Chapter 4

But someone that gentle could change just like that.

Maybe it was better this way. At least now I saw things clearly.

I felt exhausted. My legs were shaky, but I couldn't stop. We had to find the rescue station. If we didn't, I wasn't sure I'd last long enough for the rescue team to reach us.

Benjamin walked ahead with Zoe on his back. I trailed behind.

The snow was deep; every step felt like dragging concrete.

Benjamin didn't know my boots had split open long ago. My skin was exposed, rubbed raw and bleeding.

He didn't know that after starving and freezing all night, my body was already giving out.

Compared to me, Zoe only had to whine a little and he carried her without hesitation. For me, he didn't even look back.

"Hurry up," he said, glancing over his shoulder.

Zoe shot me a smug little smile.

I lowered my head. A warm tear slid onto my ring and froze almost instantly.

My vision blurred. Weakness washed over me in waves. Then my body finally gave out.

Through the haze I saw Benjamin running toward me, panic in his eyes, while Zoe looked annoyed.

So… he still cared.

I smiled, but it stung.

Funny how even a scrap of concern had become something I had to fight for.

Then came a long, beautiful dream.

Benjamin was seventeen again, top of his class, the school's heart-throb. A boy with a face almost too pretty for his own good.

He confessed to me over the school broadcast, in front of everyone. I got plenty of glares for it.

He was punished and kicked out of the dorms for a week.

That idiot waited by my route home every day, trailing behind me like a puppy until I finally gave in and let him stay in our attic.

He was hardworking and sweet. When he lived with us, he cooked breakfast, woke me up, and did all the heavy chores.

My mom adored him. Almost treated him like her godson.

One night, under the moon, we snuck onto the rooftop.

At one in the morning, I leaned on his shoulder and told him stories from my childhood.

He listened so seriously, his clear eyes full of quiet ache.

Then he pressed his palms together and prayed to the moon. "Please let my Audrey be safe and happy every day. Keep all the bad stuff away from her."

I told him he was silly. He just grinned, that mischievous smile I loved more than anything.

Schoolwork got heavier, but Benjamin still ran to my house whenever he could, treating it like his second home.

He never sat still. Grocery runs, cooking, laundry, mopping—he did everything.

My mom liked him.

And I did too.

The dream flowed like an old movie reel.

I saw us a year after graduation.

He yelled from downstairs, "Audrey! Wanna be a boss's wife?"

The whole building heard him.

What did he mean by boss's wife?

We scraped together almost ninety grand and registered our own company. B&A Corporation, one character from each of our names.

He was the boss, and I was his wife.

He handled the networking and the deals, fighting on the front lines.

I hated being in the spotlight, so I stayed behind, planning strategies like a one-woman think tank.

At our lowest point, we had only two bucks left. Enough for two boxed lunches.

We borrowed some hot water, sat right by the road, and ate there.

There was barely anything in those boxes, not even enough for a real meal, but when we lifted our heads and smiled at each other, it felt like the whole world softened for a second.

Later, Benjamin's business started growing. Then it took off, and it just kept getting bigger.

We moved from a rundown rental to a decent apartment, then a three-bedroom.

Before long, we were living in a villa and cruising around in luxury cars. Life just kept getting better and better.

But the bigger the house, the smaller it felt like home.

He was always busy, hopping from one business dinner to the next.