Cassie stayed quiet for a long moment after Franklin finished speaking.
The room felt oddly still, as if even the air was waiting for her reaction. Her fingers curled around her phone, but she didn't move it away from her ear. The words he'd just said echoed inside her mind, refusing to settle.
Pretending to be someone's girlfriend, especially his, wasn't as simple as he made it sound. It wasn't a harmless favor.
It was the kind of thing that tangled emotions, blurred boundaries, and left messes no one wanted to clean up afterward.
"Frank…" she finally said, her voice slower, more careful. "If it's your mother, then it's not right."
There was a pause on the other end, followed by a sigh that sounded heavier than it should've been.
"Come on," he said quietly. "Just tell
