Chapter 1

We'd planned our eighth-anniversary trip months ago.

Over the years, we'd traveled all over together.

Aiden's public image was built around his love of nature, so we'd been everywhere—mountains, volcanoes, deserts, and oceans.

When filming for his latest drama series wrapped, I checked the calendar and brought up our anniversary.

"Aiden, why don't we go to Veythira for our anniversary? We can see the northern lights over the snow! It's a small coastal town in southern Europe. There's an old opera house and an indie film festival. We could escape the city for a while and just relax. What do you think?"

He agreed without hesitation. "Sounds good. I will follow your lead."

I was thrilled. I spent days planning and made three different itineraries.

I booked a glass-walled hotel room overlooking the coast, with the sea on three sides and a perfect view of the northern lights.

I even knitted us matching scarves for our anniversary.

But three days before our trip, Karina posted a photo of a volcano in the group chat.

"A trip should be somewhere that takes your breath away. The coast is freezing this time of year anyway. Hiking a volcano sounds way more fun. Besides, you can see the northern lights in plenty of places. But how often do you get to see blue flames on a volcano? This is the best time of year for it."

Aiden replied instantly, "Nice view. Let's go."

I stared at his reply, my fingers frozen above the keyboard.

After a long pause, I finally typed, "So you don't want to go to Veythira with me? We already agreed on it. This trip was supposed to be just the two of us."

Karina answered almost immediately, "Seriously, Scarlett? You won't even let me tag along? We're still young. You can't seriously want to spend our vacation sitting around in some tiny glass room. We have a chance to hike a volcano. Why waste it?"

Everyone else quickly jumped in, "A volcano has that end-of-the-world thrill. Director Lucas even said Aiden has the perfect face for an adventure movie. A volcano would make an amazing backdrop. Snowy peaks, the northern lights, and little coastal art towns are so pretentious."

Everyone was excited. Aiden said nothing.

Half an hour later, he finally messaged me privately: "Scarlett, Karina says she hasn't traveled in ages, so she wants to come with us. She's your client too. It's not a big deal if she joins us. And the volcano does sound fun. I'll take you to see the northern lights next time. Just the two of us. Okay?"

Another time.

I'd heard those words from him more times than I could count.

But somehow, every "next time" he promised me became Karina's "right now."

My chest tightened as I stared at the message. Finally, I typed one word: "Fine."

I canceled the coastal hotel I'd worked so hard to book.

Then I researched volcano trails, booked our transportation and hotel, checked the weather and elevation, worked out a budget, and bought travel insurance.

Karina sent another message to the group: "Scarlett really is the best. Traveling with her means we don't have to worry about anything."

Then came a clapping emoji.

I stared at the screen, unable to name the feeling in my chest.

On the day we left, Aiden came to pick me up.

Karina was already sitting in the passenger seat.

She had on red-framed sunglasses, her long pale legs crossed as she sat with the door open, swirling an iced Americano in one hand.

When she saw me walking over with my suitcase, she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Scarlett, sit in the back. I get carsick, so I need the front seat."

I got carsick too. Aiden knew that.

I was about to say something, but Aiden opened the back door.

"You'll be fine. Karina was working late last night and isn't feeling well. There's plenty of room back here. You can lie down and get some sleep."

Watching him move with such practiced ease, I suddenly remembered how we'd first gotten together.

Back then, Aiden was just one of my clients. One day, a sudden downpour forced the production crew to switch locations at the last minute.

We were already running late. The production van couldn't get through, and every crew car was packed.

Still, Aiden gave me the front seat and squeezed into the crowded back with everyone else.

When he noticed I wasn't feeling well, he passed me some tissues and water.

Someone joked that we had our roles backward. I was his manager. I was supposed to be taking care of him.

Back then, Aiden had grinned and said, "She's my girl. Of course I'm going to take care of her!"

Now, he loaded my suitcase into the trunk and looked at Karina.

"Buckle up. Let's go."

I stood beside the car in a daze. Then I gave a bitter little smile.

So I wasn't special after all.