All Chapters of THE ONLY THING I’D LET RUIN ME: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Halle’s POVIt was Rena’s wedding day.The only person I would cross continents for.We've been friends since freshman year. The kind of friendship where you don't need to finish your sentences because the other person already lived through the thought with you. As an only child, Rena felt like a sister to me, always there through the good and the bad. She was always there, through the messy breakups and the late-night study sessions that turned into existential crises. Time flew by so quickly; I hardly noticed.Rena used to say love was a luxury she couldn't afford. She was practical, grounded, and a bit cynical. Yet here she was, standing on a private beach, marrying Larry Grey of Grey Tech Industries, one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the country. He was a hopeless romantic who spent three years trying to catch her eye before he finally convinced her she deserved to be loved that loudly. Here they were.Everyone expected the wedding to be a lavish display of billionai

Halle’s POV Something was wrong. Adrian was still holding me, but he wasn’t dancing anymore. His attention had left me. His focus moved past my shoulder, over the crowd, toward something I couldn’t see. The music continued. Laughter floated around us. Glasses clinked. No one else seemed aware of anything unusual. But he kept scanning. What on earth is he looking for? The romantic softness from seconds ago had thinned. Not vanished. Just… reduced. “What is it?” I asked quietly. He didn't answer immediately. He tilted his head slightly, following a shadow moving near the edge of the reception, and I watched as his expression shifted into full concentration. “Nothing,” That tone again. Calm. Final. “Don’t do that.” I crossed my arms, stepping back a little. “Do what?” “Answer without answering,” His gaze lowered to mine, unreadable. “I don’t like you being in the middle of things you don’t understand,” Middle of what? Before I could press further, a smooth voice inte

Halle’s POV The morning didn’t wait for clarity. It exploded. My phone vibrated against the nightstand before I even opened my eyes. Notifications stacked over each other. Missed calls from unknown numbers. There were photos and videos of the wedding everywhere online. “POWER OUTAGE AT BILLIONAIRE WEDDING, SECURITY BREACH?” “WHO IS THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN SEEN WITH ADRIAN VALE?” Like the day couldn’t get any worse. My breath caught seeing there were also photos of Adrian and I. Pictures of us dancing, captured from the side. I scrolled through the photos again, my heart hammering. We looked so intimate it terrified me…like a dream couple on the edge of something too real, and consuming. My stomach twisted, as if the camera had caught something I wasn’t ready to admit. Damn it. How had this leaked so fast? The wedding was private, guarded. But nothing stayed hidden when billionaires were involved. I wasn’t sure how I felt at the moment, but I knew the last thing I wanted w

Halle’s POVWe stood in his hotel room minutes later, tension thick. I’d packed quickly but resentment bubbled in me. He won this time. “You think I’m some fragile thing you need to shield,” “No,” he said quietly. “You’re the one variable I can’t afford to lose,” He said as his eyes skimmed through something important on his tablet.Those words did something to me. “Why do you care so much about what happens to me? I mean, you didn’t seem to care when you let me leave two years ago,” I finally addressed the elephant in the room.Silence. “I had to let you go,” he said , his eyes not leaving his tablet. “What do you mean?” “You can't be exposed.” “Exposed to what?” I asked, confused. He dropped his tablet, stood up, and stepped closer. “Me.”The honesty startled me. “Especially, whoever is trying to reach me through you.” Something twisted in my stomach. “So I’m bait?” I asked in realization. His expression darkened. “You’re leverage,” My breath caught, “