Moonlit Mountain (Caleb and Sarah)

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"No," I said, my voice firm, the word a clean break, a severance of ties that

had once felt unbreakable."Seattle is where my family is. Los Angeles... I'm done with Los Angeles."

A strange smile flickered across Aiden's face, quickly replaced by a mask of

cold fury."You'll regret this, Violet," he said, his voice low, laced with a threat that

sent a shiver down my spine."You'll come crawling back to us. You'll see." "Don't hold your breath," I retorted, meeting his gaze with a defiance I hadn' t known I possessed.

Charles, without a word, snapped his fingers, and the security guards, moving with a swiftness that was both impressive and terrifying, descended upon Aiden and Ethan. They struggled, their protests muffled by the hands

clamped over their mouths, their bodies bound and helpless as they were dragged towards a waiting helicopter.

Charles turned to me, his expression unreadable. "Did that... frighten you?" he asked, his voice softer now, almost hesitant.

It was a strange question, but I understood what he was asking. He was a

man of power, a man accustomed to getting his way, and I'd just witnessed a glimpse of the ruthlessness that lurked beneath his polished exterior.

I shook my head, meeting his gaze with a newfound clarity. In that moment, 12:37

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I saw him for what he was: a man who understood the cost of freedom, the price

of protecting what was precious. We were more alike than I'd realized.

"No," I said, a slow smile spreading across my lips, a smile that had nothing

to do with happiness and everything to do with relief."Not at all."

I hadn't expected Aiden and Ethan to follow me to Seattle. In my naive, post- breakup fantasy, they'd realize the error of their ways, see Hannah for the manipulative, social-climbing opportunist she was, and come crawling back to me, begging for forgiveness.

But life, I was quickly learning, rarely followed the script I wrote in my head.

It seemed they hadn't quite moved on. And Hannah, clearly, wasn't about to let them.

The thought of them all living together, their lives intertwined in a messy

my stomach churn. But it knot of shared grief and misplaced affections, made was their problem now, their tangled web to unravel.

I was free.

Charles' townhouse was a world away from the sprawling chaos of our shared home in Los Angeles. It was elegant, understated, every detail a reflection of his meticulous nature. I wandered through the rooms, my footsteps echoing on the polished marble floors, a sen life now.

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As we settled into our new routine, the initial awkwardness of our arranged marriage slowly giving way to a comfortable companionship, I found myself thinking about Aiden and Ethan less and less. The memories, once so vivid, so painful, were fading, replaced by the demands of my new life, the challenges of my new job, the quiet comfort of Charles' presence by my side. They were probably just adjusting to my absence, I told myself, clinging to the belief that time, that great healer, would eventually erase the sting of our fractured friendship. We'd been a part of each other's lives for so long, it was only natural that they'd miss me. Like a faded photograph, tucked away in a drawer, a reminder of a past that could never be reclaimed

But some photographs, I realized, were better left forgotten.

On the helicopter ride back to Los Angeles, the roar of the engine a deafening counterpoint to the silence that had settled between them, Aiden and Ethan sat side by side, their bodies bound, their spirits broken. They'd flown across the country, fueled by a desperate hope, only to find Violet standing

beside another man, a man who radiated a quiet confidence that both intimidated and infuriated them.

They'd failed.

"How did this happen?" Ethan finally choked out, his voice rough with 53.3%

<(Finding Forever After...

disbelief."How did we let this happen?"

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Aiden remained silent, his gaze fixed on the city sprawling beneath them, a

concrete jungle that mirrored the chaos in his own heart. They'd underestimated Violet. Underestimated her strength, her resilience, her ability to move on without them.

And they'd overestimated Hannah.

Hannah. The thought of her, her carefully constructed vulnerability, her

insatiable need for attention... it filled him with a disgust that was as much

directed at himself as it was at her.

Had she really been so naive? So blind?

It had seemed like such a good idea at the time: a little harmless flirtation, a way to make Violet jealous, to force her to choose between them. They'd never intended to hurt Hannah, to play with her emotions. They'd just... they'd been so focused on Violet, on winning consequences.

They'd been playing with fire. And they'd gotten burned.