I turned.
Asher. He stood alone now, hands in his coat pockets, his eyes locked on mine–and then, the ring.
Adam glanced between us, then pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. “I’ll give you two a moment.”
And then he stepped away.
Asher came closer, his voice low and unsure. “How have you been?”
I tilted my head, “Pretty good. And you?”
+15 Bonus
“About Sylvie,” Asher began, his voice barely louder than the snow falling around us. “We found out the truth… not long after you left. I meant to reach out, but Adam—”
“I know,” I cut in gently. “He told me. I was the one who asked him not to let you contact me.”
I met his gaze, calm and steady. “I think we’ve said everything that needs to be said.”
He nodded slowly, regret etched deep into the lines of his face. “I’m sorry, Kaia. I thought I was doing the right thing. I never realized I was the one hurting you.”
“It’s alright,” I said with a small smile. “I’ve forgotten most of it, anyway.”
Asher chuckled softly, wiping at the tears that spilled before he could stop them. “When’s the wedding? Can we come?”
I glanced down at the ring, the diamond catching the light like it was laughing at the question. Then I looked up at him and smiled, soft but final. “I don’t think you should. I’m marrying an Orman. We should keep our distance.”
“Right…” he nodded, smile faint but not bitter. “Just… be happy, Kaia. Promise me that.”
“I will.” I turned to leave, then paused. “You be happy too. Okay?”
Adam didn’t say anything until we were back in the car. He had a way of watching me without pushing, of waiting until I was ready.
+15 Bonus
Then, casually, like reciting headlines, he told me what had happened to the Renner brothers.
Asher lost control of the family business. Years of missteps, paranoia, and guilt ate away at him until he all but buried Renner Enterprises in the ground.
Noah developed a mental disorder–severe enough that he now lived on medication, barely lucid, sometimes not at all.
Jace became a drunk. A full–blown alcoholic. Angry, messy, wrecked.
And Sylvie? She was thrown out not long after I left. Got mixed up with a group of thugs. Ended up pregnant. Lost the baby and then everything.
No one’s seen her since. They said she disappeared.
When Adam finished, I didn’t say anything or feel anything.
Not sadness. Not anger. Just… nothing.
They weren’t part of me anymore. And I didn’t hate
them. But I also didn’t care.
บ
