Chapter 2

Grady had somehow convinced Celeste to hire him at her company as her personal assistant.

For years, he'd found one excuse after another to ruin every date Celeste and I planned.

I'd realized a long time ago that something wasn't right. I just hadn't wanted to believe that seven years together could fall apart so easily.

But now, I'd finally run out of patience. It was time to leave.

Instead of going home, I headed straight to the office. If I were walking away, I would want a clean break.

I went to HR and handed over the resignation letter I'd already prepared.

Vanessa Quinn, the HR manager, stared at me in surprise. "Luca, are you sure about this? You've spent three years working your ass off on the New Horizon project, and you're about to be promoted to manager. Walking away now would be such a waste."

I couldn't blame her for being shocked. I'd been with the company since its early days, and I'd just landed a major project, but none of that mattered as much as finally setting myself free.

"I'm sure."

Vanessa seemed to realize something. She picked up her pen and quickly signed off on my resignation. "That makes sense. You and Celeste have been together for years, and I heard you were proposing today.

"You two have always been so close, so I guess it went well. There's no reason for you to keep working this hard anymore. Congratulations. I hope you two have a wonderful marriage."

I immediately understood. She thought I was quitting so I could live comfortably as the CEO's husband.

I was leaving anyway, so I couldn't be bothered to explain.

As for Celeste and me, there had been a time when we really were happy. So happy that I'd believed we'd stay together forever.

But that was all in the past.

Back then, Celeste hadn't been a CEO. She'd just graduated from college.

We'd crammed ourselves into a tiny apartment, lived on the cheapest frozen dinners we could find, and worked side by side toward our dreams.

We didn't have much money, but we had each other.

Together, we'd struggled through countless difficult days and sleepless nights until Celeste finally proved herself, defeated the greedy relatives who'd tried to take advantage of her, and regained control of the company her parents had left behind.

I'd thought nothing between us would ever change. Reality had proved me painfully wrong.

I took a deep breath, pulled out my phone, and called my friend who worked in tourism abroad.

"Hey, Tyler. Can you book me a flight to Caldria? The sooner, the better."

"What? Luca, why are you coming all of a sudden? Are you bringing Celeste for a vacation?" Tyler Harmon sounded genuinely surprised.

"No. Just me. Arrange everything. I'll explain the rest when I get there."

I didn't want to explain. I just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.

There was a reason I'd chosen that particular country. It was where Celeste's parents had died in a car accident. The place held memories she never wanted to revisit. I was certain she would never follow me there.

She had her responsibilities, her career, and... Grady.

As for me, all I wanted was somewhere quiet where I could heal and start my life over.

After hanging up, I spent the rest of the day taking care of everything I needed to do before leaving.

By the time I finished, it was already late at night. Exhausted, I dragged myself home, ready to get some sleep.

But the moment I opened the door, I froze. The living room lights were on.

Celeste was sitting on the couch, apparently waiting for me.

What was she doing here?