4

How did I end up here?

In this moment caught in a web she hadn't spun, trapped by a deal she never agreed to.

Her fingers gripped the edge of the dresser as memories from just yesterday came flooding back.

The day before.

It had all begun with the reunion, the mistake of showing up.

She had barely lasted thirty minutes before seeing him.

Chase Monroe

The man she had broken, the man she couldn't forget, the man who was supposed to hate her.

His dangerously calm stare, their eyes had met cold, brief, loaded and then passed each other like strangers.

As if nothing had ever happened.

That night, after being told that her father's business had gone bankrupt, Deli had curled up under her covers and cried herself to sleep, Like she’d done so many times while abroad.

Only this time, she wasn't in a lonely dorm room.

She was home.

And somehow, it felt like an exile.

…..

The next morning

A knock startled her.

Soft, repeated. No urgency, just… insistence.

When no one else answered, she dragged herself out of bed and made her way down the stairs. Her steps were lazy, her long shirt loose around her hips. Cotton shorts ride high on her thighs. She hadn't even brushed her hair. But even in sleepwear, Deli looked heartbreakingly beautiful like sorrow dressed in silk.

She yawned as she opened the door.

And froze.

Chase.

He stood there, like something out of a cruel dream. His black coat got wet from the morning mist. His hands in his pockets. His gaze slowly dragged over her face and down until it stopped at her chest.

Only then did she realize.

The light fabric clung to her like a second skin, and the chill in the air had made certain things painfully visible. Her breath caught. His eyes darkened.

“Hi,” He said as casually as if they hadn't just ignored each other the day before. Like they were old friends. Like she hadn't once torn his heart out.

Before she could respond, her mother's voice echoed down the hallway. “Deli? Who is it…?”

Then Elena appeared beside her and stopped dead in her tracks.

The look on her mother's face…it said everything.

She recognized why Chase was here. Well at least, she thought she did.

“Why is he… ”

“Go upstairs,” Her mother said, interrupting sharply.

“Now.”

“But… ”

“I said go. ”

Deli didn't move, too confused to obey, until Chase spoke… his voice is dry and cutting.

“At least, change into something, ” he said, voice low, his eyes not leaving hers, “Before I forget why I'm here. ”

Delilah blinked. That woke her.

Her jaw dropped. Her mother stiffened.

But Chase, he just smiled darkly. She turned without a word, cheeks burning, trying to calm her heartbeat.

Later

By the time she came down the stairs, washed, and with her face somewhat composed, her world had shifted again.

Her parents were seated in the living room.

So was Chase.

They were… laughing, talking, and calm.

It felt wrong.

She walked into the room just in time to hear him say “I don't want much in return. I just want to fulfill the fantasy and I once had… getting married. ”

Her feet stopped moving. The room tilted slightly.

What?

Elena looked at him, uncertain. “Have you… spoken to her about this?”

“We met yesterday, ” Chase said smoothly. “At the reunion. She didn't say much, but I could tell she still felt it. ”

Deli's mouth parted in disbelief.

What game was he playing?

She took a step forward. “Chase… ”

He turned to her, already expecting her reaction. The devilish smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth like he was daring her to expose him.

Elena looked between them, eyes narrowing.

“Mom. What's going on?”

“ Chase offered to help the company. ”

“With your hand in marriage. ” her mother finished. Nodding slowly. “He said he already spoke with you. That you agreed.”

Deli looked at her parents. Their faces carried hope she hadn't seen since she was told. Hope they'd be starved of.

Her chase just stared at her….. waiting.

No, not waiting. Cornering her.

She could say no. She should say no.

But her father was pale, thinner than she remembered. Her mother's hands trembled when she clasped them in her lap.

This was the only way.

Even if she didn't understand what he was really after, Chase had made his move.

And she… she had no cards left.

She nodded.

The smile that touched Chase's lips was soft but unreadable.

Then he stood and turned to her father. “There is somewhere I'd like to take her…if that's alright. ”

They exchanged a few polite words, formal and masculine, and Chase turned towards the stairs.

Delilah snapped back to the present as the door creaked open.

Chase.

He stepped in slowly, silently, and the air shifted the moment he entered.

Her eyes met his sharp, unreadable. And he was breathtaking. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black tux, the man standing before her was no longer the sweet boy who once kissed her forehead and promised her the world. He looked like a power dressed in vengeance. Calm, collected…and cruel.

Delilah didn't move.

He closed the distance between them with slow, deliberate steps. Each footfall was deafening to her ears, Her heart races, her body tensed, and she hated herself for how it reacted. How familiar he still felt after everything. It had been years since they stood this close. Years since her body remembered the warmth of his breath. Now he was just a breath away.

His eyes locked on hers, sharp, intense, predatory. Then he leaned in slowly, her breath hitched. Her eyelids fluttered shut on reflex, her lips parted just slightly, caught in the magnetic pull of what she thought was still there.

But the kiss never came.

Instead he chuckled darkly, and she opened her eyes to the mocking curl of his lips. That devilish smirk. He reached up and slowly parted a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her hair as if nothing had changed. Then he turned to leave.

“Why are you doing this?” Delilah's voice broke as she grabbed his hand.

He looked over his shoulder at her, still smirking, “Just fulfilling our childhood dream, Deli. ”

Her grip on his hand tightened. “You won't even ask why I left?”

He paused. His eyes dropped to where their hands met, then slowly returned to her face. “You probably had your reasons, what matters is… you're back now.”

His words were soft but they pierced her deeper than a knife. Because something in his tone… the way he said it, void of warmth, felt too rehearsed.

She stared at him, eyes searching for anything genuine. But the man before her wasn't the boy she once loved. He was different, sharper, darker and more dangerous.

Still. Part of her wanted to believe him, she wanted to believe he was doing this because he still cared.

They changed out of their wedding attire. The expensive dress and suit were packed neatly into branded luxury boxes. A few assistants wheeled them out and into the truck waiting outside. Delilah felt numb through it all.

As they walked outside, Chase opened the car door for her just like he used to.

But this time, it felt…empty.

No teasing smile. No playful wink, No gentle whisper of her name.

Just cold chivalry.

Inside the car, silence stretched. The only sound was the quiet hum of the engine and her shallow breaths. She turned slightly to him, unsure if she even wanted to ask, but the question slipped out anyway.

“What about your fiancée? ”

Chase didn't even blink. “I already handled it.”

Delilah's throat dried, she nodded and didn't say anything else.

“Our marriage was a business agreement. There was no love. We agreed to end it. ” His voice was emotionless like he was reading a stock report. Then he added with a low chuckle.

She didn't know what to say. Every part of her wanted to ask what he was doing, why he was doing this. Why her? Why now?

But she sat there, lips pressed tightly, staring out of the window like the City lights could give her answers.

And beside her, Chase stared ahead, smiling darkly to himself knowing this was just the beginning.

“I need to make a quick stop at the office, ” His voice was cool as they cruised through the city. “I'll drop you at a restaurant nearby. Shouldn't take long. ”

Deli turned to him, surprised, but nodded.

He pulled over at a quiet upscale restaurant on the corner of a quiet street. The cloud has started gathering overhead, hinting at rain. Chase got out, walked around, and opened the door for her, always the gentleman, always unreadable.

“I’ll be back,” he said simply.

She smiled faintly, holding up to hope. “Okay. ”

She watched him drive away, unaware he was going to any office.

★

Venessa's apartment

The door flung open before he even knocked.

Venessa stood there, her face wet with tears, mascara streaked like broken shadows under her eyes, her voice was cracked and shrill. “ Chase, what the hell is going on?!”

He stepped inside, shut the door behind him and pulled her gently into his chest as she beat at him weakly with her fists.

“Why would you call off our engagement? ” she cried, clutching his shirt.

“I needed to,” he said flatly, running a hand down her back like he'd done it a thousand times “I need to punish her, it's temporary, when I'm done… everything goes back to normal.”

She looked up at him, eyes red, lips trembling. “You know how I feel about you?”

The rain began to fall outside, soft at first, then harder, drumming against the window in rhythmic grief.

She curled against him on the couch, tear- soaked and shaking. Eventually, she drifted asleep on his chest.

But Chase didn't close his eyes.

His hand rested on her shoulder, but his mind was far away, stuck on the girl in the restaurant.

Was she still there?

Of course not. Deli never waited.

She had always been the one leaving, he stated. It wouldn't surprise him if he went there and didn't meet her.

But now, let her suffer.

★

The restaurant.

The fourth coffee was cold now, untouched.

Delilah sat at the farthest booth near the window, her eyes watching the rain as it turned into downpour. Her fingers were numb. Her heart, quieter with every minute. She still believed he would come back.

The restaurant had emptied slowly, one couple after the other. Laughter faded. Lights dimmed. The waiter started cleaning.

Still. She sat there.

Waiting.

The weight in her chest was heavy but familiar.

She looked at the clock. It was past 10 PM.

Then...gently… a waitress approached her.

“Ma'am I'm sorry… but… we're closing. ”

Delilah blinked, then looked around in shock.

“Oh… right. Sorry. ” she whispered, standing quickly and grabbing her coat.

Outside, the rain still poured like heaven was mourning. She reached into her bag for her phone…dead.

Of course.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the street. The cold hit her immediately, the rain drenched her in seconds.

Still. She walked, one foot after another. Down the empty sidewalk with no umbrella, no taxi in sight, no idea where she was going.

And somehow… she didn't feel surprised.

She had hurt Chase, she had walked away from him when he needed her. If this was her punishment, she would take it.

She deserved every drop of rain. Every stab of cold.

She sat on the curb, pulling her coat tighter around her shoulders, soaked to her bones, her hair sticking to her face.

But even the storm outside was no match for the one inside her.

She had nothing left. No defenses. No hope. No excuses.

Maybe this was what it meant to be truly alone.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the brick wall, and let the numbness swallow her.

Then…

The rain… stopped…

Her lashes fluttered open.

A shadow loomed above her.

Chase.

He was breathing hard, water dripping off his blazer. He held an umbrella over both of them, his hair soaked, eyes wild with emotion… like he'd run through hell to find her.

They stared at each other.

She couldn't move.

He couldn't speak.

She looked so broken sitting there, yet so stubbornly calm. Like she had accepted her abandonment.

But God, the guilt strangled him.

She looked up, her voice no louder than a whisper. “You came back… ”

His jaw clenched. His fingers tightened around the umbrella handle.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't be cruel enough to watch her break. No matter how he told himself this was revenge… .