The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1804 Investigation

Nick was at his wits' end.

After Cassie had stormed off, Nick racked his brains, trying to recall what had happened tonight, but to no avail. No matter how hard he tried, he could not remember what had gone on in his house. He only had a vague recollection of drinking with his clients, but that was it. How could he have ended up hugging that woman?

He decided to shift his focus for a moment. Trying to recall the events of tonight was a waste of time because no matter how hard he tried, it was plain impossible at the moment. Right now, the most important thing to do was to find Cassie and clear things up. He took out his phone and dialed her number. It rang and rang. No one picked up. He tried again and again but to no avail.

Nick didn't want to stay home and do nothing. His hands trembling, he thought about what might be going on in Cassie's head right now. The jingle of his keys, followed by the sound of his car's engine starting, sounded painfully loud in the quiet night. But disturbing his neighbors was the least of his concerns. He drove around the neighborhood looking for Cassie. Once he had covered enough ground and still hadn't seen any sign of her, he stopped right where he was and broke down. He rested his head against the steering wheel and contemplated.

He was growing increasingly worried by the second. Once more, he took out his phone and typed in a message to Cassie.

"Cassie, it was not what you thought it was. I can explain everything. Can we please talk in person? Please, answer my calls. I'm so worried about you. Text me back, okay?" the message read.

With shaking hands, he pressed send. Afterward, he kept his bloodshot eyes glued to his phone's screen. If his girlfriend replied, he was not going to miss it.

Three minutes went by. It remained eerily quiet in the car, and the screen display of Nick's phone had turned off automatically due to inactivity.

Nick was losing hope, but giving up now wouldn't benefit him or his relationship in any way. A barrage of text messages made their way to Cassie's phone-messages of love and apologies. For now, this was the only way for Nick to convince her to listen to him. In most of the texts, he begged for her not to be mad at him, to hear him out.

He didn't receive a single response.

It was clear as day that Cassie was determined to ignore his messages.

Nick sat there, helpless and frustrated.

Meanwhile, in her hotel room, Cassie was tossing and turning in bed.

She had closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep. The constant humming and vibration of her phone, however, was making the task impossible.

Cassie knew it was Nick texting her, which annoyed her more. Those messages were like a constant reminder to Cassie of how intimate Nick had been with that woman.

Since Cassie wouldn't respond to Nick's messages, he began ringing her again. When Cassie confirmed that it was him calling again, she canceled the call. Nevertheless, the dismissal was useless. The calls kept coming.

Eventually, Cassie had had enough. She turned off the vibration on her phone and squeezed her eyes shut. At last, it was quiet. Finally, when she was about to drift off to sleep, her phone played a short, familiar tone. It was a text from Nick. Apparently, she had not only turned off the vibration on her message notifications. In her exhaustion, she had also accidentally taken it off silent mode.

Upset, she grabbed her phone and furiously scrolled down through her inbox. It was all from Nick. She had told herself earlier that she wouldn't read them, lest they rendered her soft. Now, she deleted them all.

She then hurled her phone toward the end of her bed and lay back down. Annoyed and distressed, she stared blankly at the lampshade next to her. On the covering was an elegant illustration of a couple in their wedding attire. Although the image on the lamp was nearing abstraction, she could make out the smiles on the couple's faces.

Cassie used to fantasize about marrying Nick. After all, which woman had not dreamed of her own wedding, especially when she thought she had found the perfect partner to marry? Now, the realization dawned on her that perhaps her dream wedding was not going to happen. In the past, Jordan had gotten between her and Nick. Now, it was this strange woman. Maybe she and Nick just weren't meant to be together. 'When can we finally live a peaceful life? Don't we deserve that?' Cassie wondered.

After Sheryl had hung up on Isla, she thought about Nick and Cassie's situation. Immediately, she sent Isla a text reminding her to talk to Cassie before things escalated.

Young people nowadays didn't know how to treasure what they had. What a pity it would be if Nick and Cassie broke up because of a misunderstanding. They would regret it for the rest of their lives. Sheryl, who had gone through the very same thing, didn't want the two to go through such a heartbreaking experience.

Isla was about to go to sleep. When she saw Sheryl's message, she knitted her brows in frustration.

Aron immediately noticed. Concerned, he asked, "What happened? Anything wrong?"

"It's Nick. Apparently, he hooked up with some woman, and Cassie ran into the two of them right in front of Nick and Cassie's place," Isla narrated as Aron listened intently. The tapping sounds emitted by Isla's phone as she dialed Nick's number were deafening in the quiet night.

Nick had been waiting in his car this whole time for Cassie's call. When his phone finally rang, he picked it up without even checking to see who the caller was.

"Cassie, where are you?"

"Nick, what have you done!" Isla's anger was almost palpable. If she were there, she would have punched him in the face.

"Isla?" His voice was heavy with surprise and disappointment. For a second, he had thought it was Cassie.

"What exactly happened? And where's Cassie?" Isla asked, still furious.

It occurred to her that he had been waiting for Cassie's call, and she had caught him off guard.

Nick sighed. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Where should he start? He wasn't even sure about what had happened there in the first place, so he remained silent.

"I asked you a question, Nick. Say something! Where's Cassie?" Isla had never known Nick to be like this. Something was wrong, and perhaps, things weren't as they seemed. Otherwise, Nick wouldn't be so frustrated to the point that he couldn't speak.

She wanted to get to the bottom of it. As long as Nick was still on the line, Isla grabbed the opportunity to ask him non-stop questions, occasionally stopping and waiting for a response. The only way to stop her now was to give her what she wanted. In detail, Nick recounted everything he could remember about tonight.

"Are you a hundred percent sure you didn't cheat on Cassie?" Isla asked, remembering her special hatred toward cheaters. Moreover, in her eyes, Cassie was perfect and deserving of only the best things in the world. If Nick really had done something to hurt his girlfriend, Isla wouldn't be able to forgive him.

"I swear to God. No matter how drunk I get, I would never hurt Cassie," Nick promised solemnly.

Drinking had never been a problem for a person with Nick's alcohol tolerance. Naturally, he grew suspicious. Was it possible that someone was framing him? He knew himself too well. When he got too drunk, he didn't hook up with other women. He only lay in bed, unable to do anything.

"Well, if what you're saying is true, then it's easy. Just go back to the hotel and ask to review their CCTV footage. And call the people who were out with you tonight. I'm sure you can find out something that way," Isla was very calm when she offered Nick the suggestion.

Nick, who had been confused since he drove out on the streets tonight, became clear. He nodded vigorously and said, "You're right, Isla. That's brilliant! Thank you. You may just have saved my life and our relationship. I should call the hotel now, while it's not too late. Bye!"

In his excitement, Nick was almost screaming into the phone. His thumb hovered over the end call button when Isla's muted voice stopped him. "Wait, Nick! Remember to call Sheryl and tell her what happened. She's worried about you."

"Sure. Don't worry, Isla." When Sheryl's name came up, Nick got the picture. Cassie must have called Sheryl after she ran into him and that strange woman.

He didn't waste any time. After hanging up on Isla, he immediately called the hotel.

Isla held the phone to her chest. Nick and Cassie's situation still troubled her deeply. Aron, seeing his wife upset, pulled her into his arms. He kissed her on the forehead and said, "Stop worrying, babe. I'm sure that Nick can handle this."

"I know. He and Cassie have been through a lot together, but it'll take more than this to break them up. Obviously, someone's trying to frame Nick, but I'm pretty confident about what he's capable of, and I'm sure he'll figure out the truth in no time. However, it's not really him that I'm worried about. I'm terrified of whoever is behind this and what they're up to. Whatever their endgame is, it can't be good. And it's pretty scary that they're out there, watching us from the shadows like predators, while we're all out here in the open like prey. Isn't it?"