Bones Learn To Listen When Silence Speaks by Ryn Miles 1

Chapter 1 

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They said every man had a girl he loved but could never have. But Aurelia Corin always thought Cassian Locke was different. 

After all, they’d been together for a long time and had a strong bond. 

Too bad it seemed like no man could escape that fate. And Cassian was no exception. 

Aurelia had been with Cassian since she was eighteen. It had been seven whole years. 

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They had spent more than two thousand days and nights together, doing everything a couple could do. Yet, she could never compete with the memory of a girl Cassian had only seen once in his youth. 

It was kind of funny, really. She had spent seven years with Cassian and still couldn’t see what was truly in his heart. 

So she wondered just how much he truly loved that woman, if he was willing to keep that other woman a secret in his heart for so long. 

Aurelia’s mind drifted off, and Cassian, who was working hard on top of her, was not happy about it. He thrust harder, a warning for her to pay attention. 

Cassian was always rough in bed. During one wild movement, he accidentally knocked over a black silk box on the nightstand. 

He quickly caught it before it could fall on Aurelia. He had never seen it before, so for once, he was curious. “What’s this?” he asked. 

Aurelia casually took the box from him and tossed it aside. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips brushing the skin of his throat. “How can you get distracted at a time like this? Are you getting tired of me?” 

Cassian couldn’t resist her, and he instantly forgot about the box. 

As Cassian lost himself in her, Aurelia turned her head to look at the forgotten black box. Her eyes 

‘Cassian, you will never know what’s inside this box, she thought to herself. 

welled up. 

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A month earlier, Honoria Capital had successfully gone public. Cassian’s friends threw a small party to celebrate. 

Aurelia dressed up beautifully. She was planning to propose to Cassian at the party. 

Proposing was supposed to be the man’s job. But Aurelia loved Cassian so much that she was willing to put aside her pride and ask him to marry her. 

No one knew she had been waiting for this day for seven years. 

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Cassian was focused on his career, so Aurelia changed her major in college to finance, a subject she didn’t even like, just for him. 

After graduating, she turned down an offer from a top university abroad and went to work for Cassian at Honoria Capital. 

She started as an entry–level clerk and worked her way up, step by step, to become his executive secretary. 

Only Aurelia knew how hard it had been. 

When their love felt strongest, Aurelia had wanted to ask Cassian if he would marry her so many times. But in the end, she always held back. 

Her mother often said that one should never have to ask for gifts or for love. What was given freely was special; what one had to ask for was just charity. 

Besides, Cassian wasn’t the type of man to talk about his feelings. And in all these years, Aurelia was the only woman by his side. There was never anyone else. 

Aurelia thought it was only natural that they would end up together. 

For that future, she had fought tooth and nail for Honoria Capital over the years. 

She couldn’t even remember how many times she had ended up in the hospital from drinking too much for her work. 

One time, she almost died on the operating table from alcohol poisoning combined with a miscarriage. 

Her best friend, Mia, asked her, “After a trip to death’s door, do you regret it? Is it worth it to make yourself this miserable for a man?” 

Aurelia nodded without a second of doubt. “It’s worth it.” 

Mia gave her a nickname–the warrior fighting for love. She said she hoped Aurelia wouldn’t lose this battle of love. 

Back then, Aurelia had confidently told Mia that Cassian would never let her lose. 

That belief kept her going until Honoria Capital went public. 

No one knew that on that day, Aurelia locked herself in her room and cried her eyes out. After she was done crying, she wiped her tears and started planning a surprise proposal for Cassian. 

She had to. Cassian was too busy. Now that Honoria Capital was a public company, he had so many projects to 

manage. 

He was busy celebrating with family, friends, and business partners. He definitely didn’t have time to think about his relationship with Aurelia. 

So, Aurelia decided to make the first move and take one more task off his plate. 

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Even though she had prepared herself, when the moment finally came, Aurelia was incredibly nervous. 

She stood outside the door, trying to calm her breathing and rubbing her trembling hands. 

She was afraid she would start choking on her tears before she could even get out the proposal speech she knew by heart. 

Inside, the party was in full swing. Someone asked loudly, “Cassian, are you still in touch with Tessa?” 

“Tessa? Isn’t she Cassian’s first love? Why bring her up all of a sudden?” asked another. 

“I heard she is moving back to the country.” 

“Does that mean Cassian can finally get back with her?” 

Aurelia’s hands, which had been shaking with excitement, suddenly stopped. 

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“Seriously, Tessa’s father has been doing great in politics these past few years. If Cassian marries her, it would be a huge help to him and to Honoria Capital. Plus, they look good together and come from similar powerful families,” someone said. 

“And she’s his first love. He’d have it all–love and a successful career,” added Jasper Quinn, Cassian’s childhood friend. 

He always said he and Cassian were close, so there was no reason to doubt his words. 

Hearing that Cassian had a first love sent a sharp, sudden pain through Aurelia’s heart. 

“Then what about Aurelia?” someone asked. “I mean, she’s been with Cassian for so many years. She’s put in the time and effort, right?” 

Jasper brushed it off. “Just give her some money to send her away. If he really likes her that much, he can always keep her as a mistress after he gets married.” 

That was normal for the people Jasper hung around with. Most of them had wives at home and other women on the side. 

Outside the door, Aurelia’s fists were clenched so tight her fingers had gone numb. 

She desperately needed to hear Cassian’s answer. 

She hoped he would immediately shut them down, telling everyone that he loved Aurelia and that she was the one he was going to marry. 

But she waited and waited, and all she heard was Cassian’s casual voice. “Since when did you guys get so nosy?” 

He didn’t argue. He didn’t deny it. It sounded more like he was silently agreeing with them. 

“You’re right. On a great night like this, let’s talk about something exciting. I was about to fall asleep.” Jasper said, sitting up from the couch to liven things up. 

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He was a total player who changed girlfriends fast, and he was always into some new game. 

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He called out to the group, “Let’s play a confession game. Everyone says the craziest thing they’ve ever done. How about it?” 

Someone shared something shocking. “Had sex in a vehicle.” 

Jasper rolled his eyes. “What’s so crazy about that?” 

The person added, “I mean, on a high–speed train.” 

The whole room erupted in cheers and whistles. “Wow, you’ve got some stories, man.” 

Jasper excitedly turned to Cassian, who was sitting nearby, looking bored. “Cassian, what about you? What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?” 

Cassian seemed to think for a few seconds before he said, “Being the other man for love.” 

The room exploded. This was Cassian. The heir to one of Ashmont’s richest families. He could have any woman he wanted. 

He wouldn’t do something like that unless he was truly in love. 

Jasper’s reaction was the loudest, his voice carrying through the door and slicing into Aurelia’s chest. “It was for Tessa, right? I knew you were still in love with her! 

“Back then, you liked Tessa, but Tessa liked Gideon, so you became the other man for her. Cassian, man, you really fight for the one you love!” 

The sound of their cheering and laughter was like buckets of ice–cold water being dumped over Aurelia’s head, chilling her to the bone. 

Her stomach churned, and she felt so sick that she slowly squatted down. 

Jasper was still talking. He asked, “Cassian, be honest. Did you meet up with Tessa on October 10th?” 

Cassian asked him, “How did you know?” 

“She posted on Instagram that day. She said that reunions were the most romantic thing in the world. I figured it had to be you,” Jasper said with a playful wink. “So, did anything happen that night? Did you guys sleep together?” 

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Chapter 2 

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