Chapter Text
Maddy watched helplessly as Cassie shattered at the sight of Nate’s body in the casket—his lifeless form arranged with eerie serenity, a snake coiled around him like some grotesque creature satisfied with its final meal.
Both of them had been stunned into silence, the air thick with disbelief. But when Cassie broke down completely, sobs wrenching from her chest, Maddy had forced herself to stay composed. She stroked Cassie’s hair with slow, grounding strokes, offering what little comfort she could in her own guarded way. Inside, her heart twisted with a storm of shock, pity, and something far more complicated.
The ride back to Cassie’s apartment had been heavy and tense, with Alamo himself driving in silence. Cassie sat in the back, crying quietly, her broken sobs filling the background like a haunting echo. Throughout the journey, Alamo’s hand had rested possessively on Maddy’s thigh—a firm, burning reminder that she had just sold her freedom to him for Cassie. For the girl who had betrayed her. For the girl who had once been her closest friend.
For the girl she could never quite walk away from.
It was past midnight when they arrived in Cassie's apartment. The moment they stepped inside, Cassie fell apart. She dropped to her knees on the cold floor, the same state it had been left in after her kidnapping—broken glass from the shattered table scattered like sharp, accusing fragments, faint remnants of Cassie’s dried blood still staining the tiles. Maddy’s hands began to shake at the sight.
She moved to the kitchen on unsteady legs and fetched a glass of water. When she returned, Cassie remained on her knees, crying softly, saying nothing now—just raw, broken sounds. Maddy stood over her, sympathy swelling in her chest. It was the shock, she told herself, and the brutal finality of becoming a widow so suddenly. Maddy sympathized.
Maddy cared.
“Hey, Cass,” Maddy said in a mellow, soothing tone, kneeling beside her despite the danger of the glass. She was trying to be comforting, even while painfully aware that she had just thrust herself into a terrible situation for this ‘special’ girl. Her life was fucked now—more fucked than she thought possible—and all because of stupid, reckless Cassie.
But Maddy cared anyway.
She reached out to help Cassie up. Cassie immediately clung to her, sobbing harder. The cold floor pressed into Maddy’s knees, a depressing chill that mirrored the emotional frost settling over them both. Maddy struggled to keep her balance with the glass of water still in hand. It wobbled as Cassie held tighter.
It spilled—first in small drops, then more freely as Cassie unraveled further.
“Cass…” Maddy tried to pull away gently. “Drink this, okay? It’s over. It’s over now.” Cassie didn’t respond, she looked absolutely recked.
“I’m here, Cass. I’m here,” Maddy reassured her, voice steady despite the chaos inside. “You’re not alone.” Cassie only gripped her tighter, burying deeper into her embrace. Maddy meant every word sincerely, even if Cassie had upended her entire world.
“Fuck, Maddy… what am I gonna do now?” Cassie finally choked out, the words muffled and distorted by sobs.
She pulled back just enough to look at Maddy, eyes wide with terror and utter loss. “Maddy, what the fuck am I gonna do now?”
Maddy held her gaze, then motioned toward the glass. Cassie took it with trembling hands and gulped it down. Maddy gently took her wrist and guided her to the couch.
“Sit.”
Cassie obeyed, sinking into the cushions in her wrinkled pink dress, looking utterly distressed and disassociating. Maddy carried the empty glass to the kitchen.
Her voice echoed softly through the melancholy space as she returned. “First, you’re gonna calm down, and we’re gonna get you cleaned up, m’kay?”
“You’re going to stay over, right?” Cassie asked, her voice painfully vulnerable. “Don’t leave me all alone right now, Maddy.”
Maddy knew she would have stayed regardless. “I’m not going. I told you—we’ll get you cleaned up.”
Cassie had no idea the crushing weight she had placed on Maddy. She was Alamo’s girl now. And, it was all in vain because Nate died regardless. So whenever the thought crossed her mind, Maddy’s blood boiled—she wanted to slap Cassie, curse her, beat the shit out of her. Yet she did the opposite. She prepared the bath for her instead. Maddy couldn’t fully fathom why she was doing all this. She just knew she wanted to do that for Cassie. Must be out of sympathy.
Or the fact that it wasn't just Nate's dead body they have witness that night.
“Hey, Cass, bath’s ready. Come now,” her voice echoed gently.
Through the ajar door, Maddy watched Cassie rise from the couch like a ghost and drift toward the bathroom. Maddy checked the tub’s temperature carefully, noting it was just right, and tested the shower as well. Cassie stepped inside.
“Wash off the dirt first in the shower before going to the bathtub,” Maddy instructed—simple common sense, but she said it anyway. Cassie nodded numbly. “If you need something, tell me.”
Then Maddy stepped out.
She busied herself sweeping up the broken glass scattered across the floor. While scrubbing the dried blood stains, Cassie’s voice called out.
“Maddy?” She called a few more times before Maddy appeared at the bathroom door.
“Hm? Something you need?”
“You, Mads. Why don’t you join me here right now? I know the dirt’s pretty filthy.”
“Right. It is.”
“So join me.”
Maddy fell silent for a moment, haunted by the memory of bargaining with Alamo—how she had let him fuck her, dressed in some fancy one-piece, all because Cassie needed help.
“You won’t? Okay…” Disappointment dripped from Cassie’s voice behind the door.
“No, just a sec’.” Maddy entered, undressing with quiet resolve. Her petite dress, adorned with its delicate Mother Mary design, pooled on the floor. She stepped into the shower first, rinsing away the grime while Cassie sat disassociating in the tub. From the corner of her eye, Maddy caught Cassie stealing glances at her from time to time.
When their eyes finally met, Cassie gestured for her to join in the bathtub. Maddy complied without hesitation. Standing stark naked in front of Cassie had never been an issue before, and it wasn’t now.
Cassie stared at the rippling water before speaking, her voice thick. Maddy’s eyes locked onto her immediately. “Thank you, Maddy. Thank you for everything. I fucking owe you my life.” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I don’t know what could have happened if you hadn’t shown up. They would’ve killed me, Maddy. I would’ve been fucking dead by now.” Her voice shook violently.
Maddy reached out, worry tightening her chest. “Hey, listen to me, Cass. They didn’t, and it's over now.”
Cassie didn’t move at first, only drew her knees together. The water shifted as Maddy moved closer, placing her hands on Cassie’s knees. She could feel the heat of Cassie’s skin through the wetness. Cassie’s gaze dropped to the touch, then lifted back to Maddy’s face.
“It’s over, Cassie,” Maddy said firmly, searching her eyes, desperate to ease the torment there.
Cassie looked unconvinced. She turned away, whispering barely audibly, “I’m sorry, Maddy. I asked for your help.”
Maddy couldn’t fault her for asking. She understood it wasn’t pure manipulation—it was opportunity. Life or death. Just like how Cassie had been ready to abandon their agreement the moment someone better, like that guy Brandon, appeared.
Opportunity.
That didn’t mean Cassie didn’t care. Maddy knew the guilt would devour her afterward. Cassie was often stupid when it came to chasing chances.
Maddy felt the heat of Cassie’s hands wrapping around her own as she continued, “I’m sorry I involved you in this mess.”
“Your mess, my mess. It’ll be okay, Cass. Besides, no one is going to hurt you now. You’re free.”
“I’m not, you know that,” Cassie interjected, her voice fragile yet insistent. “I don’t have full autonomy like you do… and you’re my boss. So I’m technically yours.”
And I’m Alamo’s bitch. Your fault. But you don’t even know that.
Maddy kept her expression steady and simply stared at Cassie’s tear-streaked face instead. Then she noticed Cassie’s gaze drifting lower, lingering.
Is she looking at my lips?
Maddy frowned at the thought, a flicker of confusion cutting through her. Suddenly, Cassie leaned forward, pressing her plump lips against Maddy’s in a desperate, impulsive kiss. The contact jolted her—surprise, unexpected warmth, and a rush of feelings she couldn’t name. Maddy pushed her away almost instinctively and stood up, water cascading down her body.
Maddy wasn’t used to things like that. Not from Cassie. Not like this. It had caught her completely off guard, stirring emotions she wasn’t prepared to face.
Panic flooded Cassie’s face. She was literally shaking like a leaf in a violent storm, her big blue eyes wide with terror. “Maddy…” she whispered, voice fracturing.
“What?” Maddy snapped, venom lacing every word. “Me fucking saving your life today isn’t enough? You need to take more?”
“No, no, nooo,” Cassie stammered, fresh tears spilling. “I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry. And—and I don’t know… why are you like this?”
She looked so painfully confused, as if Maddy had been gentle only moments ago before switching without warning. Maddy herself didn’t fully understand her sharp reaction. It was just a kiss. But this was them—Cassie being reckless and stupid, lunging after chaotic opportunities that spiraled into disaster, and Maddy always left cleaning up the wreckage, no matter the personal cost.
“Doesn’t matter,” Maddy said sarcastically, already stepping out of the tub. “Enjoy your bath.”
A pair of hands caught her left wrist, stopping her cold. Cassie looked up at her with wide, teary eyes, her expression so heartbreakingly sad and fragile that it seemed she might shatter into pieces if Maddy walked away. “Don’t leave,” she pleaded, voice small and trembling with raw need. “Don’t leave, Mads… I need you right now.”
Maddy rolled her eyes at this pathetic, broken girl who kept pulling her deeper into ruin. Yet her chest ached with reluctant tenderness.
She lowered herself back into the warm water, cupped Cassie’s face with both hands, and pressed her lips to hers.
Cassie startled for a moment, then returned the kiss with quiet desperation. It wasn’t a sexual kiss—just lips meeting lips, tender and aching. Cassie needed comfort, and for some reason, Maddy’s closeness, her kiss, seemed to soothe her most in that fractured moment.
Their position felt awkward. Cassie noticed and gently pulled Maddy closer, opening her legs so Maddy settled between them. Maddy braced both hands on Cassie’s sides to keep from slipping, while Cassie’s fingers tangled into her hair. They kissed like that—slow, lingering, heavy with sorrow.
One of Cassie’s hands slid to Maddy’s lower back, pulling her even closer. Their bodies pressed together, slick and warm. Maddy could feel Cassie’s heat, could hear the tiny, broken whimpers escaping her. As they kissed, something tightened deep in Maddy’s gut. For a fleeting second, she wondered what it would feel like to fuck Cassie, but she pushed the thought away. This wasn’t the time, and it wasn’t what she truly wanted. They just kissed—nothing more—and somehow, that was enough to offer comfort amid the devastation.
—
After the bath, Maddy carefully cleaned and dressed the wounds on Cassie’s shoulders, back, and arms. Exhaustion finally claimed Cassie. She fell fast asleep on her back in bed, her breathing slow and even. Maddy lay beside her, scrolling through Cassie’s OnlyFans on her phone. The subscriber count kept climbing, still riding the wave of the fresh scandal with Dylan. A small, proud smile ghosted across Maddy’s lips.
“You were a bad bitch for that,” she whispered, gazing at Cassie’s peaceful sleeping face. She looked so serene, as if they hadn’t just come from identifying Nate’s dead body.
Maddy leaned in and kissed her temple softly. She didn’t know why she kept doing these things, or why she sacrificed so much. She told herself it was only for the 15% cut she got from Cassie selling her body.
But why not 30%? Alamo’s voice echoed mockingly in her thoughts, alongside her own past words: She’s a friend. This one is special.
She wondered if her life would have remained less fucked if she had never answered that “i miss you” text Cassie sent. She might still be stuck as a secretary in a dead-end job—answering calls, sitting and waiting. Not this. Not managing chaos. Not tethered to dangerous men. Not endlessly managing Cassie.
Cassie was quick to betray her whenever a better opportunity appeared. She hurled herself into mind-sickening trouble—life-and-death situations—then came running for help, for another chance to survive. Maddy had sold herself to Alamo for her. What Cassie didn’t know was that she would do it willingly, again and again.
Maddy’s chest tightened painfully with the weight of it all. She lay down fully, wrapping her arms around Cassie. Cassie stirred in her sleep and hugged her back instinctively.
Thinking back on everything that’s happened up to this point, it definitely trauma-bonded her and Cassie forever. Maddy obviously wouldn't feel grateful. But for some reason, it brought comfort that she won't be alone facing this.
And Maddy thought, for now, this is her life.