Chapter 02

Chloe forced a soft, practical smile when she saw her half-sister’s fiancé holding a drink in his hand and waving at her. But Ruan didn’t smile back. She had seen that look before—it was the expression of a man with problems.

Chloe hesitated when she looked around and didn’t see Megan with him. Meeting her sister’s fiancé in a bar seemed like a terrible idea, but the urgent, distressed voice on the phone had made her think something worse might have happened. By the time she realized it, she was already standing in front of him.

“Chloe,” he whispered, his voice raised, “happy birthday.”

She cleared her throat, swallowing the ache as soon as she heard him say it. Finally, someone had remembered her birthday. A smile spread across her face. Her heart was so shattered that Chloe thought it would take an eternity before she smiled again.

But something was wrong. Ruan hadn’t called her there just to say that.

“Where’s Megan?” Ruan’s eyes locked on hers as soon as he heard the question, and his expression shifted within seconds. “Did something happen to her?”

“Megan’s fine.” He sighed and gestured for her to sit beside him. “My invitation must surprise you.”

Chloe exhaled slowly as she slid into the chair next to him. Her fingers gripped the armrest tightly. The stench of cigarettes and alcohol in the air, mixed with the blaring noise, made her uncomfortable.

“Surprised isn’t the right word.” Thick smoke drifted like ghosts over people’s heads, laughter clashing with the pounding bass that exploded in her ears. Chloe felt that every sip of alcohol taken around her was a direct assault on her stomach. “What do you really want from me?”

Ruan sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. Chloe shifted impatiently in her seat. This wasn’t where she wanted to be, not after everything that had just happened with Leonidas. Her heart was shattered, and she hadn’t even had time to mend it. She felt like she was only there because she feared something worse than her breakup had happened.

“Megan said she can’t marry me.”

Ruan said it bluntly.

Chloe stared at him, a knot tightening in her stomach with every word he spoke.

“She said she’s not ready, that she needs to finish college.” He shook his head, raising his glass to his lips and taking another swallow before continuing. “Her dress is ready. The guests have already arrived. Tomorrow is the day, and I don’t have a bride anymore.”

Chloe frowned, her eyebrows knitting together as she absorbed what she had just heard. It seemed she wasn’t the only one facing heartbreak that night. She knew how much Ruan loved Megan and how much he had planned and dreamed of this wedding. She could see the suffering on his face.

Not only that, but she had never seen him act so emotionally, and she figured the alcohol had something to do with it.

But she couldn’t speak. She didn’t know what to say to him because she couldn’t even console herself. She was broken too—where would she find the strength to comfort anyone else?

“Please, Chloe, convince Megan to marry me.” Suddenly, Ruan’s hands gripped her shoulders tightly, making her shrink back into her seat. “If you talk to her, she’ll listen.”

“It’s not that simple.” Her voice, muffled by the bar’s noise, barely carried. “Nobody convinces Megan once she’s made up her mind.”

Ruan sighed, disappointment flickering in his eyes. He slid his hands down her arms before finally letting go. The idea of solving her half-sister’s love problems instead of her own felt unbearable. Ruan wasn’t the only one hurting there.

“Fine.” He sounded like he was admitting defeat. “Just one try, and I promise I’ll leave you alone. Think of the humiliation I’ll face tomorrow if Megan doesn’t show up at the wedding.”

Reluctantly, Chloe nodded, then finally grabbed her phone, determined to end the difficulty. She made the call right in front of him, but Megan didn’t answer.

“I’m sorry, Ruan.” Chloe cast a discreet glance at her brother-in-law. Even though he looked defeated, there was a striking beauty in him that now seemed impossible to ignore—maybe it was the alcohol, the shared sadness, or just her desperation not to feel invisible anymore.

His dark hair fell over his forehead, his eyes were bloodshot, and the first buttons of his white shirt were undone, revealing a glimpse of his tanned chest. She glanced away. What kind of person noticed that on a night like this?

A part of her, the rational part, wanted to stand up and leave. The other part stayed frozen, stretching the seconds as if she were waiting for him to say something that would justify her presence there.

Chloe bit her lower lip when she realized she had been staring too long. She jumped to her feet so quickly that her chair screeched against the floor, drawing attention. Her heart pounded against her ribs. She had just lost the man she loved… and now she was desiring her sister’s fiancé?

A hand caught her wrist. Ruan stood too, his brow furrowed, concerned.

“What happened?” he asked, scanning her face. “Are you crying?”

Chloe blinked slowly. Only then does she feel the tears streaming down her face. Shame hit her like a recent wave.

“You already have your problems. You don’t need to worry about me,” she said, wiping her cheeks quickly.

But he didn’t let go. He pulled her closer, and before she knew it, she was pressed against his chest, wrapped in his arms. He smelled of alcohol and sweat. She couldn’t take advantage of a completely drunk man, could she?

Chloe struggled to breathe. Every cell in her body screamed for her to run. But the warmth of his embrace held her in place. Her shoulders began to tremble as sobs slipped free.

“It’s your birthday,” Ruan said softly. “You should be happy.”

“Happy?” The word sounded like a cruel joke. How could she be happy when Leonidas had walked away without a reason? How could she move on when she didn’t even know what had broken?

She didn’t answer. She just let herself be held. For the first time in days, she wasn’t alone.

“What can I do… to make you happy tonight?”

Chloe lifted her face. His eyes met hers. Between them lay a chasm of right and wrong—but also a mirror of what she herself felt.

She took a deep breath. The question stuck in her throat for a moment before it turned into a decision.

“Take me to your place,” she said slowly. “I… just need somewhere to rest.”

Ruan hesitated for a moment. Then he nodded, without another word.

And as he led her out of the bar, Chloe knew that, although she had said “rest,” neither of them really believed that word.