Prologue

They say first love is something you never forget.

For a long time, I believed that my first love story would become the most beautiful memory of my life. I imagined telling my children one day how their father and I had met, how we had overcome every obstacle before finally building a family together.

I never imagined that it would all end in so much pain.

My name is Marie Rose.

I was twenty-two years old, and as far as I was concerned, my life was almost perfect. I had a job I loved, parents who had always supported me, a best friend I trusted blindly… and, above all, Julien Terry.

For three years, he had occupied every corner of my thoughts.

I loved him with all my heart.

I had stood by his side through the hardest moments. I had put up with his absences, the promises he so often failed to keep, and the distance he sometimes showed for no reason. Whenever my family and friends tried to make me see the truth, I always answered with the same smile:

— You don't know him the way I do.

I was convinced that love could fix anything.

How wrong I was.

That evening, the Terry family was hosting a luxurious gala at one of the city's most prestigious hotels. Their company had just signed a historic contract, and the most influential figures in the business world had gathered for the event.

Julien had asked me to arrive a little later.

He had promised me a surprise.

Even thinking about it now still brings a smile to my face… because I had prepared something special for him too.

At the bottom of my bag was a small box. Inside was a luxury watch I had bought after saving for several months.

I wanted to show him that, despite all our arguments, I still believed in us.

I wanted to talk to him about our future, our dreams, and the life I imagined building by his side.

But fate had other plans.

As I walked down the corridor leading to the private rooms, bursts of laughter caught my attention. The door to one of the rooms was slightly open.

Then I heard that voice.

Julien's voice.

My heart began pounding violently.

I thought he was simply talking with a few guests. Without giving it much thought, I walked closer to the door.

I gently pushed it open.

And in a single second…

My entire world collapsed.

Julien was kissing another woman.

I stood frozen.

Unable to breathe.

The small box slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a sharp sound that echoed throughout the room.

They slowly turned toward me.

Julien didn't even pull away from her.

He didn't look surprised, embarrassed, or guilty.

His eyes were cold.

As if my presence no longer meant anything to him.

At that moment, I understood that there are wounds too deep to explain.

You simply have to live through them.

They sink into the deepest parts of your heart, tear apart everything you once believed was unbreakable, and destroy you in complete silence.

I didn't know yet that this night would mark the end of the woman I had been until then.

Nor did I imagine that, just a few days later, fate would place in my path the man I never thought I could fall in love with.

Clark Terry.

The uncle of the man who had just shattered my heart.

And perhaps…

The only man capable of making it beat again.