WANT (completed)

ch. 60 | Fury

Zac looks at me with a look that I can't read. It's as if he wants to say something, but is terrified of saying the words to me. I cock a brow at him, glancing towards the clock that's on the wall behind him. Where the hell is the nurse? She said she would be out in a few minutes, and it's been more than a few fucking minutes.

My patience is wearing thin, between this conversation with Zac and waiting to see Cassandra. I'm losing my goddamn mind. As much as I want to hate Zac, I can't, and as much as I want to run down the hall and through those double doors to see my wife, I also can't do that without likely getting myself arrested.

"Camara didn't tell her, Asa," Zac says. "It was Ethan that told her."

Ethan.

My heart practically sinks into my stomach and I'm at a total loss for words. I don't even think I'm properly processing what he just said. Did he just say Ethan? Maybe I'm hearing things?

"Ethan?" I choke out. I'm never like this. I never get flustered, except when I'm with Cassandra, but that's a good, love dovey, heart in my ass type of flustered. But right now, I'm in a panicked flustered and I'm the most cool, calm, and collected guy I've ever met.

"Yeah," Zac strikes me with his sharp gaze and I swallow hard, closing my eyes. "He was at the office today, and I guess he decided that today was a good fucking time to tell her. I honestly have no clue what happened really. As I said, by the time Cassandra stormed into my office, she was already freaking the fuck out."

"Ethan was at the office!? What the hell? How did he even get in?" I raise my voice this time, nearly wanting to jump out of my seat with how angry I am. We have security set in place for a reason. Only employees and verified guests can enter the premises at all times, and Ethan sure as hell doesn't work at Rhodes Enterprises.

I watch as Zac's facial expression ticks in annoyance, and it makes me want to strangle him for taking his time to respond to my question.

"It was my fault. I had some things to discuss with a project we are moving forward with in Australia, and he happens to work with the partnering firm. I didn't think he would be a threat, or it wouldn't have happened."

In the next two seconds, my entire body feels like it's on fire. I'm so pissed that Ethan was even allowed into the building, even though I don't have a reason to be apart from the fact that he's Cassandra ex-boyfriend. But I'm even more angry because Zac knows that Ethan isn't good news. Zac is the same fucking guy that warned me about their past and about all the shitty things Ethan had put her through.

But Zac seems to be lucky, because either the nurse who had come up to us earlier has noticed the tension between us and my impending anger with how my fists are balled next to me, ready to strangle my wife's brother, or maybe she just happened to be ready to come regardless.

"Mr. Rivers? I can take you back now. She's still asleep, so if maybe you can come back for now, and you two can see her after she's awake," she tells us calmly, interrupting at just the perfect moment and keeping me from ramming my fist right into Zac's pretty little face.

I'm still fuming, but as soon as the nurse is standing besides me saying that I can see Cassandra, I'm also jumping to my feet.

"Okay, thank you," I tell her as calmly as I can in that moment, taking a deep breath as she smiles at us. I feel Lauren squeeze my arm before I leave, and I glance her way, seeing the reassuring look that she's trying to give me. Lauren seems to know that I'm angry at Zac, possibly even at her, but cares enough to make this only about Cassandra. I nod at her, gulping a bit as I move to follow the nurse back to see Cassandra.

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A/N: yay!!! we get Cassandra in the next chapter WoOoHooO!! also thanks for 20K reads (I'm literally gonna cry. I love all the votes and comments and reading all the lovely things).

I have some good news and updates regarding Want / Cassandra & Asa moving forward. Keep reading if you're interested:

1. This book is clearly almost coming to an end, but as I go back and rewrite and edit, I'm starting to think that I may just be able to change the ending a bit and make it into a two part book. I'm not sure if I want to do this, but I will consider it later down the line. I'll keep y'all updated on this, but also, their story is kind of perfect (almost too perfect). I don't know. It's a possibility that I wanted to share with y'all.

2. As I do begin to edit, I will start posting updated chapters (after I finish this book of course). some parts of the plot, overall writing, and certain things will be changed. Nothing major. It's still their story and all the key events will be key events, but certain things that happened that I was unhappy with will be revised. This is just a warning, but really, you should be happy about this news!

3. You probably already noticed this, but I'm HIGHLY considering a spin-off with Zac's story. I've thought a lot about this, and it was originally supposed to all fall into place within Want itself, but it's too much and I don't want to drag this story on longer if the plot is irrelevant to the main characters. is that something y'all would read? it would be very different than this, but still contemporary romance (hmm, hint hint?) with smut, and it would really shine light on his character and who he really is.