The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1448 A Hypocrite Like Jordan

"Thank you for your kindness, but who told you that I had to spend the night on the streets? I'm going home!" Lily contradicted him. Her son was waiting for her at home, and she could never let him down. "But it was you who said that..." Nick muttered, unable to understand why this woman was speaking incoherently, or was it a mistake on his part?

"I don't know what you are talking about. I'm going home now. Have a good night!" Lily said flatly. She turned away from Nick, pulled open the front door and walked out, without casting him another glance. Nick stared blankly after her. The whole situation was confusing and he was completely lost.

He came to himself when he heard the loud bang of the door, and he jolted as if awakening from a strange dream. He rubbed his head and wondered whether he had just had a dream or had all that really happened.

Then Cassie came to mind.

After hitting his forehead, he heaved a deep sigh. What if Cassie had misunderstood his relationship with Lily? After all, they had been alone in his apartment at such a late hour.

Nick got all hung up about it. He walked back and forth in the living room, but couldn't get a clue as to what she would have thought. His heart was sinking low.

Then he stopped by the window and looked outside with a gloomy expression. It was no big deal what Cassie thought of him. She had a new boyfriend now, didn't she? He didn't think that she would care about him anymore.

But if Cassie was seeing someone else, why was she at his place tonight? Although he had taken for granted that they were over, he couldn't get the pitiful expression on her face off his mind. She looked so helpless, standing at the door with a vacuum flask in her hands.

Now that Nick thought of it, he was curious as to what was in that flask.

It was probably food and soup which Cassie must have cooked for him. What on earth was she doing here at his door when she was seeing another man? Nick felt his head splitting.

He had the impulse to run out, replace her and ask her what that was all about. If she wasn't over him yet, then why was she with another man in the first place?

Nick took out his phone from his pocket. He unlocked and locked it several times, hesitating and wondering whether to call her or not. At long last, he couldn't take it anymore and dialed her number.

He had deleted her number from his phone the other day, but he was too familiar with it. It was engraved in his mind, and was impossible to erase.

When it started ringing, Nick's heart climbed to his mouth. He was scared and at the same time, expectant to hear her voice.

He couldn't remember how many days had passed since he had seen her face or heard her voice. Only he knew how much he had been missing her every day; how his longing grew as time passed by; how he lay in bed, awake at midnight, thinking of her; how many times he had seen her sweet smile in his dreams.

He waited patiently, but Cassie didn't answer. Nick felt all his strength leave his body in an instant.

He then remembered. Cassie had called him many times in the last few days, but he never picked her calls. If he had known earlier how it felt to not be able to hear your loved one's voice when you so desired, he would have definitely done the opposite. It made him feel awful now that he knew what Cassie must have gone through.

Nick tried one last time to get in touch with her, but it was the same.

Cassie didn't want to speak to him at that moment.

Nick stared at the phone's blank screen, full of remorse.

He had a feeling that Cassie and he were done for good this time, and he closed his eyes reluctantly.

But the next second, his eyes flew open. The weird woman's face came to his mind. He began to wonder whether she had told him the truth. Did she really have a home of her own? Or had she lied to him just because she didn't want to trouble him?

Nick was a decent, warm-hearted man. If he came across an injured stray on the road, he could never leave it unattended. And this time, it was a human being. He couldn't just stay home and relax. He changed quickly, grabbed his car keys and headed to the door.

It was dark outside. To Cassie, the night looked like an enormous beast waiting to swallow her alive.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The vacuum flask was long gone, but she paid no attention to it.

All she wanted to do was run away from that place the farther, the better. She felt a part of her die the moment she had left the home of that hateful man.

Tear stains remained on her cheeks and fresh droplets formed in her eyes as she ran. As the chilly breeze blew on her face, it felt like needle pricks. But it was nothing compared to the stab to her heart, which was now shattered into a million pieces.

The moment she saw that woman in Nick's house, her heart froze and she couldn't catch her breath anymore. The pain killed her from inside. When she heard Nick call her name tenderly, her heart broke again.

She had gone all the way to his home to show that she was determined to make up with him, only to get hurt again. She had lost both strength and courage to face the truth, and had to run away from them. It was the only thing she could do, and she followed her instinct.

But soon she realized that no matter how fast she ran, no matter how much distance she put between them, that scene kept popping up in front of her eyes wherever she went. She was going crazy. What should she do? What could she do? She had no idea.

"Ah!" she shouted as she slipped on a small pebble. She lost control of her body and started to fall forward.

Cassie closed her eyes, ready to take the pain when she hit the cold ground.

But, to her surprise, she fell into a warm chest. It was so warm, broad and thick and gave her an unspeakable sense of security.

'Who is it? Is it Nick?' Cassie wondered.

She didn't want to open her eyes, scared that it could be nothing but an illusion. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.

He remained silent too, standing still, holding her in his arms.

At that same time, Nick was patrolling the roads, hoping to replace either of the two women if he was lucky enough. From a distance, he caught sight of Cassie's familiar figure running straight ahead. He stepped on the gas, but then saw Cassie trip on something. Nick shouted and was about to get out of the car. But in one split-second, a man ran over to her and held her in his arms, preventing her from falling to the ground.

Nick clutched the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles turned white. He recognized the man, the one who had kissed her at the hospital the other day.

But why was he here? It couldn't have been a coincidence. He figured that the man might have come with Cassie.

He refused to admit it, although it seemed so real to him now. This man was always around Cassie, wherever she went.

He dropped his idea of confronting Cassie. He smiled bitterly and sped past them. He had received his closure.

Her heart bouncing, Cassie opened her eyes to look at the man who had saved her. But her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw that it was not the man she was hoping for. She immediately pushed him away from her and the disgust was evident on her face.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled, pulling a long face.

She felt helpless. It was not Nick who had held her in his arms, but Jordon.

"Please don't get me wrong, Cassie. I happened to see you running desperately. I was worried about you. Are you crying? What happened? Can I help you?" he asked with a serious look on his face. He let go of her and looked at her with concern.

But Cassie didn't feel like staying with that hypocrite for another second. She had no mood to talk to him; she was looking for a place to cry over her own misery.

"Get out of my way!" Cassie said coldly, walking away from him. She didn't even look at him. She was done with that man and wished she would never see him again.