Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next morning came too soon.

Sienna woke to sunlight and eight carats of diamond on her finger. It caught the light and threw rainbows across her ceiling. Beautiful. Cold. Heavy.

Her phone buzzed. Noah.

*Good morning, beautiful. Can't wait to see you today.*

She stared at the text until the words blurred. Last night. When she said yes to a ring that felt like a chain. When she watched the man she loved walk away without looking back.

*Can't wait to see you too.*

The lie came easier now.

Noah picked her up at noon in his black Mercedes. Hair styled perfect. Suit tailored. Smile bright and genuine and full of love she couldn't return.

"You look tired," he said, kissing her cheek. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Fine. Just a long night."

"But worth it, right?" He lifted her hand to admire the ring. "Mother was right about the cut."

Of course Eleanor picked it out.

"It's beautiful," she said.

He drove them to Central Park and found a quiet spot. They sat while joggers ran past and couples walked hand in hand.

"There are some things I want to talk about," Noah said. "About Landon."

Her stomach dropped.

"Landon left five years ago. Just packed up one day and disappeared. No goodbye. No explanation."

"Why?"

"Because he wanted to be free." Noah's voice was bitter. "Free from the family. Free from everything. He used to say the family was like a prison."

A prison. Just like the ring on her finger.

"We used to fight constantly when we were kids," Noah said. "Everything was a competition. He would break rules just because they existed. I followed them because that was what we were supposed to do. He called me a robot. I called him selfish."

Two little boys in the same golden cage. One rebelling. One conforming.

"What was he like?" she heard herself ask.

Noah was quiet. "Angry. Always angry. He got into fights everywhere. Father used to pay people off to keep his name out of the papers. Got arrested twice before he turned eighteen."

Each word felt like a knife. She was hearing about a stranger. Someone different from the man who whispered her name like a prayer.

Her purse sat heavy in her lap. Inside was the note. The one she carried everywhere like proof that night was real.

*You're going to be okay. Don't let them make you forget who you really are.*

"But he was brilliant too," Noah said, voice softening. "Especially with photography. Even as a kid, he could see things the rest of us missed. I was always jealous of that. He's very successful now. Made it on his own."

"So why did he come back?"

"I don't know. Mother begged him for years. He never answered. Then two days ago, he called and said he'd be at the party.".

"I'm telling you this because I don't want you to get the wrong idea about him," Noah said. "Landon can be very persuasive. He makes people think they need saving. But he's selfish. He takes what he wants and leaves wreckage behind."

Wreckage. Is that what she was?

"Promise me, Sienna. Promise me you'll stay away from him."

She thought about saying no. About standing up and walking away from Noah and his ring and his carefully planned life.

But old habits were hard to break.

"I promise," she heard herself say.

One day I won't let them script my life, she thought. But not today.

Noah's phone rang. Eleanor.

"What? Tonight?" Noah's face changed. "Yes, of course. We'll be there."

He hung up. "Family dinner tonight. Mother wants to celebrate our engagement. The whole family."

"Landon will be there," Noah said.

Everything could go wrong, she thought.

***

Six hours later, Sienna stood in front of her mirror. Black dress. Simple. Conservative. Black heels.

She arrived at the Callahan estate thirty minutes early. Noah was still at the office. She was walking up the front steps when the door opened.

Landon stepped out.

They both froze.

Camera bag over his shoulder. Dark jeans and black t-shirt. Hair messy like he'd been running his hands through it.

Beautiful.

"Sienna," he said. His voice was empty.

"Hello," she whispered.

He looked at her for one second. Then he brushed past her without another word. Like she was a stranger.

His shoulder bumped hers. The contact sent electricity through her body but he didn't pause.

She watched him walk to a motorcycle. Black. Dangerous looking. He threw his leg over and started the engine. The sound was loud and rough and angry.

He drove away without looking back.

Two minutes that left her feeling torn apart.

Eleanor opened the door. "Sienna, darling. You're early. Did you see Landon?"

"Yes. We passed each other."

"He'll be back soon. Come in."

The Callahan dining room was massive. Crystal glasses. Fine china. White roses everywhere.

Noah was already there with his father. Thomas Callahan seemed different tonight. Colder. Like he was studying her for flaws.

"Landon should be here any minute," Eleanor said. "He's staying here at the house now. I'm so happy to have my family back together."

The sound of a motorcycle announced Landon's return. Sienna's stomach twisted.

He walked in like nothing had happened. White button down, sleeves rolled up to show tattoos.

He looked real. Dangerous. Alive.

Everything Noah was not.

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic was insane."

"You're here now," Eleanor beamed. "Come, sit."

The seating was torture. Noah at the head. Sienna to his right. Landon directly across from her.

She couldn't escape his eyes.

The first course was served. Soup she couldn't taste.

"So, Landon," Thomas said. "Five years is a long time to be away from family."

"Yes, it is."

"And now you're back. For good?"

"We'll see."

"That's not really an answer."

"It's the only answer I have."

The tension was thick. Noah shifted uncomfortably. Eleanor chattered about the weather.

"Your photography business," Noah said suddenly. "It's going well?"

"Well enough."

"I saw the Vogue cover last month. It was good."

"Thank you."

"I always said you had talent."

"Is that what you told people?" Landon's voice was sharp. "That I had talent? Or did you tell them I was wasting my life?"

"Landon," Eleanor warned.

"No, it's fine," Noah said, jaw tight. "He has a right to be angry. I wasn't supportive when he left."

"Supportive?" Landon laughed without humor. "You told Father I was throwing my life away. You said I'd come crawling back within a year."

"I was wrong," Noah said quietly.

"Yes. You were."

The second course arrived. Fish. Sienna pushed it around her plate.

"So, Sienna," Eleanor said. "Have you and Noah set a date yet?"

"We're still discussing it."

"I vote for spring. April or May."

"Spring sounds perfect," Noah agreed.

"What about you, Landon?" Eleanor asked. "Don't you think spring would be lovely for a wedding?"

Landon's eyes met Sienna's. Something raw flashed across his face.

"I think," he said slowly, eyes burning into hers, "that the season doesn't matter. What matters is whether the bride and groom actually want to marry each other."

Her purse slipped from her lap.

Everything scattered. Lipstick rolling. Keys clattering.

And the note.

The paper hit the floor. In the sudden silence, every fork stopped. Every conversation died.

The note slid across the polished marble toward Landon's feet.

Sienna's pulse pounded in her throat. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't move.

Landon stared down at the paper. For one second. Two. Three.

Then he bent and picked it up.

His fingers unfolded it. Careful. Deliberate.

She watched his face as he read the words he'd written months ago.

*You're going to be okay. Don't let them make you forget who you really are.*

The color drained from his face. His hands trembled.

Their eyes met across the table.

He remembered everything.

Chaos erupted.

Eleanor gasped. Thomas chair scraped. Noah's face went from confused to angry.

"What the hell is that?" Noah demanded, reaching for the paper.

But Landon held it away. His eyes locked on Sienna's face.

"Nothing," Landon said. "Just trash."

He crumpled the note in his fist. The sound echoed in the silent room.

"I need some air," Sienna said, standing so fast her chair nearly fell. "Excuse me."

She fled. Her heels clicked against the marble floor. Her chest felt tight.

Outside, the October air was cold. She leaned against a stone pillar and tried to breathe.

He knew.

The front door opened. Heavy footsteps.

She didn't need to turn around.

"Sienna."

His voice was ice.

She turned slowly. Her stomach dropped at his face. Cold. Distant.

"We need to talk," he said.

Her heart jumped.

"About what?"

"About that note. About whatever you've convinced yourself happened."

The words hit like a slap. "What I convinced myself?"

"It was one night, Sienna. One hookup." He said it casually but his jaw was tight. "Nothing more."

Her nails dug into her palms. "You wrote me a note."

"I've written a lot of notes." He shrugged but his shoulders were tense. "Doesn't mean anything."

"You're lying."

"You were there. I was bored. That's all." His voice was empty but there was something underneath. Something raw.

She watched his hands. Clenched at his sides. Knuckles white.

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want." He pulled out his phone and scrolled. His thumb moved too fast. "There have been others. Plenty of others."

The photos flashed by. Blonde hair. Brown hair. Red hair.

Her stomach turned. "Stop."

"Why? This is what you wanted, right?" But his voice caught slightly.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Being so cruel."

For just a second, something raw flashed across his face. Pain. Fear.

But then it was gone.

"I'm just being honest." But he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"You held me that night. You were gentle. You were my first."

His throat worked as he swallowed. "So?"

"So you cared."

"Don't confuse good sex with feelings."

The words should have destroyed her. But she was watching his face. The muscle jumping in his jaw. The way he kept glancing at her and looking away.

Something shifted inside her. Certainty cutting through the pain.

"You're scared," she said.

His eyes snapped to hers. "What?"

"You're terrified. That's what this is. You're pushing me away because you're scared."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" She took a step toward him. He took a step back. "You remembered me. You remembered everything. And it scared you."

"You're delusional."

"Then look me in the eye and tell me that night meant nothing."

He opened his mouth. Closed it. His hands were shaking.

"Tell me," she said. "Look at me and tell me you didn't feel anything."

"I didn't feel anything," he said. But he was staring at her mouth.

"Liar."

"Sienna." His voice broke on her name.

"I kept your note," she whispered. "I carried it everywhere. I thought about you every day."

"That was your mistake."

"Was it?" She moved closer. "Because I think you thought about me too."

"You're wrong."

"Then why are your hands shaking?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "They're not."

"Why won't you look at me?"

His eyes finally met hers. And for one second, everything fell away. She saw the want. The pain. The fear. The love he was trying to bury.

Then the ice was back.

"You want the truth?" he said quietly. "Fine. You were nothing special."

Each word was designed to hurt. To push her away.

But she saw his hands curl into fists in his pockets. Saw his breathing get shallow.

"I don't believe you," she said. "And I don't think you believe it either."

"Sienna?" Noah's voice called from inside. "Are you out there?"

Panic flashed across Landon's face before he could hide it.

"Go," he said roughly. "Go back inside."

"What about you?"

"I'll be gone soon enough."

"Will you really forget me?"

He looked at her then. Really looked at her. And for just a moment, she saw him. The real him.

"I already have," he said.

But his voice broke when he said it.

The front door opened. Noah appeared.

"There you are," he said. "I was worried. Everything okay?"

"Fine," Sienna said, wiping her eyes. "Just needed some air."

"And you?" Noah asked his brother.

"Same," Landon said. Steady again. The mask back.

But when Noah turned to take Sienna's hand, she saw Landon's face in the shadows.

Broken.

Just like hers.

Noah led her back inside. Back to the dining room and the life she was supposed to want.

As they walked through the door, she didn't look back.

But she knew Landon was watching her go.

And she knew the truth now. He was lying. About all of it. He remembered. He cared. He was just too terrified to admit it.

Which meant their story was nowhere near over.