Chapter 5

For someone with Colton Ashford's connections, a police hold was little more than a mild inconvenience.

That used to be true, anyway.

This time, there would be real consequences.

What I didn't expect was that before Adrian and I could even act, Colton volunteered a guilty plea.

He smiled at me as he said it.

"I know you're angry. You have every right to be — what I did that night was unforgivable. But this was my mistake alone. It had nothing to do with Vivienne, and you shouldn't be taking it out on her."

A pause.

"Clara, we've had five years together. We're going to get married eventually. I don't want us to reach a point of no return. So — I'm accepting the consequences voluntarily. Consider it my way of letting you win this one."

He looked almost sincere as he added, "After this, I hope you can start acting your age. Stop making scenes. And especially stop targeting Vivienne."

He walked into the holding facility smiling.

He wasn't in long before he was released.

Outside, Vivienne ran toward him in tears, throwing her arms around him.

Colton caught her, smiling.

He looked up. Dozens of mutual friends had gathered with banners and balloons.

He stepped forward.

"Colton's back!"

"Legend returns! Tonight's on me!"

"Vivienne's been prepping since this morning — you happy to see her?"

Colton turned.

Vivienne stood there — perfect makeup, a small shy smile, a strand of hair tucked behind her ear.

But then Colton turned back.

He started moving through the crowd — one by one, stepping around them, stepping past them.

Until the last one fell aside.

He stood there, his breathing not quite steady.

"Where's Clara?"

The friends stared.

"Where is Clara?"

They scrambled to pull Vivienne forward.

"She's right here, Colton. Vivienne's right here."

"Where is Clara."

His voice had never sounded like this before.

Life abroad was relentlessly busy.

Buried in work, I had less time to think — but watching my numbers climb and my bank account grow, I felt a steadiness I hadn't known in years.

So when Colton found me, I was almost surprised.

This man who'd once unraveled me completely — standing in front of me now, all I felt was a kind of disorientation. Like looking at a stranger wearing a familiar face.

"What is he to you?"

He was staring at Adrian.

Adrian started to respond, but I stepped in front of him.

"Mr. Ashford, we're engaged. If you came to congratulate us, thank you. But if you have some other agenda — I'd ask you to leave."

"What did you just say?"

Colton blinked. Then a short laugh escaped him — the kind that held more self-mockery than he probably realized.

"Clara, are you doing this again? First the matching profile pictures, now this? You're just trying to get to me."

Adrian's jaw tightened.

Colton's eyes reddened slightly.

"Okay, fine. You got me. I'll admit it — I can't stand the thought of you being that close to another man. Come home with me. We'll get married. Right now, if you want."

"Mr. Ashford." Adrian's voice was cold. "She's engaged to me. Did you not hear that?"

"Stay out of it!"

Colton's shout cut through — but Adrian pulled me behind him, meeting the anger head-on.

"Colton." My voice was sharp. "Touch him and see what happens."

"Clara?"

He looked at me, stunned. Then a pained smile. "Clara, you're really that deep into this performance? I raised my voice once and you're already defending him like—"

"If what you did for Vivienne was just 'getting too into it,' then call this the same thing."

His throat worked.

For once, Colton Ashford — always so quick with words — had nothing to say.

Everything replayed behind his eyes, frame by frame. But for the first time, he wasn't watching it from his own perspective.

He was seeing it from mine.

So that's what it felt like. From her side.

"Clara..."

His breathing shifted. He reached toward me.

I stepped back.

"Mr. Ashford." Adrian moved between us. "Please don't touch her."

This time Colton didn't look at Adrian. He looked only at me.

My gaze met his — cold, final.

He pulled his hand back with a hollow smile.

"You weren't like this before, Clara... It didn't matter how many times I walked away — you always waited..."

"I was a fool then."

I shook my head and turned away, Adrian's hand in mine.

Through the fading distance, I thought I heard Colton's voice — barely above a whisper, almost to himself:

"No... that version of you was the one who loved me most..."