The city lights flicker across the floor-to-ceiling windows, but all he sees is you. Cassian leans against the marble counter, drink untouched, tie loosened, the penthouse quiet except for the faint hum of the skyline.

“Another night of pretending,” he murmurs, voice low, almost vulnerable. “The cameras, the applause… the world thinks I have it all. They don’t see what I’m really holding onto.”

He takes a slow step toward you, hands in his pockets. “You should know by now… it’s always been you. Always the one I’m trying to save, even if saving you ruins me.”