A Graduation Gift

Dry leaves rustled as the wind cast a gentle blow. Cassandra was anxious at the thought that she would be alone with Lionel.
Excusing herself, she went to the backyard and took her time to think things over while walking.
The light in the backyard was dimmer compared to the one in the mansion which was overly lighted. The backyard was bleak.
Cassandra could hear the laughter made by Horace, Jill, and Cloris from inside. They were having a great time.
The peals of laughter were warm like sunshine in the winter, melting the snow. But the warmth was not enough to melt
Cassandra's freezing emotions.
Cassandra knew that she wasn't as likable as Cloris, and Jill didn't like her at all. Cloris made a good impression on Jill and she
liked her company. She felt happy for her sister knowing that she felt at home with the Tang family.
The chill of the early evening crept through Cassandra's senses making her nose itchy.
Out of nowhere, someone put a coat over her shoulders. Without looking back she could tell who it was by the familiar scent.
Then Rufus said with his husky voice, "Are you trying to make others feel sorry for you by getting sick?"
Rufus' bark was worse than his bite. He was showing his concern for Cassandra in a sarcastic way.
"Besides, Lionel is still expecting you to have his child. Are you sure you can do that when you're so weak and sickly?"
Usually, Cassandra would talk back. But tonight was different. She didn't have the right mood.
Lionel was acting so possessive these past few days. His actions made Cassandra realize that she could never run away from
him. Needless to say, Rufus, who knew well how complicated their relationship was but still persistently did things to worsen the
situation.
Cassandra felt helpless and frustrated at the thought of her fate.
She was forced to marry Lionel, and the Qin family had kept on giving her the cold shoulder. That was fine with her, however,
she got herself used to loneliness and ill-treatment. What scared her the most was other people showing pity on her. It made her
feel belittled and vulnerable. And Rufus entered her life. He showed concerns and affections for her in different ways. She got
used to the feeling of being cared for and secured, which might be the reason for her attachment to Rufus.
She would have been much happier if it was Rufus whom she married.

'Wait, stop thinking about Rufus!' Cassandra felt annoyed that she kept on imagining something she couldn't have.
'Cassandra, you should stop dreaming. It's not right, ' She reminded herself.
Then taking a deep breath and removing the coat Rufus had offered, she said coldly, "If you know that I'll have Lionel's child,
then you should stay away from me."
Rufus glanced at Cassandra hearing her words. Her remarks angered him in an instant. Seeing her pale and innocent face,
however, lessened the fury.
"No. That would be impossible. You can never have his child. You spent your first night with me, remember?"
Cassandra just smirked at his response. What she said next was cruel, "What made you think that was my first time? Don't you
know that I have a hymen repair surgery?"
A woman could sometimes be the cruelest person in the world. A few days ago, Cassandra would even take initiative to kiss him.
And now, the same sexy mouth was saying something that shattered his heart. What was even meaner was the expression on
her face as she said those words - effortless, innocent and child-like. It was not a joke for her.
"Rufus, I'm telling you. I will never do those naughty things again with you. I won't cross the boundary ever again," she added.
Rufus raised his eyebrows. "Cross the boundary?'' So that was Cassandra's thoughts of their relationship. Rufus was frustrated
thinking about everything that had happened between them.
"Well, I guess you won't say such silly words when you fall into my arms again."
Rufus quickened his steps and moved closer to her.
Cassandra just stood still and waited for his next move. He was so dominant that Cassandra dared not to move.
When he was about to pull Cassandra into his arms, someone called out from the mansion.
"Cassandra, dinner is ready. Come inside!" Cloris shouted at Cassandra, standing by the window of the living room.
Her sister's voice pulled her back to her senses. She wouldn't allow Rufus to cloud her thoughts this time. With one swift stride,
she moved away from him, avoiding his irresistible hug.
She needed to stop herself from indulging to Rufus's gentleness. She needed to resist the temptation.

Cassandra turned around and walked into the brightly lit mansion without looking back.
She might look petite and weak, but what she did made her look strong and resilient inside.
Rufus watched Cassandra leave. He was surprised at her reaction. Seeing her image disappear to the mansion, he lowered his
head and touched the coat Cassandra had given back. She still wore the same fragrance as she did their first night together. He
couldn't help pulling the coat closer to his chest. His brown eyes blinked and there was something cynical in his expressions.
At dinner, Cassandra seldom talked with the family. She just nodded her head, smiled, or helped Cloris get some dish.
When the Qin family had dinner in the past, everyone was quiet. Today was different because Cloris joined them.
She was telling them funny stories of her school, making Horace and Jill burst into laughter. Even Rufus was laughing.
Lionel, however, was dreary. He kept on staring at Cassandra, who was silent the whole time.
After dinner, Cassandra invited Cloris to come with her to her bedroom for some chitchat. But Cloris rejected the invitation.
"Cassandra, I'm fine. You can go with Lionel. Just show me around tomorrow."
Then she yawned, pretending to be sleepy. Something unusual was displayed in the expression of her eyes.
Cassandra got nervous and wanted to explain something to her. But Lionel had already stepped forward and pulled her into his
arms. He winked at Cloris, who returned him a smile, signaling that she got it.
Cassandra who was feeble and uncomfortable couldn't escape from Lionel's arms. She was taken forcibly and was almost
dragged to the bedroom.
Watching Lionel and Cassandra, Rufus maintained his silence. His eyes were gloomy, the kind of gloomy that usually scared
people around him.
Seeing the way Lionel held Cassandra in his arms as they walked into the bedroom together, Rufus clenched his fists.
Lionel opened the door and pushed Cassandra to the bed indecently.
She was slapped in the face by the ideas that it wasn't Rufus in the bedroom with her. Cassandra was nervous and scared to
death. She knew clearly that Lionel was planning something nasty. And what he was about to do was not out of his love for her.

He just wanted to piss Rufus off.
Cassandra struggled and stood up from the bed. She attempted to run to the door. But Lionel grabbed her arms and pushed her
back to the bed.
"Stop struggling! You're just wasting your time. Isn't this what your family always wanted? To unite with our family through
marriage? Well, tonight, let me fulfill their dreams for you!"
Cassandra was dumbstruck by the maniac look on Lionel's face.
She should have anticipated this when she married Lionel. She ran away from him earlier for she had known his character.
However, she knew they would come to this point and whether she liked it or not it was destined to happen, and the worst was
yet to come.
"Lionel, calm down! We have a deal. This marriage is for business only. You hate me and I don't like you either. Why would you
do this to me? You're becoming a rapist!"
Cassandra stepped back out of fear, but Lionel kept on stepping forward moving closer to her. He smiled viciously. He stretched
out one hand to caress his chin playfully while looking at Cassandra who had been trying to escape.
"Cassandra, do you think you can stop me? I'd like to see whether Rufus will still be interested with you if he learned that you've
slept with me!"
Lionel said coldly. His insult made Cassandra furrow her eyebrows.
"You're my wife. It's your duty to make me happy. Cassandra, you can't run away from me!"
Cassandra was cornered by Lionel. She had nowhere to go.
Lionel locked his hands on the wall around Cassandra, stopping her from running away. They were so close that Cassandra
could feel his heavy breaths.
For the first time, Cassandra felt really scared.
She looked at Lionel and pleaded for him desperately. Her vision was clouded by the tears in her eyes. She hated Lionel's
approach, his smell, his touch, and everything about him. She hated him a lot.

She felt so harassed. Out of her desperation to escape, Cassandra thought about telling Lionel that she had slept with another
man. This might get Lionel angry and let her go.
That was Cassandra's escape plan.
She knew what kind of person Lionel was. And she was certain that he couldn't hold up to the idea that his wife cheated on him.
Pulling her strength together, Cassandra said, "Lionel, I have to tell you something..."
Cassandra didn't have time to care about the consequences of what she was about to do.
But before she could finish her words, a phone call interrupted her. Cassandra lifted up her head and saw Lionel took out the
phone from his pocket. He was exasperated.