edges despite the season.

Beautiful.

Normally Marian would’ve loved it.

Today she barely noticed.

Slowly she dismounted.

Tied her horse nearby.

Then sat beneath a tree overlooking the lake.

And finally—

finally—

the tears came.

Not graceful tears.

Not the elegant tears heroines cried in novels.

The humiliating kind.

The ugly kind.

The kind that left your face red and your pride in ruins.

Marian hated every second of it.

Which unfortunately did not stop it.

For several long minutes she simply sat there.

Crying.

Trying not to cry.

Failing.

Then she heard the sound of another horse.

Wonderful.

Absolutely wonderful.

Because apparently even heartbreak couldn’t be private.

Marian immediately turned away.

Wiping furiously at her face.

Too late.

The rider emerged from the trees.

And froze.

Cassian Ashford.

Of course.

Because apparently the universe had developed a personal grudge against her.

For one terrible moment neither moved.

Cassian looked as though he’d just discovered a bomb.

Marian almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

Then Cassian slowly turned his horse around.

As though intending to leave.

The sight was so absurd that Marian laughed.

A broken laugh.

A miserable one.

Cassian stopped.

Damn it.

Now she knew he’d seen her.

There was no escaping.

For a moment he remained where he was.

Clearly reconsidering every decision that had led him to this point.

Reasonable.

Marian would’ve done the same.

Finally he sighed.

Then guided his horse toward the lake.

Not close.

Never close.

Just near enough.

"Good afternoon."

Marian stared.

Then laughed again.

"You can pretend you didn’t see this."

Cassian considered that.

Seriously considered it.

"I was trying."

The answer caught her off guard.

A reluctant smile appeared despite herself.

Only briefly.

Then it vanished.

The silence returned.

Not uncomfortable.

Oddly.

Just quiet.

Cassian dismounted.

Tied his horse nearby.

Then sat on a fallen log several yards away.

Far enough to give her space.

Close enough that she wasn’t alone.

Neither spoke.

The lake shimmered quietly.

A bird called somewhere in the distance.

The world continued.

Inconsiderate thing.

After several minutes Marian groaned.

"This is humiliating."

Cassian nodded.

"A little."

Marian turned to glare at him.

"You were supposed to disagree."

"I don’t believe in lying to people when they’re already upset."

She stared.

Then, despite everything, another laugh escaped.

A small one.

Cassian looked unreasonably pleased with himself.

The infuriating man.

The laughter faded quickly.

The sadness remained.

For a while neither spoke again.

Then Cassian broke the silence.

"That bad?"

The question was simple.

No pressure.

No demands.

Just a question.

Marian looked down at her hands.

"Worse."

Cassian was quiet.

Because he already knew.

Not the details.

The result.

That was enough.

For several moments he simply watched the lake.

Giving her time.

Giving her space.

Not forcing anything.

Which somehow made it easier.

"He asked for distance."

The words felt strange spoken aloud.

Unreal.

Cassian went still.

Very still.

"Ah."

Just that.

Ah.

And somehow Marian hated it.

Because that single syllable carried understanding.

Too much understanding.

"He said we keep hurting each other."

Her voice cracked.

"He said he doesn’t know how to make me believe him."

The tears threatened again.

Marian looked away.

Furious.

She was tired of crying.

Deeply tired.

Unfortunately, her emotions had apparently not received that message.

For a long moment neither spoke.

Then Cassian sighed.

A quiet sound.

"You’re going to hate what I’m about to say."

Marian narrowed her eyes.

"That has never stopped you before."

The corner of his mouth twitched.

"No."

A pause.

"It hasn’t."

Then he looked toward the lake again.

"I think he meant it."

The words landed heavily.

Marian stared.

"What?"

"I don’t think he was trying to hurt you."

Immediately her expression hardened.

Cassian lifted a hand.

"That’s not the same thing."

Silence.

Because Marian understood exactly what he meant.

Not trying to hurt someone and not hurting them were very different things.

The distinction was deeply annoying.

"I know."

The admission came reluctantly.

Painfully.

Because that was the problem.

She knew Adrian.

She knew he wasn’t cruel.

She knew he wasn’t malicious.

She knew.

And somehow that made everything worse.

The tears finally stopped.

Leaving only exhaustion.

Marian leaned back against the tree.

Closing her eyes.

For several minutes neither spoke.

Then a thought appeared.

A terrible thought.

A truly awful thought.

The sort of thought that should’ve been ignored immediately.

Naturally, Marian considered it very seriously.

When she opened her eyes again, Cassian immediately looked suspicious.

An impressive achievement considering she hadn’t said anything.

"What?"

His eyes narrowed.

"I know that look."

"You do not."

"I do."

Cassian sounded alarmingly certain.

"You’ve had an idea."

Marian was offended.

"A terrible idea."

His expression became even more suspicious.

"That’s significantly worse."

Marian almost smiled.

Almost.

Then she took a breath.

And said the words anyway.

"Can you help me?"

Silence.

Cassian closed his eyes.

Slowly.

As though praying for patience.

"Those," he said at last, "are dangerous words."

Marian looked entirely unapologetic.

"I know."

"Oh, good."

His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"That makes me feel much better."

For the first time all day, Marian smiled.

A small smile.

A dangerous one.

And somehow Cassian immediately knew he was in trouble.

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