Encounter

“What? Mom, are you insane? Dad passed away only two years ago, and now you’re telling me you’re going to marry this man? How could you?!” I exclaimed, seething with anger as I sat on the sofa, my mother sitting beside the man she claimed she was going to marry.

“Laura, please, don’t lose your respect. I’m still your mother,” she said, her voice laced with restrained irritation, but I didn’t care. “This is Edward. He was a close friend of your father’s—we’ve known him for a long time, and I know he’s a good man.”

I let out a dry, bitter laugh. “And then what? After Dad’s funeral, you two found comfort in each other’s arms? And now, two years later, you want to replace him—”

A sharp slap cut me off, silencing me instantly. A stinging sensation spread across my left cheek, and I tasted the metallic tang of blood at the corner of my lips.

“You have no right to question my feelings for your father. You have no idea how much I suffered after losing him. I nearly died from the pain of his absence, but I refused to let it consume me. I managed to find happiness again—”

“By what? By marrying someone else?” I shot a glare at the man behind my mother. His eyes held something—sympathy, perhaps—but I didn’t need it. Fuck that.

“Laura, please, try to understand. I stayed faithful to your father all these years, despite his multiple affairs with different women. This is the first time in a long while that I’ve felt happy again. Please, just understand—”

I didn’t let her finish. I shoved my earphones in, drowning her voice out with music as I busied myself with my phone. My hands trembled, my vision blurred with the tears threatening to spill.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him gently stroking her arm, trying to calm her down. I ignored them. I didn’t care anymore.

Eventually, they left me alone, and as soon as they did, the tears I had been holding back fell freely. My gaze landed on an old photo of us—Dad, Mom, and me. It was my last birthday with him before we discovered his cancer, already in its final, untraceable stage. Before we knew it, all we could do was wait for his final days.

I took a deep breath and stood up. I had class at one o’clock, and it was only seven. Even though I didn’t feel like going, I had to. Besides, I’d rather be anywhere but here. I couldn’t stand those two lovebirds downstairs.

I quickly got ready, grabbed my things, and walked out without a word. I had a designated driver, but I felt like walking today. Our house was only fifteen minutes away from the subdivision entrance anyway.

Instead of heading straight to school, I booked a ride to my favorite coffee shop—the one Dad and I used to visit. I texted Sue—my cousin and closest friend. We were in the same year but had different majors. She was the only person I truly trusted.

I arrived at school around 11:30 and waited for Sue, who was slower than a turtle.

“Siz!” I rolled my eyes at the high-pitched voice behind me. Still sipping from my straw, I turned to see her grinning widely.

“Oh my god, you won’t believe what I just saw!”

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to spill. She plopped down beside me and, without asking, grabbed the cappuccino I had brought for her.

“I saw my ultimate crush—Cole Huntsman!” she squealed before taking a huge sip of her drink. “And guess what? He was wearing our school uniform! Oh my god, my last two years in this hellish university just got so much better!”

I stared at her like she was the weirdest creature I had ever seen.

“You mean the same ‘ultimate crush’ who, the first time you met him, asked you to throw away his coffee cup for him? That one?”

She glared at me, making me chuckle.

“What the fuck, it was probably just because I was near the trash bin! You’re so witchy,” she huffed. “I mean, Cole Huntsman is every girl’s dream. He’s freaking perfect—an absolute god. He’s handsome, has excellent grades, excels in sports, sings and plays instruments, is part of a well-known band, and is insanely rich. What more could you ask for?”

“Maybe for him to treat people like actual humans instead of objects? Am I wrong? He’s not the epitome of a perfect man. His attitude is trash.”

Sue’s eyes widened as if she had just seen a ghost. I smirked. Did I hit a nerve? I thought so.

“Girl, we can’t just judge him based on rumors,” she argued, pinching me lightly.

“Huh, I’m not judging him. I’m stating facts,” I replied.

“Oh really? And how would you even know that? Are you living under the same roof as him to be sure?”

A deep, amused voice cut in before I could respond. My head snapped toward the source, and I found myself staring at a familiar face. Had I seen him around campus before?

He chuckled. “You don’t even recognize my face? Unbelievable.”

I glanced at Sue, who was staring at him with her mouth slightly open, unable to utter a word. I blinked a few times, processing the situation.

Then it clicked.

I turned back to the man standing in front of me, along with his friends, all wearing identical smug expressions. My mouth parted slightly in realization.

“Yeah, now you remember me, honey?” he said in a tone that made my skin crawl. He leaned in closer, I can practically hear his heart beat, “Yup. The one and only—Cole James Huntsman.”

Oh.