Everything about it… it was me.
The whole place was built in that aesthetic style I once mentioned I liked, just casually, like it didn’t matter. The garden was filled with orchids, rows and rows of them, rare ones, the kind that cost more than most people made in years. And further in… I saw it.
An amusement park.
My amusement park.
Carousels, Ferris wheels, roller coasters, all glowing softly in the night like something out of a dream. Even a small petting zoo, full of dogs running around, playing, sleeping, safe.
Because I once stopped to feed a stray.
Because I once said they looked lonely.
That was all it took for him.
My eyes burned.
He remembered everything.
Every little thing.
For seven years… he really did love me like that. He gave me everything I ever wanted, even the things I didn’t dare to ask for.
So why… why did it feel like I was dying?
Because now I knew.
That love wasn’t just mine.
He had split it.
Given half to me… and half to the woman who destroyed me.
Felix stepped closer and wiped the tears from my face with his thumb, so gentle it almost hurt more.
“Hey,” he murmured, voice low. “A husband’s supposed to take care of his wife. If you keep crying like this, it’s gonna mess me up. Don’t do that to me.”
I almost laughed.
Husband?
Which one?
Under the stars, he suddenly dropped to one knee. My breath caught as he opened a velvet box, a ring inside catching the light.
“Danica,” he said, looking up at me like I was everything. “Marrying you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you so damn much I can’t even stand being away from you for a second.”
My fingers trembled.
“So I fixed it. This ring… it’s got a chip inside. And mine has the receiver. Means I’ll always know where you are, what you’re doing. I won’t ever lose you again.”
Something inside me went cold.
Love?
Or control?
His eyes were intense, almost frightening, like if I tried to run he’d burn the world just to drag me back.
He reached for my hand.
And right before the ring slid onto my finger…
His phone rang.
A specific tone.
I saw it in his eyes. Just for a second.
Shannon.
He checked it quickly, face unreadable, then slipped the ring onto my finger anyway like nothing happened. Like I didn’t matter enough to pause for.
“Danica’s an important client,” he said casually, already turning away. “I’ll be right back. Don’t wait too long.”
Client?