Chapter 1

Vera's post was flooded with well-wishes.

Everyone was praising Damian for being so romantic.

Vera replied to them all in one comment.

[Damian never makes me wait. This time he had to accompany Seraphina to a prenatal checkup, so my birthday wish was forced to be one second late.]

[He took his private jet with me to chase that second back, keeping his promise to wish me on time.]

Someone teased Damian about actually being punctual for once, and he responded right away.

[She's my most important business partner.]

I set the phone aside and stared blankly at the fluorescent light on the ceiling.

In the adult world, even a breakdown happens in silence.

Damian always said time was his enemy.

The casinos under his name had no clocks, because time reminded gamblers to go home.

He brought that habit into his real life.

I'd lost count of how many times I'd waited alone at some meeting spot.

He always showed up.

Just never until after the movie had ended, or the concert was over.

The night my mother died, he made me wait the whole night too.

The darkness was thick as blood spilling from a wounded heart, and he wasn't there beside me.

When he finally arrived, he apologized again and again and made me a vow:

"Seraphina, I will never make you wait for me again. I promise."

I believed him.

I was such a fool.

Footsteps came from outside the door.

Damian pushed it open, exhaustion plain on his face.

"You don't look too bad."

He glanced at me, then at the IV bag by the bed.

"I asked the driver. It was just a routine rear-end collision. You don't need to get so worked up over something like this next time."

I stared at him in disbelief.

Tears rolled down before I could stop them.

Not because I was weak, but because I'd been strong for too long.

A flicker of impatience crossed Damian's eyes. He reached out and wiped my tears away.

"I know you're blaming me for being late again, but I didn't want to be."

"In a single day, I crossed two time zones. You need to cut me some slack too."

His fingertips were ice-cold, just like my heart.

All the words I'd once wanted to say turned to ash and drifted silently from my lips.

The baby was gone. Seven weeks along, and gone.

And he was telling me he was tired from crossing the day-night line twice.

For another woman.

I turned my face away, avoiding his touch.

Damian's hand froze midair.

"Acting up again? What man doesn't have to go out and provide for his family..."

Halfway through, his gaze landed on my phone screen, and the words died in his throat.

The screen was still on Vera's social media page.

He paused for a long moment, then spoke again:

"Vera handles my books and launders my money. I have to give her the respect she's due."

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest, so keen it nearly pierced me clean through.

At the same time, a dull ache throbbed deep in my belly.

But in Damian's eyes, I was just a little pale.

"All right, this time I was wrong."

The lines of Damian's face softened. He reached out and ruffled my hair.

"It won't happen again. Once you're discharged, I'll take you to a Sotheby's auction. Whatever you want, it's yours."

Next time again. The next time that never came.

But his eyes were still burning and tender, melting a crack open in my heart.

At least he had the right to know he'd lost his child.

I was just about to speak when his phone rang.

It was Vera.

Damian motioned for me to stay quiet, then answered.

After listening for a moment, he replied briefly: "Okay, I'm on my way."

With that, he dropped a hurried kiss on my cheek and turned to leave.

I watched his retreating back and swallowed every word I hadn't had the chance to say.

My throat burned like I'd swallowed live coals.

Outside the window, it started to rain.

No one could do a thing when the sky was this intent on raining.

I was sick of waiting endlessly. I was going to leave for good.

My phone buzzed. A message from Vera.

[Seraphina, I'm borrowing Damian for a bit, okay? I really can't decide which gown to pick for the banquet.]

[You don't mind, do you? You're used to waiting anyway.]