Chapter 1

Before my boyfriend Evan died, he asked his best friend, Adrian Vale, to make sure I was okay.

Adrian and I leaned on each other for six years, until one accidental night when we ended up in bed together.

When I finally gathered my thoughts and went to his apartment to clear the air, I found him holding another woman in his arms.

Seeing me walk in, Adrian immediately grabbed his shirt and draped it over her shoulders.

"Narcissa, why are you just walking in here?"

I turned around, desperate to escape, but Adrian called out to stop me.

"Narcissa, I have a girlfriend now. It's not appropriate for you to have a key anymore. Leave it."

I placed the key on the table and walked away.

Back at my own apartment, I dialed my friend's number.

"Marcus, that design fellowship in Paris you mentioned? I've decided to take it."

Marcus was thrilled, though a bit surprised.

"You're really willing to walk away from Reed Design Studio?"

I curled up on my sofa, pulling the blanket tighter around my shoulders.

"I should have let go a long time ago," I said softly.

When Evan Hale passed away, his dying wish was for Adrian to look out for me.

I had no family, and Adrian was entirely alone too. We were both orphans of that tragedy, clinging to each other to survive the grief.

For six years, he took impeccable care of me. He treated me like the most important person in his life.

But after that one night, everything shattered.

I had woken up before him the next morning. Staring at Adrian's sleeping face, my mind was a chaotic mess, and I could do nothing but flee the room in a panic.

The sudden shift in our relationship left me completely lost. I took a short trip, hoping the distance would help me figure out what we were to each other now.

Yet, Adrian kept checking in on me just like before, asking where I was.

I never imagined that his casual demeanor wasn't because he had figured things out—it was because he had completely forgotten what happened between us.

Now, he had someone he loved. And I was just his friend. It was only right that I stop intruding on his new life.

After hanging up with Marcus, I hesitated for a long time before dialing Adrian's number.

He picked up almost immediately.

"Narcissa, what's wrong?"

I wanted to tell him the truth about that night, to properly close the chapter on our six years of companionship.

But before I could get a single word out, a girl's voice drifted through the receiver.

"Adrian, why is Narcissa calling so late? Doesn't she know boundaries? Don't tell me she still has a crush on you."

I recognized the voice instantly. Brielle Carter. She never bothered to hide her hostility toward me.

Adrian's tone instantly turned freezing.

"Narcissa, stop calling this late. It gives the wrong impression. We're done here."

He had never spoken to me like that.

By the time I snapped out of my daze, the line had been dead for a while.

I let out a bitter laugh and wrapped the blanket tighter around myself.

I must have been exhausted. Even the howling wind and the blizzard violently battering my windows couldn't wake me from my sleep.