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nFor what almost felt like an eternity, Cassidy waited in front of Adrian's office like what Charles told her to.

nHe left a moment ago, having already informed her husband about her arrival. She did not expect that he would notice her earlier in the lobby, but she was glad that he did. He himself looked glad upon seeing her there, though he tried not to ask her too much about her purpose for coming.

n

"I'm guessing that you're here to see the President? You came at the right time, Ma'am. We're just about to go home...

" was what Charles said to Cassidy at that time.

n

"You two might need some time alone, I assume.

"

nCassidy was still recalling her conversation with Charles when she heard a faint sound of footsteps approaching her, which made her heart pick up pace and thump loudly in her chest.

nAs soon as the door opened, she immediately found herself staring into a pair of deep blue irises - so mesmerizingly beautiful that she felt like getting lost in them. Her whole face flushed a bright shade of red when she saw her husband's astonished reaction up close. She only had but a second to look down and hide her blush.

n

"Cassidy...

" Adrian said in awe and disbelief.

n

"What are you doing here?

"

nSuddenly not knowing what to say, Cassidy let the silence fill in for her. She could feel her hands quivering a little as she continued to shy away and act somewhat timid. She couldn't believe that she was being like this even at the last minute. This is all his fault, though - he is making her feel all the emotions she really tried hard to forget.

n

"Ummm... Hey, Adrian. I'm sorry to bother you like this, but...

" she started then hesitated and looked around.

n

"Can I come in? It's kind of cold out here.

"

nCassidy had no idea what she was doing - she was nowhere near cold at all, especially since she kept burning up the whole time.

nSurprisingly, Adrian only nodded before he let her enter his office. Once inside, she tried to gather her composure by taking a deep breath. She never thought that this would be so difficult, and considering that she wasn't really good with words at times, she doubted that she would be able to say everything clearly.

n

"Cassidy, what are you doing here?

" Adrian asked again, making Cassidy turn to look at him.

nThat's when she saw that he also seemed tense and on the edge like her. Sure, he's surprised by her unexpected arrival. But more than that, he appeared like there's something about her sudden visit that didn't settle well with him.

n

"Is this about the divorce?

"

nThen, she stiffened.

nWhen he brought that up while trying to mask his pain with a collected facade, she couldn't help but grimace. She completely forgot that they talked about that back then - and that's certainly because she never considered divorcing him at all. No matter what, she had to clear up his misunderstanding at once.

nIgnoring his question, she then pulled out the box from her bag and handed it to him with a flustered expression.

n

"This is for you...

" Cassidy started once more, blushing fiercer than ever.

n

"Happy birthday, Adrian.

"

nAt that, Adrian froze.

nShe wasn't sure if she was only seeing things or not, but she saw beads of tears swelling up in his eyes all of the sudden. It stunned her to the point she was at a loss of words. Him crying is probably the rarest thing she has ever seen him do.

nEver so slowly, he reached out to grab the box, but he didn't put much attention to it. He walked over to his office desk and placed it on top of it before turning to look back at her. From then on, he appears like he's in a reverie.

nSeeing him look as if he is in some sort of a trance makes her heart pound even louder - there's this unbearably overwhelming feeling that's threatening to come out and make it burst.

n

"You really came for my birthday?

" Adrian breathed out, still finding it all hard to believe.

n

"Yeah. That's right. I'm not here to divorce you or anything...

" Cassidy said with a small smile.

n

"I wanted to give you a little surprise. So, I made you a cake. I hope you'll like it. It didn't come out as good as I thought it would, though. And you probably had better ones.

"

nAdrian remained silent for a moment before he started making his way back to her.

nHe then grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace, catching her off guard. With what sounded like a sob, he hurriedly buried his nose in her neck and nestled his face in there. All his pent-up emotions surged out right then. And before he knew it, he was already tearing up.

n

"C-Cassidy...

" he sobbed out with a weak and brittle tone as he held her closer to him.

n

"I'm so happy you're here, Cassidy.

"

nHearing that, Cassidy finally gave in.

nShe slowly wrapped her arms around his trembling frame and hugged him as reassuringly as she could - just like what she used to do before. From there, she remembers how much she loves the feeling of having him so near.

nShe loves the way he holds her like a delicate piece of glass. She loves how he gently caresses her hair and firmly kisses her temple. She loves the thought that he'll be always there to protect her. She loves the affectionate look in his eyes whenever he stares at her like she is his entire universe.

nAfter realizing all of that, Cassidy came to a certain conclusion - she will always be in love with Adrian.

n

"Cassidy...

" he whispered in her ear as he pressed the side of his face against hers.

n

"I'm so, so happy you're here. You're the best present I could've ever asked for. Thank you very much.

"

n

"Adrian...

" she whispered back while gripping onto his shirt.

n

"I... I...

"

nShe no longer knows what to say.

nThe joy she is feeling at that moment is beyond overwhelming. Nothing in this world can ever describe it. If only she knew that getting back together with him would make her feel this way, she would have done it a long time ago. She never knew that her feelings for him could get so strong.

n

"Cassidy, I love you,

" Adrian then said out of nowhere, taking her aback for a bit.

nHe gently pulled her away and looked at her straight in the eye. With a loving smile, he cupped both of her cheeks and stroked them with his thumbs, making her blush all over again. He then leaned closer to her, and once again, she ended up getting lost in his gaze.

n

"Will you let me love you again, Cassidy?

"

nInstead of answering Adrian, Cassidy decided to inch her face closer to him and kiss him on the lips.

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