Chapter 2

The rain in Ravenwood was relentless. It was that time of year again—storm season.

I walked alone down the city streets, feeling like a lost ghost with nowhere to go.

It suddenly struck me how pathetic my situation was. After all these years in Ravenwood, I still didn’t have a place to call home.

The only place I could think of was the little apartment Liam and I had shared for years. But even that wasn’t really mine anymore.

I tried finding a hotel where I could take a hot shower and get some rest, but it was the weekend before Thanksgiving. Every decent hotel was fully booked. Even the sketchy motels packed with eager young couples were full.

With no other options, I went to a 24-hour spa, bought a day pass, and took a hot shower. Wrapped in their complimentary bathrobe, I sat in the dining area, picking at the buffet food.

That’s when the tears came again, flowing uncontrollably.

Ravenwood was so big—so big that after seven years, I still hadn’t explored it all.

And yet, it felt so small—so small that there wasn’t a single corner left for me to belong.

I suddenly wanted to go home.

I scrolled through my contacts and found the number I hadn’t dared to call in seven years. My fingers hovered over the screen before I finally worked up the courage to press “dial.”

The call connected almost immediately. My heart was pounding so hard I forgot how to breathe.

But the voice on the other end wasn’t my mom’s. It was a man’s.

“Finally remembered you have a family?”

“Where’s Mom?” I asked. I recognized the voice—it was my younger brother.

His tone was cold. “She’s none of your business.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. After a long pause, I finally spoke.

“I just… I just want to come home. To visit.”

His answer was swift and cutting.

“Don’t bother. You’re not welcome here.”

And then he hung up.

The spa’s lobby was freezing without air conditioning, and the thin blanket they provided barely kept the chill away. I sat there until dawn, staring blankly at the floor.

When the sun rose, I went to the office and handed in my resignation.

Zoe, my manager, looked shocked when she heard the news.

“Emma, you’ve been with the company for seven years. You’re practically a veteran here. Your pay’s great, and you’ve got seniority. Why are you leaving all of a sudden?”

My throat felt dry, and my lips twitched with bitterness. Still, I forced myself to answer casually.

“I’m just tired. I need a break.”

Zoe nodded sympathetically. “I get it. The workload here can be intense. How about this? I’ll approve some extended leave—use your vacation days, take some time off, and come back when you’re ready.”

“No, that’s not necessary,” I said, politely declining her offer. “I’m planning to move back home.”

She hesitated, as if she wanted to say more, but stopped herself. Her eyes flicked toward Liam’s office, separated from mine by nothing but a glass wall. After a moment, she sighed and stamped my resignation form.

The resignation process was smooth. But when I went to collect my final paycheck, I noticed something strange: the amount deposited into my account was far more than it should’ve been—an extra $100,000, to be exact.

The sum was more than my total earnings from the past seven years combined.

I went straight to accounting to ask if there’d been a mistake.

The accountant’s disdain was impossible to miss.

“No mistake,” she said. “Mr. Carter instructed us to include it. It’s yours.”

She smirked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“You’re lucky, huh? That’s more than what most of us would get after working here for ten years.”

Compensation, huh?

I stared at the extra $100,000 in my account, the numbers blurring together as my chest tightened.

It felt like the money was burning a hole in my hands. Without a second thought, I transferred it back to the company and turned on my heels, walking away without looking back.

As I stepped out of the office building for the last time, I could still hear the whispers behind me.

“It’s not compensation. It’s hush money.”

“Come on, there are plenty of secretaries here, but she’s the only one whose office was connected to Mr. Carter’s by a glass door.”

“I’ve heard people walked in on her sitting in his lap more than once. Guess she sold herself for a promotion.”

“Doesn’t matter. Her time’s up. I heard Mr. Carter’s first love is back in town.”

“Really?”

The gossip grew louder, but I didn’t bother turning around.

The blazing sun outside felt suffocating, like it was draining the last bit of energy from my body.

How did Liam and I end up like this?

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