Chapter 1
Five years after leaving Finn Barnett, I ran into him at the cemetery.
He had just finalized his divorce and came to visit his late parents, while I was there to choose a burial plot.
After an awkward glance, we exchanged a bit of polite small talk.
Finn casually asked if I wanted to come back to him.
I just said I didn't deserve him.
As I passed by him, he suddenly asked, "Why do you look so pale?"
I looked down and smiled softly. "Maybe it's because you're here."
Finn paused, then smirked at me. "Daphne, it's been five years, and your tactics are still so clumsy."
He sounded bored. "Playing hard to get is cute once, but it gets annoying really fast."
A gust of cold air hit my neck, and I quickly wiped away the smile from my face.
I let my gaze drift past him, settling on the misty gray void behind him.
Finn couldn't stand it when I ignored him.
Back then, whenever he was around, my gaze was always fixed on him, burning with passion, but tinged with caution.
He frowned, stepped a little closer, and flashed a sheet of paper in my face.
It was his divorce papers.
"See that?" he said casually. "I just finalized the paperwork. I'm single now. If you play nice and quit causing drama like before, maybe I'll let you back."
He was still cocky as ever, acting like all he had to do was crook his finger, and I'd come running back to him like a pet dog.
Suddenly, my stomach clenched hard, but I forced a smile. "Well, congratulations. Hope you're happy now."
Without bothering to look at his stunned face, I turned and walked away.
I stumbled over something, suddenly tipping to the side, unable to stop myself from falling.
Before I could react, he reached out, instinctively aiming for my elbow to catch me.
It was the hand I had once dreamed of holding, but in that instant, my instincts kicked in before I could think. I pulled back hard, taking a big step away.
In my haste to get away, I almost fell into the holly bushes nearby
Finn's hand froze, his face darkening in an instant. "Daphne, what are you pretending—"
"Ms. Irwin." A hurried voice cut him off before he could finish his sarcastic remark.
A staff member from the cemetery came out of the office, out of breath, holding a piece of paper.
He didn't seem to notice the tension crackling between Finn and me.
He said, "You left in such a hurry. You didn't sign the paperwork. This plot is in high demand. If everything is good, we can proceed with engraving the headstone."
Finn's hand hovered awkwardly before he slipped it into his coat pocket.
He frowned. "A burial plot? Did someone in your family die?"
I took the pen from the staff member, but my hand was shaking so much that I could barely hold it. I had to clamp my left hand over my right just to get my name on the page.
I handed the document back and said to Finn, "It's for someone who means a lot to me."
Finn clearly didn't buy it and was about to ask more, but the sudden screech of brakes cut him off.
My friend, Elaine, rushed over and yanked me behind her.
She yelled, "You bastard. How dare you show your face here? Do you know what Daphne has been—"
"Elaine, stop," I said softly, reaching out to gently pull at her sleeve.
Elaine turned to look at my pale face, her eyes growing teary with emotion.
"Let's go," I said weakly.
Elaine clenched her jaw, shot Finn a venomous glare, then helped me turn and walk away.
Finn stood there, watching us leave, a strange, nameless frustration welling up inside him.
He fished a cigarette out of his pocket, but before he could light it, his phone rang.
One of his friends said, "Finn, are you done with the paperwork? We're renting out a club tonight to celebrate you being single again."
Finn listened to the commotion on the phone, but he couldn't help staring after me as I walked away.
"We'll see," he said, hanging up. Before he knew it, he opened his car door and ended up following Elaine's car.
The car stopped outside a coffee shop.
Elaine had slipped out during her lunch break, and now she had to hurry back to work.
"Daphne, you should get back to the hospital. You look so pale," Elaine said, her eyes rimmed red as she gripped my hand tightly, not wanting to let go.
"I'm okay," I said, softly pulling my hand from hers. "Go on. Don't worry about me. Get back to work."
After Elaine left reluctantly, I used the last bit of strength I had left to drag myself into a nearby pharmacy and grabbed some painkillers.
I popped two white pills, then slumped against the wall, struggling to catch my breath.
Once I felt a little steadier, I waved down an Uber car.
I opened the door and got into the front passenger seat.
As I was closing the door, a familiar Maybach slowly drove by.
Through the window, I caught Finn glaring intently at the guy behind the wheel next to me.