The cool night air blew softly, bringing with it the fresh scent of the pine trees nearby. Cassy shivered lightly hugging herself to keep warm. She strained to make out the sound of the approaching footsteps, to try to identify who was coming. The sound of the footsteps echoed, growing louder and closer, suddenly sending a shiver down Cassy's spine. Whoever it was they seemed to be approaching in a hurry. Cassy turned to look at Luca standing just beside her. He seemed to have heard the footsteps too. Cassy's heart raced, was it Pete? Was he coming for her? How did he even find where she was going? Panic rose within Cassy, creating tiny beads of sweat on her forehead.

Cassy squinted in the dim light as she recognised a dark silhouette of a young woman heading towards them. Did Luca have company? It couldn't be Ms. Francesca she thought to herself. The woman approaching had to be with Luca, Cassy concluded. Was he on a date? Or could it be...?

"Is that...Lucia?" She whispered to Luca.

"Luca.. where did you run off to?" The female silhouette spoke, and Cassy managed to identify the familiar voice that spoke up. It really was Lucia, Luca's younger sister. It was becoming a warming reunion.

"We're here, Lucia," he said.

As the tall and slender Lucia stepped into the little circle, Cassy felt like she hardly recognised Lucia. She had grown so much and was now so different. Gorgeously different.

"Hey, Luca.." she began in her rich Italian accent. "Wait, Cassy?!" Lucia chimed when she finally recognised Cassy. "Oh my gosh! It's so good to..." her voice trailed off when she saw Cassy's puffy face. Lucia's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to imagine what had happened.

"Cassy darling, what's happened to you?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

She didn't know what to say. What was worse was that she had to repeat everything she had told Luca all over again. Cassy hugged herself tighter, hesitating for a moment, looking from Luca to Lucia before managing a weak smile.

"It's an ex-boyfriend thing." It was Luca who quietly replied in her stead.

Cassy felt a heavy lump form in her throat as the memories of betrayal flooded back to her. Her eyes stung, threatening to spill.

"All water under the bridge." She finally heard herself manage to say with a meek little smile. Right now she wanted to put it all behind and fall into a deep sleep, to never feel the pain that was etched into her heart, to never wake up. 

Lucia's expression softened with understanding.

"Oh, Cass," she said gently, reaching out to squeeze Cassy's hand, patting them with her own.
"I'm so sorry. But you're safe now. Come, let's get you something nice and warm, and then off to a good night's sleep." Lucia looped her arm around Cassy's.

Recalling the happenings of the evening, Cassy realised that Francesca was probably still with Pete, at her apartment. She hated the idea of seeing either of them now. The mere reminder of their names made her blood boil.

"I'm not going back to where he is, but where else am I supposed to go," she thought out loud. She had nowhere else to go. Suddenly she felt all alone. Beside her, the Santoro siblings exchanged glances.

"You can stay with us, Cassy, right Luca?" Lucia spoke softly, patting Cassy's hand.

Cassy glanced at Luca to see him nodding his head. Never before had she felt that grateful for having friends like them. Cassy nodded agreeing to stay with the Santoros. It was much better than the park bench or the apartment with Pete and Francesca.

The three of them then walked away from the steep edge of the cliff and away from the memories of the day.

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After the night on the cliff, Lucia insisted that Cassy should continue to stay with them in their apartment in town until the chaos cleared. The two-bedroom apartment, which belonged to Luca, was located above the coffee shop they were in right now.
Feeling much better herself, Cassy was grateful to Lucia for spending the day with her. According to Lucia, she had been staying with Luca since she had come to visit him two months ago. She had begged him to take time out of work when she had some free time, to go sightseeing and have some fun. It had been Lucia's idea to end the day with a picnic just like the ones they used to have back at home. It was a mere coincidence that Luca had caught sight of a woman who kept walking towards the edge of the cliff which had been declared dangerous after a few unfortunate accidents, just as they were packing up to leave. He had left Lucia without a word to run after the young woman, in fear of witnessing her fall to her death.

At this, Cassy tried her best to convince Lucia that she had not attempted to commit suicide, that she merely looked down the cliff out of sheer curiosity. Lucia had eyed her suspiciously at that. In her heart, Cassy knew that she wouldn't have truly jumped off the cliff.  She did doubt herself back then, but by saying it back to Lucia, she was sure that she was stronger than that.

Then they moved on to a lighter topic, lives after they last met each other. According to Lucia, Luca had since then followed his passion for painting. The many easels that covered almost all the available surfaces inside the little apartment presented colourful evidence of the kind of artist Luca was.

Cassy had taken a closer look at some of the familiar-looking paintings that caught her eye one morning at the Santoro apartment. There were beautiful scenarios of places Cassy remembered from back home, timeless memories that reminded her of life before. There were the busy streets of Florence and the hustling hotels the cobblestone streets and the Roman Ruins. It all brought back nostalgic memories for Cassy. It felt like a warm blanket that wrapped around her cosily, a sip of warm coffee awakening her soul. It was truly amazing witnessing the kind of talent Luca possessed. It was as if the paintings were speaking to her.

A loud honk outside the Café, made her jump, making Lucia chuckle. The streets of California were always buzzing with vehicles and people. Business was thick and noisy. The Café was set in one of the least busy streets and that allowed a peaceful corner tucked amid chaos. The Café itself was a cosy little place. It didn't house a lot of room, and there were just a handful of people in it. It was the kind of place that made you feel like you stepped into a different world.

"So what happens now? Do you have anything in mind?" Lucia asked as she stirred the chocolate syrup into her Mocha.

Cassy sighed, looking down at her latte, which lay perfectly still. The foam heart was so perfect, ironically unlike her own. The weight of Lucia's question had troubled her in the past couple of days. She had come here to California with big dreams of working with the giants in the field of journalism. The Regal was not as much but it was scaffolding before she reached her bigger dreams. Now they seem shattered and far away.

"Honestly, I don't know," her mind was numb. She was clueless about what would happen next. She felt like she had lost everything. It was like her mind was in knots and it continued to knot as it kept rolling on and on. It felt like nothing was as it should be. Everything was a mess, from her job to her apartment to her relationship.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Luca appeared behind them. She had been so immersed in her thoughts and turmoil that she had not seen Luca arrive until he spoke.

"Not at all. Oh, you brought your own Mocha." Lucia happily grabbed a chair for her brother.

Cassy smiled. It was becoming easier to smile again when she was with them. After walking out of the apartment she used to share with Pete that day when she caught Pete in the act, it felt like she would never find a reason to smile again. But it wasn't the fact that Pete chose to cheat on her or the fact that he chose to betray her or replace her that hurt this badly. But it was because Pete had broken the trust she had in him. She was disappointed in herself for trusting Pete more than she was disappointed in him.

But Luca and Lucia's support was overwhelming. Before now, Cassy had lost all her friends too. Her friends with whom she shared everything were all from the Regal, and when they found out about their Boss's involvement in Cassy's life, they completely cut Cassy off to save their careers.

"I think I'm going back," she whispered slowly looking at the tranquil latte mug in front of her.

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Hey hey, how are you my lovelies? Im back, editing the story as i go. Hope you like it to far.

Love ya ♥️ oh! And don't forget to vote and comment!!