The End To Something So Perfect
The whole way home, Nick and Cassandra hadn't said one word to each other. For some reason, he had been the one to pick Cassandra up from the airport. They pulled into his driveway.
"Thank you, Nick," she said softly.
"Yeah," he replied, and she walked away into her house, not bothering to look back at Nick.
Cassandra felt a certain sadness creep over her as she remembered when she had been in Nick's arms not too long ago. They hadn't talked, nor had they even seen each other in a week.
Sucking in a sharp breath, walked down the sloping lawn and onto the dock up at the beach, with the setting sun in the background. She needed to talk to Nick, and had found out from calling Brian, that he had been up here all day.
Nick looked up and saw Cassandra coming down the lawn. She gracefully walked barefooted down the slope, her hair blowing in the breeze. Nick thought that she looked gorgeous. She was wearing a short silk, mauve dress, with a white sweater hanging over her shoulders, and his diamond heart was still around her neck. When her eyes met his, he looked away. His heart hardened again.
"Hi Nick," she said walking down the dock, not getting too close to him.
"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly. Cassandra bit her lip to hold back her tears. He sounded so cruel, but why shouldn't he? For a minute she regretted coming here to try to talk to him, but she knew that she had to. She needed to know if it was really over for them.
"I came to talk to you," she said softly. He turned and jammed his hands into his pockets. Cassandra thought that he looked even more handsome than the last time she saw him, only if it were a week ago.
"Didn't you do enough of that already?" he asked looking out over the dark water.
"Nick, can you give me a chance to explain?" she asked hopefully. Without a word, he sat down on the edge of the dock. Cassandra sat down next to him. She took a shaky breath, and tried to plead her case. "What I did, was the most awful thing I have ever done and it probably cost me the most precious thing I ever had. I am so sorry that I put you through so much pain."
"Who said that I was in pain?" Nick snapped. Cassandra let a tear trickle down her cheek.
"Nick, please be up front with me."
"I am."
"Okay then, I'll talk and you can listen. What I did to you was so heartless and cruel and I now know that. I don't know what ever possessed me to do such a thing, especially to your best friend. But I can't take it all back, but God do I wish that I could. I needed to see you today. To tell you how sorry I am, and, and how much that I truly love you."
"How can you say that you love me when you practically killed my best friend? Huh? That's not love Cassandra!" he said, his voice raising gradually. "How would you feel if I killed Emalia or Nicole? One of your best friends?" He had a good point.
"Nick, I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say," Cassandra said with tears streaming down her face. "I'm here, humbling myself for your benefit and begging for your forgiveness. Please! I love you so much, and I don't think that I can live without you."
"Then maybe that should be your punishment for hurting me the way you did," he said coldly, staring out at the setting sun. No matter how much it pained him, she had stabbed him through the heart once again. "I want a divorce."
Those four words had just about killed Cassandra.
"Well, I've said what I have to say, and I can't make up your mind for you. If that's what you want, I guess I'll have to deal with it." She stood up and looked down at the crown of his blonde head. It was once all hers. There was a time, when he was hers, and she was his. But that was all over with now. She couldn't change that. "I leave tomorrow," she added. Gathering all of her courage, she turned and walked back up the lawn and to her car.
Nick folded his arms and clenched his teeth together. All of the promises that they had made to each other, all the passionate kisses they had shared, all of the endless nights that they had given in to each other. Was he right to just throw it all away? He had gone back to her once when she had left him that one time, after he realized that he couldn't live without her, but this was different. He couldn't begin to describe how he felt. He got up and walked into Brian and Mercedes' house, deciding that he was inviting himself over.
The next morning when Cassandra woke up, she went downstairs with her luggage in hand. She noticed a note sitting on the kitchen table, telling her that everyone had gone up to the beach house to spend the day with Brian and Mercedes. She decided to drive up there because it was on her way to the airport anyway. She got into her car and drove up to Brian's house.
When she arrived there an hour later, she walked into the beach house. Kevin and Emalia were eating subs on the couch with Mercedes watching Nick and Brian playing video games on the television and Howie and Angel talking in the corner. When she entered the house, they all looked up and stared at her.
Nick had told them some of the story already but they weren't really sure what was going on. Every time that Nick had started to talk about what had happened, he just closed back up and didn't want to talk about it.
Cassandra swallowed and looked at the ground. "Nick, can I talk to you please? For a second?" Cassandra asked quietly. He sighed and hauled himself up off the floor. Everyone watched as they walked out of the room. They walked into the hallway. Nick leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "Can we talk someplace private?" she asked.
Nick sighed again and started walking upstairs, down the hall and turned into one of the bedrooms. Nick sat down on the neatly made bed and Cassandra thought that she should stand. She nervously fiddled with her hands, feeling incredibly nervous. "Why the hell am I so nervous?" she asked herself. "It's just Nick. My husband, but not for long."
"Well?"
"Okay, I came to apologize one last time. I am so sorry for what happened." She looked hopefully down at Nick. He sat there. Staring down at the floor, not moving at all.
"Don't say a word, Nick," he thought to himself.
"I'm also sorry for lying to you," she continued. "I did have a part in killing your best friend. I shouldn't have done it."
Nick glared at her. "You're damn right you shouldn't have," he yelled.
Cassandra winced at his words.
"Don't you have any courtesy for your husband? Do you even care about other people?" he asked her angrily, his voice booming throughout the room. Cassandra squeezed her eyes shut, and a tear slid down her cheek.
"I'm sorry, Nick. I do love you. Too much I think."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Cassandra? You love me too much so you go and kill my best friend?" Tears were streaming down Cassandra's face.
She looked up at Nick through her blurred vision. "Nick, stop yelling at me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to be like this," Cassandra said sniffling and wiping away the tears on her face. She wished that he would wipe her tears away like he always used to. She wished that he would make all of this pain and hurting go away, just like he always did. "I just got scared because I loved you too much."
"There's nothing to be scared of Cassandra! Nothing! You're just too proud to love someone other than yourself." He stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. She crumpled to the floor and collapsed into tears.
Nick stormed into the living room. He took his hat off of his head and threw it at the wall.
"Nick, what the hell's wrong?" Brian asked looking up from the couch.
"That stupid bitch! I hate her!" he cried.
"Nick, calm down," Kevin said, jumping up and grabbing Nick's shoulders. "Get a grip!"
Just then, Cassandra walked into the room, on her way to the front door.
"Bitch, get the fuck out of here now!" Nick yelled, struggling against Kevin's grasp. Cassandra's face was pale and tear stained. "Just because people close to you were killed, doesn't mean that you have to go killing people close to me!"
Now Cassandra was pissed. "Shut up Nick! You know that isn't true!"
"If you weren't a girl, I'd beat the shit out of you right now!" Nick screamed at her.
Cassandra was so scared, she began to tremble. He had never said anything like that to her before. He had always said that he would never dare hurt her. She knew that he could kill her if he really wanted to, and did he ever want to right now.
"Get out now, you whore!"
"Cassandra, leave," Kevin said coldly. Cassandra stood still for a second, looking at Nick's bitter face. Then, she turned and left.
"Nick, what the hell was that?" Brian asked him in the kitchen, with Emalia and Kevin.
"Yeah, you wanting to beat the shit out of her if she wasn't a girl?" Emalia said. "Nick, that's just messed up!"
"I don't want to talk about it," Nick said turning his head.
"No Nick. Maybe that answer would have sufficed yesterday, but not after what we just witnessed," Brian replied back. "Now, you said that she killed Kimberly? What's up with that?"
"No, she didn't physically kill her, but without Cassandra's help, Kim's ex wouldn't have found her."
"What are you saying?"
"Damn it! I'm saying that Cassandra told Kim's ex-boyfriend where she was," Nick explained slowly.
"It was a mistake," Emalia said. "She didn't know that he would kill her-"
"Oh, shove it, Emalia. Cassandra knew damn well what Kim's ex was capable of doing."
"But," said Brian, "didn't you tell us that that morning Cassandra dragged you out of bed saying that you guys had to hurry before it was too late? Don't you see, she tried to stop him! She didn't have to tell you what happened! She didn't have to tell you anything. She didn't even have to wake you up that morning."
Nick thought about this.
"Now, where did she go?" Emalia asked.
"Probably out to Arizona, to her house," Nick replied. "I told her that I wanted a divorce."
Emalia, Kevin and Brian, all gasped.
"What? Are you kidding me?" Brian asked. "Nick, you love her more than anything!" Nick tried to convince everyone else, and himself, that there was no more love between him and Cassandra.
"No, I don't love her, anymore."
"Nick," said Emalia, "a love like you and Cassandra had, and still do have, just doesn't go away like that. It never will go away-"
"Well, you're wrong! I hate her!"
"You know that's not true!" Emalia said. "You know it, you immature-" Kevin stopped her.
"Is there any chance for your marriage?" Brian asked hopefully. He hated seeing two of his best friends having such great problems. "Is there any chance at all?"
"No," Nick said quickly, and definitely. "It's over."
Nick bit his lip as he walked into the girls' house. He walked down into the living room, and roughly grabbed Cassandra's arm, yanking her up from the couch.
"Nick?" she asked with half anger in her voice and half confusion. Without saying anything, he dragged her out of the house and over to his house. Not acknowledging any of Kevin's questions as they entered the house, he dragged her upstairs and to his room. "What are we doing here?" she asked him.
"I need to talk to you alone," he said, his face expressionless. "Sit."
Cassandra meekly sat in the small rocking chair in his room, looking at the ground. Nick paced the room for a few silent moments and then sat down on his bed, trying hard to control his temper.
"Do you know how much it took for me to go to that airport and pick you up?" he asked. Cassandra remained looking at the ground and shook her head.
Nick watched her and it hit him suddenly. "I made her humble," he thought. "Look at that. She's never looked like that before."
He started talking again. "It took a lot because, frankly, I was too proud to come to you."
Cassandra's mind reeled. "Finally he admits it," she thought. "The arrogant jerk." She was dying to say it out loud and stop sitting there like a fool, but she stopped herself in time.
"But," Nick continued, "I had a serious talk with the guys and they think that I should give you another chance. So, that's what I am here to do." Cassandra filled with anger, and she looked up with her eyes blazing at him like he was a total stranger.
"You had a talk with the guys and they persueded you to talk to me? That's bullshit, and if that's the only reason that you brought me here, then I had better leave." She stood up quickly.
"No, please," Nick said, almost a little too urgently. Cassandra caught his tone of voice and sat back in the chair.
"Maybe he does care," she thought.
"Cassandra," he said. "I have missed you, even if we only parted two weeks ago, but I couldn't call or come to see you. You need to understand that. I just needed a little time to think over my options and calm down completely." Cassandra nodded slowly. "So, I've calmed down with the help of some good friends and they've helped me to understand how much we need to be together. Cassandra, I love you with all of my heart, but I've lost all trust in you. I know, but, uh, it completely destroyed our strong relationship."
"I know, and I'm sorry," she said. "It was a mistake and I'll regret it until the day I die." She looked up into his eyes. Nick sighed and sat there staring at her. "So what are we going to do from here?" she asked, breaking the silence.
Nick shook his head. "I'm not sure. As much as I wanna take you in my arms and act like nothing ever happened, I can't do that." Cassandra began to softly cry tears that she didn't think that she had. "I can't let this go because it was a very wrong thing and I can't just forgive you and pretend that it didn't happen."
"Nick, please don't do this-" Cassandra began but Nick stopped her, shaking his head.
"Cassie, don't make this harder than it already is."
"Nick, I'm afraid of you," she stated. Nick looked up and stared at Cassandra, the woman that was still his wife. He looked searchingly at her face and saw that she really was serious.
"What?" he asked.
"I am so glad that I'm not a guy, so you wouldn't kill me right now, but since I'm a woman, you could make me suffer. I've already gone through the whole abuse thing and I really don't feel like being beat up again."
Swallowing all of the words that he had just said, he opened his arms and Cassandra stared at him.
"Oh God," he said. "You really are scared of me, aren't you?" She slowly nodded not wanting to say to much to make him angry. He stood up and advanced toward her, but she quickly backed up. "Cassie, what have I done? What have we become?" She took her chances and walked over to him.
Sobbing loudly, she clung to him and he brought her over to the bed. As he rocked her back and forth, her sobbing finally subsided. "Don't cry, please."
"Nick, I thought we were getting a divorce. Everyone out in Arizona thinks that I moved out there for good."
"Moved out?" Nick asked curiously. Cassandra nodded.
"Oh great," she thought. "Already another fight."
"Well?" he asked.
"Yeah. I gotta go back out there at least for a couple of days and set things straight with every one, and there's some things that I need to take care of with the house." Nick let go of her, and stood up.
"So you're leaving, again?"
"I, I have to take care of some business....."
"What about the business here that you have to take care of here? You just got here and already you're leaving?"
"Nick, don't start with this again."
"Start with what?" Cassandra sighed loudly and walked out of the room. Nick collapsed on to his bed, thoughts racing through his head. "What is happening to me? To us?"