Chapter 3

The icy night wind of the Northernlands hit my face, instantly clearing the fog from my head.

Then I spotted a tall, broad-shouldered figure leaning against a car in the distance.

Lucas was wearing a long black down coat, with a scarf draped casually around his neck. A cigarette glowed between his fingers, the ember flickering in the cold night air.

The moment he saw me, he stubbed it out and strode over.

He didn't ask anything. He simply took the heavy suitcase from my hand.

His palm was warm and dry, with the kind of strength that came from growing up in the Northernlands.

"How was the trip?" His low voice sounded especially clear in the quiet night.

"Fine." I nodded, my nose suddenly stinging. With Lucas, I never had to pretend I was strong.

He opened the passenger door, shielding the top with his hand. "Get in, it's freezing out here."

The heater was running full blast inside the car, and soft music played quietly.

It was completely different from Daniel's car, which always smelled strongly of the sweet perfume Emily loved.

Lucas handed me an insulated mug. "Have some lemonade. Mrs. Rivers made it for you. She figured you'd need it."

I took the mug, and the warmth seeped from my palm straight into my chest.

That was Lucas. He never asked, "Why?" He simply showed up when I needed him and took care of things in the most practical way.

The car moved smoothly through the familiar streets.

I leaned against the window and watched the bare branches outside, heavy with icicles. For the first time in a long while, my heart felt completely at peace.

Just then, my phone buzzed again. It was a video call from Daniel.

I hesitated for a moment before answering. I wanted to see what kind of act he was going to put on this time.

The screen lit up, but it wasn't Daniel's face that appeared. It was Emily's.

She looked like she'd just gotten out of the shower. She was wearing a silk robe, her damp hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. She was clearly in a hotel room.

When she saw me, the perfect mix of surprise and guilt appeared on her face. "Wait, Julia? Why are you on the call? I thought Daniel must've picked up the wrong phone..."

Her eyes flickered. She purposely shifted so the camera could catch the messy bed behind her, and casually tossed across the sheets was a man's shirt.

I recognized it immediately. It was Daniel's shirt.

My heart sank, but I kept my expression neutral.

"He was taking a shower," Emily said, as if she'd only realized how it looked. She hurried to explain. "Oh, no. I mean, Daniel...he helped me fix the showerhead earlier, and his clothes got wet, so..."

Her explanation only made things worse. It was full of holes, and every excuse she gave seemed to raise more questions.

Every little detail had been carefully arranged to make things look intimate.

Just then, Daniel's voice came from the other end of the call, growing louder as he approached. "Emily, who's calling? Is that my phone?"

A moment later, Daniel appeared on camera. He was wrapped in a bathrobe, with water still dripping from his hair.

The moment he saw me, he froze. His expression quickly darkened.

"Julia? What are you..." He stopped halfway and shot Emily a sharp look. "Why are you using my phone?"

Emily immediately shrank back like a startled deer and slipped behind Daniel. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I didn't mean to. I only wanted to check the time..."

Daniel frowned as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply looked back at the screen. His voice was impatient and probing. "Julia, where are you?

"Why aren't you at the hotel? Do you have any idea how worried I've been trying to find you?"

I looked at them on the screen, standing together in a hotel room while barely dressed. The whole thing was almost laughable.

"Daniel," I said. My voice was so calm that even I was surprised. "Are you really worried because you can't find me, or are you worried I'll find out what the two of you have been up to?"

Daniel's face turned livid. "Julia, what the hell are you talking about? Emily's upset. I'm only taking care of her."

"Taking care of her to the point where you needed to share a bathroom? Taking care of her to the point where she needed to wear your shirt?" I scoffed.

"It was an accident," Daniel snapped, his voice rising. He sounded furious at being called out. "Julia, what's gotten into you? When did you become so unreasonable? You're acting like some hysterical woman."

So that was what I was in his eyes. I was the hysterical woman for calmly questioning him after being betrayed.

And Emily, standing there in a silk robe with his phone in her hand and every trace of intimacy on full display, was the fragile little innocent who needed to be protected.

What a joke.

"Daniel, don't blame Julia. It's all my fault..." Emily spoke up, her voice trembling with tears as she reached for Daniel's arm.

Daniel instinctively patted the back of her hand, his tone softening a little. "This has nothing to do with you."

Then he turned back to me, his eyes cold. "Julia, I'm asking you one last time. Where are you? Send me your location right now. I'll come find you. Stop being unreasonable."

I watched Daniel defend Emily. I watched that smug, self-righteous look on his face. Whatever little hope I had left died completely.

Slowly, I turned my phone toward the window.

The quiet, snow-covered streets that were so typical of Northville came into view, along with the faint outline of the snow-capped mountains in the distance.

"Daniel," I said slowly and clearly. "Take a good look. I'm on a train heading north.

"I'm not in Southern Shores, where you need to 'take care' of someone else. And not every 'accident' needs a bathrobe and a man's shirt to explain it. We're done."

I didn't wait to see his stunned expression turn to rage. I ended the video call. Then I blocked the number that had held three years of my laughter and tears.

Finally, everything went quiet.

I leaned back in my seat and let out a long, slow breath. It felt like a thousand pounds had been lifted off my shoulders.

Lucas had been driving quietly the whole time, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

But while we were stopped at a red light, he reached over and gently squeezed my cold fingers. "If you're tired, get some sleep. I'll wake you when we get home."

His hand was warm and strong, the kind of warmth that made me feel safe.

I closed my eyes and murmured, "Okay."

Let them keep putting on their little show in Southern Shores. From now on, my world had nothing to do with that fake warmth anymore.