Chapter 1

Another winter descended, and I found myself back in New York, paying my respects to my late parents.

As I was leaving the cemetery, I ran into Liam Thompson.

He held a bouquet of pink roses, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes when he looked up.

"When did you get back to New York?"

"Yesterday."

I had no intention of catching up. I quickened my pace, ready to leave.

But as I glanced back, I saw the tombstone in front of him.

Lily.

He was mourning our deceased child.

The cemetery steps were covered in moss, making my steps falter.

Liam always had that effect on me, effortlessly stirring ripples in my otherwise calm heart.

Beneath it, inscribed: Father Liam Thompson, Mother Chloe Brown.

I took a deep breath and placed a single flower before the tombstone.

"There was really no need for a tombstone. She was only a five-month-old fetus when she died."

Liam didn't respond.

He cleared the weeds from the grave, then carefully placed the pink roses into a nearby vase.

"You come back to visit every year?"

"Yeah."

"Me too."

Five years, the same cemetery, yet we'd never crossed paths. Perhaps that was our destiny.

A light drizzle began to fall from the grey sky, chilling my face.

My hands trembled as I lit a cigarette. Through the haze of smoke, I saw Liam's surprised eyes.

"When did you start smoking?"

I saw the disappointed look on his face, like I'd failed him, and let out a short, sarcastic laugh.

"Oh, that's a blast from the past. I'll have to really dig deep for that one."

"Was it when you got engaged? Married? Or maybe the day you abandoned me on my birthday for your ex-wife?"

Liam's eyes flickered. He instinctively reached out to touch my head.

I recoiled.

"Chloe, what happened back then, I was wrong. Are you still angry at me because of our child?"

The cigarette tip was damp from the rain, making it hard to draw.

"Don't flatter yourself. There's nothing to be angry about. I insisted on having that child back then; it's my own fault I couldn't keep her."

My connection with Liam was also something I'd practically begged for.

So when it finally broke, I swore I'd never look back once I left.

Liam sighed. "Chloe, I was wrong about what happened then."

"But... I was doing it for your own good."

I smiled, looking at the dying cigarette in my hand.

"Getting tangled up with her, abandoning me countless times for her – that was 'for my own good'?"

"Forcing me to abort our five-month-old baby, then pawning me off for an arranged marriage? That was 'for my own good'?"

"Liam, cut the crap. I stopped falling for that when I was eighteen."

Frustrated, I glanced around, then shoved the cigarette into his palm.

I lowered my gaze, straightened my coat, and turned to walk down the path.

The cemetery was secluded, and the rain was getting heavier. I couldn't get an Uber.

With a soft hum, Liam's black Maybach pulled up smoothly in front of me.

The dark window rolled down, revealing only a narrow slit.

"Get in. I'll give you a ride."

I checked my Uber app – still no driver. Eventually, I opened the car door.

As soon as I opened it, Sophia waved at me.

"Long time no see, Chloe. Liam said you were back, and at first, I thought he was joking, but you really are back in New York..."

Sophia was Liam's ex-wife, and now his secretary.

Or maybe even his current wife.