Susan's P.O.V.
People always talk about how one moment can change everything, how life can turn upside down in an instant. I never understood the weight of those words until now. Until the very foundation of my world cracked beneath me, leaving me grasping at nothing but shattered illusions.
I wish I had never come back home. I should have stayed in Aspen, hidden away from the truth that burned through my chest like wildfire. But no amount of wishing can rewrite the past. What's done is done. And I saw itâclear as day, undeniable, irreversible. It wasn't some horrible dream I could wake up from. It was my life unraveling before my eyes.
I sit frozen in my convertible, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turn white. Lisa is inside, waiting, unaware that the woman who left isn't the same one sitting in this car now. I should go inside. Let her console me. Let her help me make sense of this. But I can't. I can't say the words out loud because once I do, they become real. And I can't bear that reality.
My chest feels hollow, my heart an aching void. My mind races for answers, searching for a reasonâanythingâto explain why he did this to me. Didn't I mean something to him? Didn't he think of me at all when he was betraying me? Was I ever enough?
A memory hits me like a knife to the chest. I remember the night Adrian told me I was his forever. We were sitting by the lake, his jacket draped over my shoulders, the stars reflecting in his eyes. "It's always going to be you, Susan," he had whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "No one else could ever come close."
And I had believed him. Every word. Every promise.
I remember how he'd fight for me, how he made me feel safe. Like the time Ryan wouldn't leave me alone in senior high schoolâfollowing me around, making me uncomfortable, cornering me when no one was watching. I had been too afraid to tell anyone, too exhausted from the fear of what might happen if I did. But Adrian had noticed. He had seen the way I shrank away, how I flinched when Ryan was near. And one night, without hesitation, he confronted him.
I remember standing frozen as Adrian pushed Ryan against the wall, his voice low, dangerous. "If you ever come near her again, I swear you'll regret it," he had growled. Ryan had laughed it off at firstâuntil Adrian threw a punch that sent him staggering. "She's mine. And you will never make her feel unsafe again."
That was the Adrian I had fallen for. The man who made me feel like I was untouchable, protected, safe in a world that so often made me feel small. The man who kissed me like I was his entire world.
And now, that world had been nothing but a beautifully crafted lie. A cruel, sick joke. The way he kissed me like I was his entire world. And now, that world had been nothing but a beautifully crafted lie. A cruel, sick joke.
Now, the same lips that once swore loyalty to me had touched someone else. The same hands that held me as if I was precious had wandered to another woman without hesitation.
The realization hits like a punch to the stomach, knocking the breath from my lungs. It was all a scam. A mirage I was stupid enough to believe in. My entire love storyâmy entire heartâmeant nothing.
Another memory crashes into me, twisting the knife even deeper. I remember the day my Ivy League acceptance letter arrivedâmy ticket to a world of endless opportunities. My father had been so proud, my mother had cried tears of joy. But Adrian... Adrian had been so happy for me. I remember the way his face lit up when I told him about my Ivy League acceptance, how he picked me up and spun me around, telling me how proud he was. "You did it, Susan. You can have anything you want," he had said, eyes full of nothing but admiration.
But when I chose NYU instead, I saw the surprise flicker across his face. "Are you sure? You worked so hard for this," he had asked, concern lacing his voice. I had smiled, taking his hands in mine. "New York feels like home. You feel like home."
He never asked me to stay. He never once made me feel like I had to choose between my dreams and him. That choice had been mine. And I had made it willingly, without hesitation, because I had believed in us. I had believed he was my future.
Now, that sacrifice, that unwavering faith in him, feels like the cruelest joke of all. I had given up a world of possibilities for a love that was never as unbreakable as I thought.
Now, that sacrifice, that unwavering faith in him, feels like the cruelest joke of all. I had given up a world of possibilities for a man who had never deserved me.
My phone buzzes again. The sound slices through the silence like a cruel reminder of the past I thought I had. It's him.
I stare at the screen, my breath caught in my throat. A week ago, I would have answered instantly, eager for his voice, desperate for his love. But now... now, all I feel is disgust.
I let it ring until the sound dies, then, with a slow, deliberate motion, I turn off my phone.
And just like that, everything is silent. Finally, mercifully silent.
Tears blur my vision, but I refuse to let them fall. I have a choiceâlet this break me or move forward. And I know what I have to do.
I reach for my purse and step out of the car. The night air is cold, biting against my skin, but I barely feel it. My decision is made. I will leave. I will never return. And I will never let him see me again.
Shame coils around my heart, thick and suffocating. I turned my back on my father, on my family, for a man who never truly valued me. If he wanted her, if she meant so much to him, he should have told me. I would have walked away. I wouldn't have begged.
But he didn't say a word. And now, he doesn't have to. His actions screamed loud enough.
I step to the curb and hail a taxi, my fingers trembling only slightly as I give the driver the address to the airport. The city blurs past, neon lights flashing through the glass, but I don't look back. I can't. I won't.
I reach into my bag and pull out my passport, running my fingers over the embossed name. The name I once tried to escape from. But not anymore. From now on, I will embrace who I was meant to be.
An heiress. A woman who doesn't break.
And a woman who will never, ever let herself be fooled again.
Xavier's P.O.V.
The snow-covered terrace of the Aspen resort is eerily quiet, the frozen lake in the distance shimmering under the pale glow of the moon. The crisp winter air bites at my skin, but the cold is nothing compared to the irritation simmering inside me. This is where I first met Rose, but for the past two days, she's been nowhere to be found. And it drives me insane.
Jason, my so-called best friend, leans against the heated fire pit, smirking as he watches me scan the crowd. "Looks like that little snowflake actually managed to slip through your fingers," he teases, swirling his whiskey lazily.
I shoot him a sharp glare. "Shut up, Jason."
He chuckles, clearly enjoying my frustration. "Come on, man. You have to admit, it's kind of funny. First time in your life a woman doesn't fall into your lap, and now you're brooding like a tragic novel character."
I roll my eyes, taking a slow sip of my drink. "You talk too much."
Jason grins. "And you think too much. But seriously, what is it about this one? You meet plenty of womenâgorgeous, willing, and way less complicated. Why this one?"
I exhale sharply, my breath curling into the cold night air. He's not entirely wrong. Women have always come easily. But this one... she was different. She didn't try to impress me, didn't bat her lashes and cling to my every word. She walked away. And that shouldn't bother meâbut it does.
I was about to start searching for her myself, but Jason reminded me about the paparazzi lurking nearby. One picture of me asking about a woman, and tomorrow, I'd be plastered all over the gossip sites. My father would have a fit.
"You know the rules," Jason reminds me, voice dipping into something more serious. "One headline, and you're out of the will. Your dad made that pretty damn clear."
I scoff, leaning back in my chair. "I don't care about the money."
Jason raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Yeah? Then why are you still playing by his rules? Why not just do whatever the hell you want, Xavier? Or are you still trying to prove something to dear old Dad?"
I fall silent. As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. My entire life has been dictated by rulesâwhat I can say, who I can be seen with, how I should carry the legacy of the family name. Every move I make is scrutinized, every decision weighed against my father's expectations. One wrong step, and I become just another disappointment.
It's exhausting. The constant pressure. The suffocating expectations. The knowledge that my future has been pre-written for me, like a script I never agreed to perform.
And yet, despite all that, here I am, still playing the game.
For now, I have to be careful. But that doesn't mean I won't find her.
I take out my phone and step away from the warmth of the fire pit, my boots crunching against the snow. "Alex, I need a private investigator. Keep it low-profile. No one can know."
"Understood, sir."
I let out a slow breath, watching as it disappears into the night. No woman has ever run from me before. She won't be the first.
Jason chuckles behind me. "A detective? Is she really worth all this trouble? You don't even know her real name. How the hell do you plan on finding someone who left you with nothing but a vague memory and a half-obscured photo?"
A single snapshot, taken in the middle of the Aspen winter wonderland. I had caught her on my phone once, skiing down the slopes with ease, the wind catching in her hair, her laughter ringing through the cold air. But she had been too far, her goggles and scarf concealing most of her face.
Another time, in hotel club, one of the staff photographers had captured all the couples dancing. She had been thereâright in front of meâ with me, but her face had been turned just enough that the photo only revealed the curve of her jaw and the delicate slope of her shoulder.
Each glimpse of her was incomplete, like a puzzle missing its most crucial pieces. But I knew what I had seen. And I knew I had to find her.He shakes his head, amused. "This is impossible, man. Even for you."
I don't answer immediately. Instead, I glance toward the snow-covered peaks in the distance. "She will be."
Jason scoffs. "You're really serious about this? Damn, Xavier, I think this might be the first time in history you've actually had to work for a woman. And you don't even know where to start."
I smirk, but it's hollow. "That's what makes it interesting. I always find what I'm looking for."
Because once I find her, she won't be slipping away again.
I smirk, but it's hollow. No woman has ever run from me before. She won't be the first.
But beneath the chase, beneath the thrill of the hunt, an uncomfortable thought lingers. Why do I even care? Why does it bother me that she left? Is it my pride? Or is it something elseâsomething I don't want to admit?
I shake off the thought and lean back in my chair, picturing her face, her sharp wit, her refusal to fall at my feet like the rest. She left an impression, and I'm not the type to let that go.
Maybe, just maybe, finding her isn't just about proving a point. Maybe it's about finding something realâsomething of my own, outside my father's control.
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