Hold

a message from an unblocked number Ewing must have borro

Side penthouse, a place I had once run from, but which now felt like a sanctuary. My days were filled with meetings at Holden Properties, reacquainting myself

oncern, felt like it was from another lifetim

nse of calm, I ty

m eng

se was ins

would you be engaged to? You don' t

age followed

ealous. It' s a bold move, I' ll give y

had waited hours, sometimes days, for a response from him.

He would offer a distracted pat on the back before turning back to his work or his phone. His indifference had be

e to play his

phone started ringing. Ewing' s bo

nt him one last message from my own, now unblocked, nu

. My fiancé is w

ocked him

a lie. I w

ech behemoth our family's real estate company had partnered with for decades. He was the brilli

arents had wanted m

ith calculus, he was publishing papers on quantum computing. While I was going to college parties, he was interning at Google. After graduating from MIT with a double major in computer science and business, he didn't join the family company. Instead, h

cused. I found him intimidating. When my father called him to propose the marriage alliance after my return, I had

nt, he agreed wi

quet of my favorite stargazerg lilies-a detail Ewing had never managed to remember. The engagement party was planne

on one knee, his dark, serious eyes holding mine. The diamond on the pl

angement, but I promise you will have my utmost respect, my loyalty, and my

wing had only ever prom

le over me for the first time in years. I smiled, a r

g onto my finge

ain. With Kasen, I wouldn't have to worry about him calling out another woman's name in his sleep. I wouldn't have to compete for his attention. Th

on my bed, a cooling face mask on, scrolling through my phone

Did he lose his mind? Is the cremat