The Winter He Lost Her

Nick Horden was the kind of man everyone in New York’s elite circles whispered about. He was rich, reckless, and a little unhinged. But for all his chaos, he only ever cared about one person: Lisa Winters, a girl with nothing to her name, the half-starved homeless girl he once pulled off the streets.From fifteen to twenty-five, he gave her his whole heart. He spoiled her, protected her, and made her the center of his world.Lisa loved the violin, so Nick dropped everything to travel with her overseas to study music. Even when he lost billions in the stock market because of it, he didn’t care.He expressed his love in grand gestures, sending fleets of luxury cars filled with gifts to her door and livestreaming his marriage proposal every day for 999 days straight.When his powerful family refused to accept her, he endured three days of brutal punishment to break through their rules of class and bloodline. In the end, he gave her a wedding that looked like something out of a fairy t

Over the next few days, Nick paraded Susie through every high-profile event in the city.She refused designer gowns and diamond jewelry, choosing instead to wear simple dresses in soft neutral tones. Her long black hair was always either straight or tied up in a clean ponytail, and she never wore makeup. In a world obsessed with glamour, she became the picture of effortless purity.Nick adored her publicly, calling her unique and irreplaceable. Soon, socialites and heiresses began copying her understated style, and designers started creating new collections inspired by her image.To treat Susie’s weak eyesight, Nick spent tens of millions flying in the best specialists from around the world. The doctors couldn’t reverse her condition, but they found ways to keep it from worsening.When they told him there was no cure, Nick lost his temper so badly he nearly injured his own eyes, claiming he wanted to “share her pain.”Meanwhile, Lisa lay alone in her hospital bed, scrolling throug

A moment later, Nick let out a soft laugh. He touched Susie’s cheek and said gently, “Don’t be upset. I’ll give you the first dance tonight.”Susie turned her face away, pretending to be annoyed, but she still took his hand and followed him into the ballroom.Lisa lifted her eyes and watched them step onto the dance floor together. To her surprise, she felt strangely calm.She packed up her violin and quietly turned to leave.But she hadn’t taken more than a few steps before several women blocked her way. Before she could speak, they dragged her toward a quiet corner.“Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Horden. Oh wait,” one of them sneered, “you’re not that anymore, are you? Do you remember my hand?” She raised her left arm. Her wrist ended in a stump. “All I did was brush against you once, and Nick had my hand cut off.”Another woman stepped forward and ripped off her mask. One side of her face was disfigured, the skin scarred and pale. “And me. I said you weren’t that pretty, and your man

Lisa gently pulled the white sheet over her brother’s body. Only then did she notice her shoes were gone. Her bare feet were smeared with dried blood and dirt.She sank to the floor, trying to wipe them clean with tissues, but the more she wiped, the worse it looked. The tears came without warning. Her chest tightened, and she clawed at her clothes, trying to breathe, but no sound came out. She cried in silence until there was nothing left.After a long time, she got up, went home, showered, and changed into clean clothes. She put on a little makeup. She wanted to send her brother off properly.With the death certificate in hand, she took him to the crematorium. She didn’t speak once during the entire process, moving like an empty shell. When she saw the urn, her eyes reddened, but a faint smile appeared on her face. Maybe this was better, she thought. He didn’t have to suffer anymore, and now she had nothing left to hold her here.She bought a small but beautiful plot of land and

Nick sent Lisa a message, reminding her to arrive early for the celebration, then turned his attention back to work.The ballroom was lavishly decorated with flowers flown in from overseas, each one dyed a soft gradient of blue—the shade Lisa loved most. A massive glass slipper stood in the center of the room, filled with gifts he had chosen for her himself.He planned to use tonight to show her that he was coming back.Just thinking about the look on her face made the corner of his mouth lift. She’d be touched, maybe even cry, and fall into his arms again.But as the guests arrived one by one, Lisa still hadn’t shown up.A flicker of irritation mixed with unease. Nick pulled out his phone and called her.Once. Twice. Five times. No answer.He sent her a message, but it went unread.For ten years, Lisa had always answered immediately. She had never ignored him, never once gone silent.As the minutes dragged on, memories of her recent distance began to resurface: the way she’d