Chapter 4 He Never Looked Back

For a while, neither of us spoke. Panic flickered across Kieran's face before he finally broke the silence.

"Alivia, this isn't what you think. Leah was having trouble getting to and from work, so I bought her this place. Besides, whenever we're in the area, we can stay here too."

He said it like it was perfectly reasonable, as if there was nothing wrong with spending our money on an apartment for another woman without even telling me.

Except half the money he'd used was mine—money I'd worked so hard to save.

My whole body started trembling. I shoved past him and walked inside, only to stop cold when I saw the place.

There were two of everything: two mugs by the sink, two pairs of slippers by the door, two toothbrushes in the bathroom. Worse, none of it looked new. Everything had clearly been used.

This wasn't just some apartment Kieran had bought for Leah. It felt like a home they shared.

Suddenly, all those late nights at the office made sense. So, this was where he'd really been working overtime, so to speak.

Just then, I heard footsteps upstairs. I looked up and froze.

Leah was coming down the stairs in my custom-made wedding dress.

The second she saw me, a smug smile flickered across her face before she quickly hid it.

My blood ran cold.

That dress wasn't just something I'd chosen for my wedding day. After my mother died, I'd had the lace and beadwork from her wedding gown carefully sewn into mine. It was one of the few pieces of her I still had.

Whenever I wore it, I could almost picture my mother beside me, watching as I walked down the aisle.

"Take it off!"

My scream echoed through the apartment, and Leah's eyes immediately filled with tears.

Kieran grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "What the hell is wrong with you? Leah was trying on the dress so she could get the alterations right. We were going to surprise you. Why are you screaming at her?"

I looked at the dress again. It had been altered so much that I could barely recognize it.

My hands began to shake. "You know how much that dress means to me!"

For a moment, Kieran froze.

Leah started down the stairs, seemingly trying to calm things down. Before she could reach us, her foot caught on the hem. She stumbled forward and crashed into a candle stand.

The fabric caught fire almost instantly.

Within seconds, flames raced across the dress. She panicked, and in the confusion, a burning piece of fabric tore loose and landed against me.

Pain seared through my skin, and I screamed.

Kieran had spent years promising that he would always protect me. Yet when I needed him most, he ran straight past me.

"Leah!" He rushed to her without even looking back. "Did you get burned anywhere? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I'm okay. I don't know why Alivia tripped me. If she hadn't, I wouldn't have fallen."

She looked down at what remained of the burning dress. "And now her wedding dress is ruined..."

"Forget the dress!" Kieran snapped before shooting me a venomous glare.

Without another word, he scooped Leah into his arms and ran for the door as the fire kept spreading.

"Kieran!" Leah shouted over the noise. "Alivia's still inside!"

"Forget about her for now! You're hurt!" His voice grew fainter as he carried her farther away. "She can get herself out!"

The smoke thickened around me, and every breath scraped painfully at my lungs. I coughed until my chest burned, but nothing hurt as much as watching Kieran disappear through that door without looking back.

Something warm slid down my cheek.

The man who had once pulled me through the darkest time of my life had just thrown me right back into it.

I forced myself toward the door, coughing through the smoke until I finally stumbled outside. By the time I reached the street, my lungs burned, and my whole body trembled.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

A notification lit up the screen, reminding me that my flight would be taking off soon.

Moments later, another message appeared. This one was from our wedding coordinator, asking for final confirmation.

I stared at the message for a few seconds before confirming.

They could have the wedding I'd spent months planning. I was done with all of it now, and they were welcome to have it. Consider it my gift to them.

...

Kieran rushed Leah to the hospital and stayed by her side while the doctors treated her injuries. He didn't relax until they assured him she was fine.

Only then did he look around and realize something was missing.

Alivia Watson wasn't there.

He frowned and glanced toward the entrance. He'd assumed she would follow them to the hospital like she always did, but there was still no sign of her.

An uneasy feeling settled in his chest. The longer he waited, the more certain he became that something was wrong.

Without wasting another second, Kieran rushed back to the apartment, but the moment he arrived, he stopped dead at what he saw.