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Chapter 22
“Happy birthday, Riss,” Declan said softly, pulling her back to the
She forced a small smile and murmured a thank–you. “Thanks.”
present.
A slice of cake appeared in front of her, and when she looked up, he was still watching her, his smile too wide, too hopeful.
“I know it’s all a bit last–minute,” he admitted. “Next year, I’ll throw you the most perfect, extravagant birthday party you’ve ever had. Sound good?”
Marissa said nothing.
She took a bite of the cake. It was rich, the cream smooth and not overly sweet–but somehow, it still tasted bland.
Her fingers tightened around the bracelet. The faint clinking of crystal beads echoed against the
silence.
1
None of these gifts mattered. What she really wanted… was to go home. To be with Adrian.
God, she missed him.
Was he still looking for her? Still piecing together clues, desperate to find where she’d gone?
She hoped so.
And once she was home, she’d never leave him again. Wherever he went, she’d follow. She’d tie
him to her side if she had to.
This–this was the first birthday she’d spent in years feeling absolutely nothing.
That night, as she slipped back into her room, her eyes fell on the small glass star on her vanity. A lump rose in her throat.
She and Adrian had a secret signal–a way to find each other if things went wrong.
It had been days. Why hadn’t he come?
But then she sighed.
Maybe she was being unfair. The Carter family had focused on overseas expansion for years. Their reach in Crestfall could never compare to the influence the Hawthornes held here.
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She’d wait a little longer.
But if he let her miss their wedding, he’d be sleeping on the couch for a month.
She’d thought Declan’s worst offense was locking her away, trying to wear down her resolve.
She was wrong.
A week before the wedding, he blindfolded her and took her to a new location.
When the cloth was finally removed, she found herself standing in a room blanketed in white roses, shaped into hearts. Behind them, butterfly orchids spelled out two glowing words:
Marry Me.
Declan stood in front of her, wearing a perfectly tailored black suit. Every strand of his hair was immaculate. The effort he’d put into this was written all over him.
All around them, his friends–Tristan included–watched silently, stiff smiles frozen on their faces.
Declan dropped to one knee.
“Marissa, I love you,” he said, voice trembling. “Please… give me a chance to take care of you. Let me spend the rest of my life by your side.”
Time seemed to stretch.
His heart pounded so loud it drowned out the world.
Then–chaos.
A commotion at the door, shouts, and then the security line broke.
Adrian burst in with a squad of police officers, pushing past the startled staff.
“Don’t move! Police!”
“Riss!”
She hadn’t heard his voice in a week. It took one second–less–for her to spin around, tears
already welling in her eyes.
She started to run, but Declan grabbed her wrist.
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“Riss… don’t go.”
The moment Declan saw Adrian, he knew it was over.
His stolen time had run out.
But watching her move without hesitation–like he meant nothing–still felt like being gutted from the inside out.
She looked down at his hand on her wrist, his fingers curled around it, a ring gleaming on one.
The matching pair to the one he’d given her when she first arrived here.
Adrian was tense, watching. Afraid. Afraid she’d choose the man who’d once meant everything to her.
But she didn’t hesitate for long.
She gently uncurled Declan’s fingers, one by one.
“I’m sorry, Declan,” she said quietly. “I already have a new life now. And it doesn’t include
you.”
She paused, then added, “You need to let go of the past. Stop clinging to what’s already gone. Or you’ll miss everything that’s still ahead.”
Chapter 22
