Dethroning the First Love

I always thought I had the perfect fianc and the perfect best friend. That illusion shattered on one absurd afternoon when I uncovered their sickening secret.

The unforgettable first love my best friend never shut up aboutthe devoted ex she claimed was still desperately obsessed with her, the guy who would gladly catch a bullet for her?

He was the exact same man sleeping beside me every single night.

My fianc.

Chapter 1

Work at the firm was light today, so I clocked out early and drove to the mall. Vance showed up half an hour later.

I stood at the smoothie bar, debating between flavors. He materialized out of nowhere, his arm wrapping around my waist. "Get the citrus."

I jumped. "Jesus, how are you so quiet?"

"You were just spacing out."

I ordered a large citrus smoothie and glanced back at him. "You want your own?"

"I'll just share yours."

I rolled my eyes playfully, paid the cashier, and grabbed the drink.

The first floor of the mall was packed with high-end cosmetics and jewelry boutiques. Vance and I picked one and walked in.

"Are you two looking for engagement rings?" A sales associate approached us with a bright smile.

Vance gave a distracted nod. He opened his mouth to say something, but his phone screen suddenly lit up.

The color drained from his face.

He yanked his arm back from me like I had shocked him. "Work emergency. I need to take this."

Without another word, he hurried out the door.

I watched him go. I already had my eye on a specific setting from their website, so I asked the associate to pull it. Unfortunately, my fingers were too small. They didn't have my size in stock, so the ring sat loose on my finger, totally ruining the effect.

I sat in that boutique for twenty whole minutes, feeling like an absolute idiot trying on expensive diamonds that clearly didn't belong to me. Through the glass storefront, I watched Vance pace back and forth out in the concourse. A knot tightened in my stomach. When he finally pushed the glass door open and walked back in, he carried a chilling, restless energy.

"What took so long?"

His face was unreadable. "Just work stuff."

I let it slide and held out my hand to show him the diamond. "Do you like it?"

"It's nice. You look good in anything."

"It's too big, though."

"We can order your exact size," the associate chimed in.

Before I could reply, Vance's phone buzzed again. That was it. My excitement instantly evaporated.

A few minutes later, I walked out of the store. Vance looked up, blinking in surprise. "What's going on?"

I pushed down the flash of anger in my chest and stared at him. "If you're just going to stare at your phone, we can just cancel today."

"Sutton"

Just then, someone called my name. "Sutton?"

I turned around. It was Seraphina. She was a coworker who had transferred from a branch office six months ago. We were the same age, liked the same things, and clicked instantly.

"You're shopping here too?" I put on a smile and stepped toward her. "You should've told me, we could've come together."

"You practically ran out of the office. I didn't get the chance. I'm just grabbing dinner."

Seraphina was undeniably gorgeous. Pale skin, long hair, and a subtle beauty mark under her eye that made her look incredibly sweet when she smiled.

"By yourself?"

"Yeah. You know me. I'm always doing the solo dinner and a movie thing."

"Well, not tonight."

I glanced back at Vance. His expression went blank, but there was a tight knot between his eyebrows. He still looked stressed over whatever was happening at work.

"You remember Seraphina from my birthday dinner." I stepped over and looped my arm through his. "You don't mind if she grabs a bite with us, right?"

As Seraphina stepped closer, I felt the muscles in Vance's arm turn to stone. He subtly shifted his weight, putting distance between us.

"What's wrong? Are you nervous?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

At my words, Vance forced his features to relax. He slid his hand up to cup my shoulder and brushed his thumb against my cheek.

His voice dropped low. "Nothing. But I don't think I can make dinner tonight."

I pressed my lips together and stayed quiet.

He gave me that soft, placating look he used when he wanted his way. "Your friend is here now, right? I feel better knowing you're not eating alone.

Go get dinner, buy something nice. Put it on my card."

I usually fell for that tone. I prided myself on being the chill, understanding girlfriend.

"You're damn right you're paying."

He cracked a smile and pulled me into a quick hug. His lips brushed against my ear. A flush crept up my neck, and I nudged him away. "Just go."

Chapter 2

After he walked away, I turned back to Seraphina, suddenly hyper-aware of how pathetic that entire exchange just looked.

"Sorry about that. Vance had a work emergency and had to bail. Let's go grab a table somewhere. We're ordering the most expensive thing on the menu and making him foot the bill."

We ended up at an upscale place on the second floor. Once we sat down, Seraphina gave me a soft smile. "It's fine. You guys seem so good together."

"Of course. We've been together for three years."

"Three years? So, practically right after college?"

"Yeah. We were actually supposed to be looking at rings today" The frustration bubbled up again. "Whatever. Let's not talk about it."

"Picking out rings?" Seraphina's gaze swept over my bare fingers like a radar. Her red-painted fingernails tapped lightly against the table, a barely noticeable smirk playing on her lips.

I looked at her, confused. "Yeah, why?"

The smirk vanished. Her expression stiffened before that sweet, warm smile returned. "Nothing. I just I was worried I interrupted something important."

I studied her face for a second. Then I let out a dry laugh.

"It's not your fault. That's just him. Always the busy guy."

Over our food, Seraphina asked how Vance and I met.

"Friends of friends."

It happened on a road trip to Joshua Tree. Two guys, two girls. One couple, and then me and Vance.

My friend had totally set it up as a blind date. I saw right through it, but I just wasn't interested.

The desert gets freezing at night. I made the rookie mistake of wearing a sundress on the first day. The wind whipped through the canyon, and I was shivering so hard my teeth clattered. The altitude and the cold completely wrecked me.

By the second day, I had a brutal fever and couldn't even stand up.

I didn't want to ruin their hike, so I told them to leave me at the Airbnb and go have fun. I popped some Advil and crashed.

When I finally forced my heavy eyelids open hours later, Vance was sitting in the armchair next to my bed.

"You're awake."

I just blinked at him.

He leaned forward and pressed the back of his hand against my forehead. "How are you feeling? Still burning up?"

I shook my head slowly.

You're always vulnerable when you're sick. In that moment, Vance stepping up to take care of me filled a gap I didn't even know I had. All that apathy I carried on the drive over just vanished. Something clicked.

After that trip, things just fell into place. There was no big chase. It was just natural.

But he was the one who made it official.

For my birthday, he invited me over to his apartment for dinner. He spent hours banging pots and pans around in the kitchen, only to serve me the most disastrous, overcooked homemade pasta I'd ever seen. The sauce literally tasted like water.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking completely mortified. "First time cooking from scratch."

I didn't hold back. "Yeah. I can tell."

He laughed. Then his gaze locked onto mine, suddenly serious.

He reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He told me he was going to learn how to cook. He promised that by my next birthday, he'd make me the perfect dinner.

I smiled, swirling the ice in my glass. "And he kept his word. He's actually an amazing cook now. Since we moved in together, he handles almost all the meals in the house.

I try to help out sometimes, but I'm hopeless in the kitchen. He still makes fun of me for it."

Seraphina stared into her sparkling wine, lost in thought. "That's really nice."

A shadow crossed her face. I tilted my head. "Are you thinking about your first love again?"

"Hmm?" The corners of her mouth twitched up, then immediately fell. "Yeah."

Seraphina had met her ex back in college. Right after high school graduation, some upperclassman from her hometown had set up an unofficial incoming freshman Facebook group to organize a massive summer mixer.

That was where she saw him. Love at first sight.

She wasn't a chronic overthinker like me. The second the party wrapped up, she tracked him down and made her move.

Guys are easy when you're that pretty. They were the poster couple on campus from day one. Everybody wanted to be them.

They were together for four years. Since they were from the exact same area, they even went home for the holidays together. They practically grew up at each other's family dinner tables.

Chapter 3

Seraphina's first love worshipped the ground she walked on. Like, zero-boundaries, completely-obsessed kind of good. That was why she couldn't let it go. Even after all this time, she was still hopelessly hung up on that ancient history.

You'd think if someone was that unforgettable, they wouldn't have broken up in the first place.

But it wasn't my place to pry. She hadn't told me why they split, and I figured she'd spill when she was ready. I just didn't expect her to drop the bomb tonight.

"I was the one who dumped him," she said. "But the second I did it, I regretted it."

We were mostly done with our food when she really started talking.

"My parents were helicopter parents on steroids. My whole life was micromanaged, and my only job was to play the perfect daughter. So I didn't date before him. Any stupid high school crushes faded to black the second we got together.

At first, my parents hated the idea of me having a boyfriend. They thought college romances were a joke. But then they met him. He won them over so fast, they actually thought we were great together."

I took a sip of my drink and nodded. "Sounds like he was one of the good ones."

"He was." A nostalgic smile crept onto Seraphina's face. "Those years we were together, he spoiled me rotten. I think because my parents kept me on such a tight leash, I completely let loose with him.

I didn't realize it then, but looking back, I was a total nightmare."

I let out a snort. "Please. You?

A nightmare? I don't buy it."

"I was young You probably won't believe this, but junior year, I picked fights with him constantly just because he was busy with his internship. He took it all. He never fought back. But that just wasn't enough for me.

One time, I was so pissed off after screaming at him that I stormed out to go shopping. The more I walked, the madder I got. I literally ripped the promise ring he bought me off my finger and hooked it onto a random tree branch on the sidewalk."

I stared at her, genuinely shocked. "What happened next?"

"I expected him to lose his mind begging me to forgive him like he usually did, but he actually screamed in my face. It freaked me out a little, so I immediately played the victim and apologized. Guess what idiot thing he did after that?"

"Don't tell me he hit you."

Seraphina laughed out loud, shaking her head. "No. He skipped all his morning classes the next day and tore that entire street apart, searching every single tree. It was freezing out.

He practically gave himself frostbite digging through the branches."

"Wow College drama at its finest. Did he ever find it?"

"He did. But he never gave it back to me. Honestly, I think that was the exact moment his feelings for me started to die."

I sat there, absolutely stunned. I couldn't even formulate a response to comfort her. But Seraphina just needed to vent; she didn't seem to care that I was speechless.

She went on to explain that her parents eventually pulled their support and demanded they break up. They fought it for a long time, but they just couldn't hold on. That was what ended it.

I made all the right sympathetic noises, but my mind was spinning. 'Parents disapproving' sounded like such a superficial excuse. The truth was, fighting that kind of battle drained the life out of a relationship. Add in her toxic, entitled behavior from before?

The parents stepping in was just the final nail in the coffin.

When I got back to our apartment that night, I found Vance in his home office. He was wearing his wire-rimmed glasses, looking sharp and unfairly handsome.

I walked up behind his chair and draped my arms over his shoulders. "Been working this whole time?"

"Just wrapping up." He reached up and squeezed my hand. "What did you buy?"

"Nothing. Just paid for dinner."

Chapter 4

A crease formed between his brows. "You were eating this whole time?"

"Talking. You know how it is when girls get going."

Usually, he just brushed this stuff off with a laugh, but this time he pressed. "Talking about what?"

I pulled back, squinting at him. "Since when do you care about girl talk? Are you just asking because Seraphina is pretty?"

His expression went flat. "Don't be ridiculous. I asked because I care about your life. But if you don't want to tell me, drop it."

"It's nothing crazy. Seraphina just told me about her first love."

Vance went dead silent.

The back of his head was facing me, so I couldn't read his face. I just rattled off the highlight reel of my conversation with Seraphina without filtering anything. I let out a sigh. "Honestly, that guy worshipped the ground she walked on."

Vance still didn't say a word. His fingers wrapped around my wrist, pulling me down hard onto his lap. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his breath hot against my skin. "Don't I treat you well?"

I decided to poke the bear. "Would you dig through freezing trees in sub-zero weather just to find a ring for me?"

Vance stiffened. It took him a long moment to scoff. "I'd say that guy is an absolute idiot for pulling a stunt like that."

"Oh my god, did you just trash-talk someone?"

Vance literally never gossiped or judged people behind their backs, especially total strangers he had never even met.

The corner of his mouth twitched. His hand slipped under the collar of my shirt. A second later, he scooped me up in his arms and headed straight for the bedroom.

"You've seen me do much worse, haven't you?"

I shut my mouth.

Thanks to Vance having zero self-control, I dragged myself into the office the next morning feeling half-dead. I stood in the breakroom waiting for the coffee machine, my eyes barely open. I didn't even hear anyone walk in.

"Rough morning? Didn't get enough sleep?"

I forced my eyes open and saw Seraphina. I let out a heavy breath. "You have no idea."

She gave a soft laugh. Then her gaze dropped to my collarbone, and the smile was instantly wiped off her face.

"What is it?" I reached up to touch my neck where she was staring.

"Nothing." Her face was completely blank. She reached up and untied the silk scarf around her own neck.

"Looks like you've got a mosquito bite. Take this to cover it up, if you don't mind wearing my stuff."

It took a second for the reality to hit me. My face burned hot.

I snatched the scarf from her hand, wrapped it around my neck, and tied a quick knot. "Thanks. I'll get this washed and back to you tomorrow."

Her lips curved slightly. "Don't worry about it."

I immediately texted Vance and chewed him out, but he was probably stuck in back-to-back meetings. He didn't reply. When I finally clocked out, his car was idling right outside the lobby.

I pulled the passenger door open, ripped the scarf off my neck, and pointed at the dark mark on my skin. "Look what you did!"

Vance reached over, his thumb brushing against my neck. A smug grin was starting to form on his lips. Then his eyes dropped to the silk fabric crumpled in my fist.

He froze, his gaze locking onto the scarf longer than necessary.

"When did you buy that?" he asked.

"It's not mine. It's Seraphina's." I folded the silk fabric and shoved it into my tote bag.

"I had to meet with clients today. Thank god she gave it to me, or I would have died of embarrassment."

Vance's knuckles turned white around the steering wheel. His voice came out a little raspy. "Guess I need to make it up to you."

"How exactly?"

"I'll buy you a dozen new scarves. You can rotate them out every day. Make everyone in your office jealous."

I actually laughed at his deadpan delivery. "Just drive the car."

Vance pinched my cheek and pulled away from the curb. I sank back into the leather seat. Glancing up at the side mirror, I spotted Seraphina walking out of the glass lobby doors. She looked around before her eyes locked onto our car pulling away.

Since she had just moved back to the city for work, she hadn't bought a car yet. Usually, if I drove and wasn't busy after work, I'd offer her a ride home. But for some reason, as I stared at her reflection shrinking in the mirror, my gut clenched.

For the very first time, the thought of offering her a ride didn't even cross my mind.

Vance was taking me back to his place for dinner. He bought the luxury penthouse just last year. I was the one who practically managed the entire renovation process.

Chapter 5

Vance's mom was a down-to-earth, warm woman. She was strict with Vance, but completely doted on me.

Since we had already set the wedding date for the end of the year, I'd started calling her Mom. The clich mother-in-law nightmare? Nonexistent in my life.

Because I was coming over, she made my absolute favorite pot roast. She even packed me a mason jar of her homemade picklesI mentioned liking them once, and she never forgot.

Vance rolled his eyes, calling her biased.

I flashed him a smug grin. "That's because I'm actually likable."

He just laughed and didn't argue.

I actually came over to grab the watch I left behind last time. If memory served, I'd left it on the nightstand in his old bedroom.

His mom refused to hire a cleaning service. She scrubbed the place top to bottom herself, keeping the hardwood floors and furniture spotless. At first, I thought Vance was just being cheap and called him out on it.

He just shrugged. "That's just how my mom is. She can't sit still. You get used to it."

I understood eventually. Vance had a rough childhood. His dad passed away early, leaving his mom to break her back raising him alone. Now, they weren't billionaires, but they were definitely financially free.

Vance was an absolute machine when it came to making money. I deeply respected him for that.

I walked into the bedroom. The nightstand was empty except for a humidifier.

I leaned against the doorframe and called out. "Mom, did you put away the watch I left on the nightstand?"

"Oh, I locked it in the bottom drawer of the closet! Didn't want it getting lost."

"Got it!"

I grabbed the spare key from the bedside table and unlocked the drawer inside the closet. As I pulled my watch out, my gaze instantly locked onto a velvet jewelry box shoved deep in the back of the drawer. It was a little blue box from a highly recognizable brand, deliberately hidden under a stack of old paperwork. My gut told me there was absolutely no watch certificate in there.

I hesitated for a second. Then I popped it open.

A pair of rings.

They had a really unique, vintage vibe. The women's band was more delicate than the men's, two interlocking circles with the inner one dusted with crushed diamonds.

I stared at it for a moment before pulling the delicate band out and sliding it onto my ring finger.

A perfect fit.

A slow smile spread across my face. I admired it in the light for another second before reluctantly slipping it back into the velvet slot.

The second I clicked the drawer shut, Vance walked into the room.

He tapped my nose. "What are you grinning about?"

"Just laughing at how clueless a certain someone is." Couldn't even hide a surprise properly.

He raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused, but he didn't push it.

Thanks to my little discovery, I rode a high for the next few days. Even Seraphina noticed.

We were touching up our makeup in the office restroom when she asked why I was glowing.

"You know how I've been stressed about picking an engagement ring?" I said, capping my lipstick. "Turns out Vance already bought one. He's probably planning to drop the surprise on Valentine's Day next week."

I groaned, leaning against the sink. "I really shouldn't have snooped. Now I completely ruined my own surprise."

Seraphina went perfectly still. After a long beat, she asked, "When did you guys say you were officially tying the knot?"

"End of the year."

"That's only a few months away"

"Yep."

Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." I smoothed out my gloss in the mirror and asked casually, "So what are your plans for Valentine's Day?"

"My parents are setting me up on a blind date."

""

Later that night at our apartment, I mentioned it to Vance.

He was flipping through a magazine on the couch. His hand suddenly stopped turning the page. It took him a weirdly long time to answer. "If she wants to go on a blind date, you can't exactly stop her."

"It just sucks. I can tell she's still totally hung up on her ex."

"So what?" He didn't even look up from the page.

I grabbed a throw pillow and whipped it at him. "You emotionally stunted guys just don't get it."

The pillow bounced off his leg and hit the floor. He finally lifted his head to look at me. "What exact reaction are you looking for?"

Chapter 6

"Do you have any decent single guys in your circle? We should grab Seraphina and do a double date."

I grinned, dropping onto his lap. "I mean, we met through a setup, didn't we?"

Vance instinctively wrapped his arms around my waist. "You've met all my friends. Who do you think is a good fit?"

I tossed out a name.

He let out a dry, sarcastic scoff. "You think he's a catch?"

I laughed so hard my shoulders shook. "Are you actually jealous right now?"

He grunted, then his expression shifted into something more serious. "Stay out of other people's messes. If it blows up in her face, she's just going to blame you."

I pursed my lips and nodded, taking the hint.

I glanced down at the magazine spread open on the coffee table. It was stopped on a full-page ad featuring a delicate designer bracelet on a woman's wrist.

"I thought you were reading the news," I muttered. "You've been staring at an ad this whole time?"

His arms tightened around me. I could feel his heartbeat pick up a fraction of a second.

"I was looking at it for you," he murmured. "Do you like it?"

I leaned my head against his shoulder. "Not really."

While I mentally mocked his taste in bracelets, my mind flashed back to the surprise he had hidden away. The vintage rings he picked out were actually stunning. His taste in rings was flawless.

Valentine's Day arrived. Vance booked a table at my absolute favorite restaurant.

Knowing what was coming, I went all out. I spent an hour on my makeup instead of my usual five minutes and tore through my closet. I finally settled on a nude slip dress, pairing it with the pearl necklace Vance had given me for my birthday.

I stepped out of the bathroom and planted my hands on my hips in front of him. "How do I look?"

He stared blankly for a solid two seconds before his fingers reached out to pinch the thin spaghetti strap. "Aren't you going to freeze?"

I slapped his hand away. "I'm wearing a coat over it, obviously."

"The restaurant has heating," he countered.

I smirked, catching him in his own logic. "Exactly."

He let out a defeated sigh. "Whatever. As long as you're happy."

Valentine's Day was going perfectly.

As dinner was wrapping up, he pulled a long, dark blue velvet box from his pocket. In that exact second, the blood in my veins turned to ice. It wasn't the square jewelry box hidden in his drawer.

Staring at this utterly predictable box being pushed across the table toward me, my stomach churned violently. The "I do" I had prepped got shoved violently back down my throat, twisting into a bitter, mocking joke.

I forced myself to look at Vance.

In the flicker of the candlelight, his eyes were practically dripping with devotion.

"Open it," he said softly.

Velvet doesn't slide open smoothly like leather. The hinge offered a dull, heavy resistance as I pried it apart.

I was supposed to be thrilled.

But as I stared down at the watch nestled in the cushioning, it felt like an invisible hand had wrapped around my throat, cutting off my air supply.

Why wasn't it the ring?

It was the exact designer watch I had been eyeing but couldn't justify buying. Yet, holding it now, the rush of excitement I expected was completely dead.

Why a watch?

Why not the ring?

If he wasn't proposing on Valentine's Day, when was he going to do it? Our anniversary had already passed. Was he going to wait for the Fourth of July? Or was he seriously going to drag this out until we actually went to the courthouse at the end of the year?

The wind on the office rooftop was brutal the next day. I stood near the edge, my wrist raised, staring blankly at the watch. A dull ache throbbed in my temples. I didn't even hear the footsteps approaching behind me.

Seraphina held out a paper cup of coffee, waving her free hand to snap me out of it. "Spacing out instead of grabbing lunch?"

I blinked, forcing down the heavy knot in my chest. I shook my head and asked how her blind date went yesterday.

"A total trainwreck. I can't scrub him out of my head. I'm in no shape to just jump into a new relationship completely unscathed."

She let out a hollow, self-deprecating laugh. "I keep thinking about it lately If I had just been a little more solid back then, if I actually tried to put myself in his shoes, would we still be together? Too bad there's no reset button."

Chapter 7

I finally couldn't hold back anymore. "Didn't you say your parents loved him at first? Why did they suddenly turn on him? Did he do something wrong?"

Seraphina shook her head. "He didn't do anything wrong. It's just"

She traced the rim of her coffee cup. "I told you how controlling my parents were. They micromanaged everything, always insisting on giving me 'the best.' Even when I turned eighteen, they were convinced I couldn't survive moving away for college on my own.

"Freshman year, they literally bought plane tickets to fly out with me. They claimed they just wanted a mini-vacation, but obviously, they just didn't trust me.

"My ex and I had just made it official. I had no idea my parents were going to crash the trip. We had already planned to fly out together.

"So, I just ripped the band-aid off and told them.

"They were pissed at first. But when we actually got to campus, they saw how he treated me. He handled everything. He wouldn't even let me carry my own bags.

After that, they suddenly gave us their blessing."

A weird, unsettling feeling gnawed at the pit of my stomach. I opened my mouth, then closed it.

Seraphina looked right at me and gave a slow nod. "You guessed it. They just wanted a free, four-year babysitter for me."

The words completely died in my throat.

"They said he was quiet and reliable. That he clearly didn't have any ulterior motives, and he'd take good care of me for them. He was the absolute perfect candidate."

Seraphina's eyes grew glossy. "I saw right through their bullshit from day one.

But I was arrogant. I figured college was four years long. Anything could happen."

"And you guys ended up together for all four years," I finished for her.

"Yeah. Four years of breaking up and getting back together. He always caved. But I totally underestimated how ruthless my parents were.

The second we graduated, they demanded we break up. They even met up with him behind my back and said some truly vicious things"

"Vicious things?"

"My parents looked down on his background. He grew up in a single-parent home, and his mom used to work as a housekeeper. I have no idea how my parents found out, but they weaponized it to humiliate him.

He could swallow any insult you threw at him, but he drew a hard line at his mother."

A sudden, sharp flash of recognition ripped through my brain. It vanished before I could grab hold of it.

Then Seraphina kept talking.

"He was a total grinder. He pushed himself to the absolute limit just to be with me. He had a massive savings account before we even got our diplomas. I always knew he had what it takes, that he was going to make it big.

But I was so used to being the center of his universe. The second he got busy, my mind went to dark places. Instead of cutting him some slack, I weaponized everything and picked fights over nothing.

"And then at the end even when my parents tore him to shreds, I didn't even try to defend him. All he wanted was for me to pick a side. His side. I was a complete coward.

I caved, and now it's way too late to fix it."

I let her words settle, processing the heavy silence. As a bystander, and her coworker, it wasn't my place to play judge and jury. I just asked the obvious question. "Do you guys still talk?"

She shook her head, then nodded. "I broke down a while ago and called him. It was late. I was literally standing outside his apartment building, but he told me he was at his girlfriend's place."

"He has a girlfriend?"

"They got together a year after we split up."

Seraphina locked eyes with me. Her gaze was chillingly clear. "But a few days ago, he asked to see me."

I stared back at her. The knot in my stomach twisted tighter. "Why? Does he still have feelings for you?"

Seraphina just smiled. She never told me what happened when she finally saw her unforgettable first love again.

Chapter 8

"Honestly, when I dumped him, I was just throwing a tantrum like always," she said softly. "He always chased after me. I never expected him to actually take it seriously. So, eventually, I swallowed my pride and asked him to take me back."

"Did he?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"We got into another screaming match. He told me I didn't actually love him, that I was just obsessed with possessing him. I couldn't handle hearing that. I went completely toxic."

I frowned. "Toxic how?"

"I scoffed in his face, pointed right at him, and told him he was nothing but a pathetic loser who couldn't live without me." Seraphina mimicked her own tone from back then, her face twisting with a condescending sneer and a sick, arrogant triumph.

I sat there, my stomach turning. If I were in his shoeshaving my family humiliated and then having my dignity shredded by the girl I lovedI would have snapped too.

"Obviously, he was furious." Seraphina's voice shrank, losing all its momentum. "But when he got truly angry, he went completely deadpan. It was the first time he ever looked at me with just absolute ice in his eyes.

He looked right at me and said"

"You're wrong, Seraphina. I'm perfectly capable of loving someone else."

For the rest of the afternoon, I was a total ghost.

Seraphina ended up taking a half-day, completely emotionally wrecked.

I stared blankly at her empty cubicle, my brain aggressively chewing on the last thing she told me.

"I know he only got with that other woman to make me jealous. My parents have totally backed off my love life now, so when he asked to see me the other day, I really wanted to beg him for another chance. But"

She had cut herself off right there. When she finally spoke again, she just looked at me and whispered, "Sutton, what should I do?"

Her voice had dropped to a fragile whisper.

But every single word burned itself into my brain.

I never gave her an answer.

Because when she hit that hesitant "But", a sheet of ice-cold sweat broke out across my spine for absolutely no reason.

After clocking out, I sat in the driver's seat of my car in the parking garage. I didn't start the engine. I just sat there.

Thirty minutes of dead silence passed before Vance called.

My phone vibrated against the console. I picked it up and just watched the screen light up until it stopped.

He called twice in a row. I unclasped the designer watch from my wrist and tossed it onto the passenger seat. My brain flashed to the vintage rings hidden in the closet. I pulled up my contacts and dialed Jace.

"Jace. We need to talk."

Jace was the mutual friend who originally set Vance and me up.

He owned a speakeasy tucked down a narrow alleyway downtown. I drove straight there. Since it was before operating hours, the bar was completely dead. No music, no crowd, just hollow silence.

Jace wiped down the mahogany counter, looking over my shoulder as I walked in. "Where's Vance?"

"Just me."

I dropped my bag on a barstool, walked right past him to the cooler, and grabbed two bottles of whiskey.

Jace slid into the stool next to me, shooting me a wary look. "Did you guys get into a fight?"

"No."

My eyes locked onto his hand inching toward his pocket. "Don't even think about texting Vance. He has no idea I'm here."

Though, honestly, I fully expected Vance to call him any second. I had powered my phone completely off before pulling into the alley.

Jace flinched and pulled his hand away from his phone. "What is going on with you? You're actually freaking me out right now."

In our entire friend group, I was notorious for being the ultimate chill girlfriend.

Vance and I never had real blowouts. If we ever bickered, it was harmless, superficial stuffbasically just flirting designed to keep things interesting. I prided myself on knowing exactly where the boundaries were. I never dug into Vance's past.

I poured all my energy into building our future, totally convinced that dragging up ancient history was just a toxic waste of time.

But sitting there under the dim bar lights, a terrifying thought crawled into my brain: maybe I had played it entirely wrong.

I stared dead into Jace's eyes. "If you still consider me a friend, you are going to answer my next questions with the absolute truth. No bullshit. No covering for him."

Jace went completely rigid.

After a long, suffocating silence, he gave a slow nod.

Chapter 9

"Let me ask you something. When exactly did you meet Vance?"

"You know this. We went to college together."

"How was he with people back then?"

"Honestly? Not great. He barely showed up to any group stuff."

"Then how did you two get so tight?"

"Didn't have a choice. We were bunkmates."

"He said he used to grab food for you all the time."

Jace visibly relaxed, letting out a chuckle. "Hey, I filled his thermos with hot water plenty of times, okay?"

"Oh. So the reason he never showed up to group stuff was because he was too busy keeping Seraphina company."

"How did you know that?" Jace blurted out before he could catch himself.

""

My stomach completely dropped to the floor.

Vance. The brilliant, laser-focused overachiever. Skipping his own major-required classes just to sit through useless electives with his girlfriend because she threw a tantrum.

The mental image was so sharp it physically choked me.

I had downed quite a bit of whiskey, but my brain was terrifyingly clear.

I let out a harsh, raspy laugh. "That exact same guy But when it came time to pick out my engagement ring, he chose a work call over me."

Jace was fiercely loyal, but he was a straight shooter. He absolutely sucked at playing mind games, which made him painfully easy to trap. Now that he realized he'd totally slipped up, he sat frozen next to me like a kid caught stealing.

Right before I trapped him, he had been desperately defending Vance. He argued that no guy could just erase a past where he was that obsessively devoted to his ex.

"Stop drinking," Jace muttered. "Vance is on his way."

I shot him a sideways glare. "You told him I know?"

"You guys just need to talk it out. You've been together for years. We all know how good he treats you, and you know it too.

The past is the past. You just gotta look forward."

I slowly shook my head.

If he knew exactly how I found out about Vance's history, he wouldn't be feeding me that garbage.

Seraphina practically tracking me down to force that story down my throat proved everything. She dared to provoke me because she knew she was still Vance's exceptionwhether it was buried in the past or happening right now.

I completely refused to believe they weren't in contact.

And up until today, I was entirely in the dark.

The sickest part? When Seraphina was pouring her heart out about her tragic breakup, I actually sat there feeling sorry for her.

The deception felt like a physical slap to the face. The skin of my cheeks burned.

Out of nowhere, my mind flashed back to my birthday, a little over a month ago.

It was a weekday. My boss had dumped a last-minute project on my desk, forcing me to stay late.

Once the office completely cleared out, Vance showed up to keep me company.

He brought everythingdinner, takeout boxes, a cake, even the candles.

We were the only two people left on the entire floor.

I blew out the candles and made a wish.

Vance sat directly across from me, the flickering flame casting deep shadows across the sharp angles of his face.

Caught up in the moment, I hooked my finger, motioning for him to come closer.

The second he stepped around the desk, I pulled him in and kissed him.

Since we were technically still at the office, I kept it brief. I wrapped my arms around him, resting my chin heavily on his shoulder. "Thank you."

He pressed his lips to my ear. "Happy birthday, Sutty."

Everyone else in the world called me Sutton.

Only he called me Sutty.

A smile spread across my face. But then my eyes caught movement behind the glass conference room door.

Seraphina. She was standing there, holding a bakery box.

That was the exact night I officially introduced them to each other.

I couldn't even remember the expressions on their faces. The shock, the tensionit was all a blur now.

I only remembered Seraphina smoothly claiming she didn't want to crash our private party. She didn't stick around.

Before she left, I pointed at the snacks on the table and told her to take whatever. The desk was piled high with those gross-out novelty licorice jelly beans Vance insisted on buying