Chapter 5 Kellan Actually Is...

A rush of disbelief washed over Jayden as his eyes landed on Cathy.

"Wait... Cathy?"

It took Jayden a second or two to actually process who he was looking at.

Standing there in a show-stopping red dress, she hardly looked like the quiet Cathy he remembered from before.

"Jayden, you must mean a lot to Cathy," said Marissa, catching the flicker in his eyes.

With her hand pressed softly against his arm, Marissa let her warmth show in a practiced smile. "I'm honestly surprised she went all out just to turn heads tonight, and now she's tagging along with us."

She eased herself a little closer to Jayden as she spoke.

If Marissa was waiting for Cathy to fall apart, what she saw instead was a fierce fire burning in Cathy's gaze, something she never expected to find there.

Cathy leveled her voice and asked, "So, Jayden, do you actually buy the whole story about her being Phantom Healer's apprentice, or that she's the one who pulled you back from the brink?"

Jayden let out a dry laugh and said, "Oh, absolutely, Marissa's my big hero." His tone dripped with irony. "That's a lot more than I can say for you. You're the reason I wound up in the hospital. It baffles me that I ever thought you were special."

Memories of the chaos in that private room from last night flashed through his mind.

He'd stayed out all night, and for the first time, Cathy didn't try to reach out, not even a single text.

She wasn't even home when he came back. It was like she had vanished - no updates, no messages, not even a sign.

And now, after all that, here she was, trailing after him like nothing had changed.

With an icy bite in his tone, Jayden sneered, "Don't tell me you're about to take credit for saving my life?"

It dawned on Cathy then - trying to justify herself was pointless.

Years ago, right after Jayden's accident, his mother, Josie Thorpe, made sure Cathy was persona non grata at the hospital. She had been banished without hesitation.

There were nights when Cathy had no choice but to dodge security and slip in disguised, desperate to help while Jayden lay unconscious.

So now, standing in front of him, she had nothing to prove her side of the story.

Blank and unreadable, Cathy replied, "Mr. Thorpe, once the divorce papers are signed, I hope your eyes will finally open."

Turning on her heel, she showed nothing but resolve as she walked away.

Jayden felt a strange irritation clawing at him. Why did she suddenly seem so magnetic, just because she changed her dress?

He scoffed under his breath, "I'm not going to fall for this whole act of playing distant."

Yet somewhere in the back of his mind, Jayden wondered if Cathy had always been holding something back.

Maybe the woman standing before him was who she truly was all along.

Cathy was almost at the doors when a voice thundered across the hall. "Mr. Curtis has just arrived!"

A hush swept through the crowd like a wave.

Curiosity took hold, and everyone swiveled toward the entrance. Cathy stopped, curiosity flickering across her face, and watched with the rest.

Her gaze drifted upward from the floor, pausing first on a polished pair of black leather shoes that looked expensive enough to cost a fortune.

With every stride, the man's tailored pants outlined his long frame, sending a subtle energy through the air, as if people naturally made room for him.

Upward, she noticed the broad chest that seemed ready to burst out of his crisp shirt, the fabric struggling to contain the sheer strength beneath.

That body, with its wide shoulders and sculpted waist, made him impossible to ignore.

At last, Cathy found herself looking straight at his face.

Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, everything around her faded away.

"Why does it have to be him?"

There was a wildness to his sharp features, but it was his eyes - intense and magnetic - that refused to let her go.

A sudden wave of hushed voices reached her ears, buzzing with awe and disbelief.

"That's Kellan? I never thought he'd look that good in person."

"Looks can fool you. He's brutal when it comes down to a fight."

"This is the first time the leader of the Umbra Expanse has appeared in public!"

Cathy couldn't move, completely thrown by the sight of him.

Even just his outline seemed to command the entire room.

He moved closer, and as the light hit his familiar face, Cathy's heart thudded against her chest.

No way.

How could Kellan be her former nemesis in Mapleley, Shadow Viper?