The Unwanted Bride: Claimed by the Billionaire - Chapter 92: Chapter 92

Cassie’s POV.
The living room was decorated with balloons and stars that were hung on the ceiling. I saw five bouquets of red roses, as well as two white ones. A giant cake sat pretty on a table, and below the table were wrapped gifts and a couple of designer boxes in their shopper bags.
On the wall behind the cake was a beautiful decoration screaming, “Happy Birthday, Cassie!”
My vision was almost blurry with tears, but I sniffled hard, trying to push back the water in my eyes.
I looked back and I saw Shawn behind me. He had helped himself in with our luggage, and the door was already shut. He was literally a step away from me, staring at me intently.
“We are here for your meeting.” That was meant to be a question, but my tone said otherwise.
“What’s going on?” I asked immediately, ignoring the way my heart kept thumping hard against my chest.
Shawn stared at me, a bit confused.
“I think it’s self-explanatory.” He responded.
I shook my head. “It’s not my birthday.”
“It will be in a few hours.”
I shook my head again.
Shawn parted his lips to say something, but he ended up swallowing his words. He tucked his hand in his pocket and took out his phone. He spent the next few minutes scrolling, then he turned his attention to me, this time around, with more confidence. “It’s your day tomorrow.”
“I don’t know who told you that. I don’t have a birthday!”
“So you’re a spiritual being? Your parents found you somewhere on earth and took you in?”
“I ha….” I was saying when I stopped due to the lump I felt in my throat. I instantly made a U-turn, then brought my hand to my face and wiped the tear that fell out at the corner of my eye.
I raised my head only to see Shawn before me. Before I could utter a word, he reached for my hand and pulled me along with him as he made his way into the living area. We took careful steps in the midst of the balloons and decorations until we approached the large sofa.
Shawn took a seat, then he pulled me onto his lap.
“I want to hear all of it.” He said, sneaking both his arms around my waist and not losing eye contact with me.
“All of what?” I whispered,
“For a while, I thought I mixed up the dates. Don’t you like what you see? You haven’t even gone close to having a look.” He gestured towards the cake and gift corner. From where I sat on Shawn’s lap, I could also see a setup table for two!
“I’m listening!” Shawn commanded, his voice bringing me out of my thoughts.
“I thought we were here for a meeting.” I mumbled.
“We are, but I want you to tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t have a birth day. I don’t celebrate my birthdays.”
Shawn was about to say something, but sighed, giving himself some little time to process the words from the little voice in his head.
“Why?” He asked me.
“It reminds me of the pain of the past that I have tried so hard to forget.”
“You wanna share?” Shawn asked, and I shook my head almost immediately. I could see the worry in his eyes.
“I’m your husband!” He reminded.
“You are!” I confirmed.
“That means you must not leave me in the dark.”
“There’s nothing to say. Just that I don’t recognize it, it has never been a big deal for me.”
“Does this have to do with your stepmom and sister?” Shawn asked.
I said nothing, but the look in his eyes was starting to make me uncomfortable. It was as though he wouldn’t give up until I said something.
“Those two women are the bitchiest. I honestly don’t know why you wouldn’t let me put them in their place.” Shawn scoffed. And at this point, it was evident that he was trying to control his anger.
“My mom died from a terrible accident. It feels so weird saying this because I’m sure you know!”
“The accident happened a few days before I turned 15. My world fell apart, and the pain I felt that day was indescribable. I wouldn’t wish my enemies such.”
“She was to have a surgery, but my Dad said he had no money. I know that was a lie because he got a car for Rhoda around that period, but there was little I could do.” I said, then stopped for a while, gathering strength to continue without breaking down before my husband. Shawn seemed to have noticed it as he released an arm around my waist and gave my hand a light squeeze.
“I mean, I was just 15. I had no idea who to meet. I knew no extended family members, and my savings couldn’t do anything.”
“Who knows if she would still be alive if the surgery had been done almost immediately?”
“I pleaded with my Dad as though I wasn’t his blood. I told him to lend me the money that I was going to drop out of school, get a job, work hard, and pay him back, but he mocked me instead and said my mom was on her way to see a lover, so she deserved anything that happened to her.” I sniffled, and at this point, I shifted my gaze away from Shawn’s eyes.
“Mom had joint accounts with Dad. I approached the lawyer, but he said there was nothing he could do because Dad was the sole controller of the account. I knew some of Dad’s friends were rich, too. Actually, just two of them. I approached them and pleaded for them to loan me some money.” At this point, my chest became heavier. I felt a huge lump in my throat that made it difficult for me to continue my talk.
I could feel Shawn’s eyes on me. I know he wanted me to say more. I also felt his grip tighten a bit around me. I knew he was trying to control his temper on whatever thoughts that were running through his mind already.
“They refused. But I wouldn’t let them be, so they made me an offer.” At this point, a tear rolled down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it off with the back of my palm.
“Don’t tell me they did something awful.” Shawn’s angry voice made me look him in the eyes. His expression was no different from the tone of his voice. I knew he was definitely not going to look at me the same way after this, but I'm going to let it out.
“They promised to loan me the money if I let them touch me.”
“Fucking assholes.” Shawn cursed.
“What are their names? Where do they live?” He asked.
“I have no idea. I haven't heard from them since Dad passed away.”
“I told them I wasn’t going to allow that. I attacked them with my words because I didn’t think they would say such to a friend’s daughter. I left the office in anger, hoping I was going to get help elsewh…..” I paused for a while and wiped away my tears as the memories of the past clouded my mind. This was something that I had buried in me long ago. I had no idea that a day would come when I would open up about this.
I sniffled.
“My mom’s condition got worse and I couldn’t take it anymore!” This time around, I burst into uncontrollable tears.
Shawn pulled me closer to him, and I wept into his chest. I had no idea what he was saying to me since I was drowning in my pain, but he kept whispering words to me while caressing my back at the same time.