Bitter Ends

Chapter One: Before the Fall

Izzy sat in her studio, a small sunlit room with walls covered in sketches and swatches of fabric. Jewelry molds and gemstones were scattered across her desk, and the faint smell of metal and polish hung in the air. She turned the delicate gold band between her fingers, the diamond catching the morning light and sending tiny rainbows dancing across the walls. This ring—it was perfect. Every detail, from the cut of the stone to the curve of the band, was hers. She had poured her heart into it. And now it was ready.

The wedding was still months away, but she had designed this engagement ring long before Ethan had even proposed. He had called it fate when she showed him, but she knew better. They were both planners, and this—this was a sign that they were meant to be together.

"Izzy, you home?" Ethan's voice floated from the front of the apartment.

"Yeah, in the studio!" she called back, placing the ring on a velvet tray before heading toward the living room.

When she saw him, her heart did that stupid little skip it always did when he was near. Ethan was standing by the door, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder, his tie loosened, and his signature crooked grin spread across his face.

"You know, I really do love that you have your own little world in there," he said, nodding toward the studio as she approached. "It's like your own magical kingdom."

"You mean my mess," Izzy laughed, walking into his arms. He smelled of cedar and mint—his usual aftershave—and she breathed him in. Being with Ethan always felt easy, like slipping into a warm bath. He had a way of making her forget the little stresses, the nagging doubts that sometimes crept in when she was alone too long.

"I'll call it a kingdom if I want to," he teased, kissing the top of her head. "And you're the queen."

His words warmed her, but something in his tone was a little distant, like he was saying the right things without really meaning them. She pushed the thought away as soon as it surfaced. He had a high-stakes job, and they were both juggling so much. The wedding planning had been a stress for them both, but they'd get through it. Every couple has their rough patches, right?

Flashback

Izzy remembered the early days when they first started dating, back when everything felt so clear and uncomplicated. They'd met at an art gallery—her dragging along a reluctant friend, him there for work, trying to impress a potential client.

They'd bumped into each other at the hors d'oeuvres table, Ethan making some cheesy joke about "how all great love stories start over mini quiches." She'd laughed, genuinely amused despite herself, and he'd followed up with more of that charm that made her forget everything else in the room. They'd spent the rest of the night talking about their favorite artists, what inspired them, and how neither of them felt like they fit into the crowd of the gallery. It was the kind of instant connection you only read about.

She ignored the fact that he spent the better part of the night checking his phone, reassuring herself that everyone was attached to their phones these days. He was just busy. He was successful, driven. That's what had drawn her to him.

That night, when he kissed her goodbye outside her apartment, she hadn't been able to shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, this was different.

Present

"Long day?" she asked, pulling back to look at him. There was a new tension in his jaw she hadn't noticed before, something tight and unspoken hanging between them. Ethan ran a hand through his dark hair, exhaling like he was shaking something off.

"Yeah, just work stuff," he said, his eyes not quite meeting hers. "You know how it is. Always another fire to put out."

She smiled, forcing herself to believe him. He'd been coming home late more often lately, but it made sense. He was up for a promotion. There was always something important going on. Right?

"I know you're busy, but I'm really glad you're here now," she said, trying to inject some lightness into the moment.

He gave her a quick smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Izzy, I was thinking... We should go away this weekend. Just the two of us. No work, no wedding plans. Just us. How does that sound?"

She felt a flicker of excitement. "That sounds amazing. Maybe we could head up to the lake house?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," he said, relief flooding his voice.

She kissed him again, this time savoring the familiar feel of him, pushing down the tiny voice in the back of her mind that whispered something wasn't right.

If she had been paying attention, she would've noticed the shift in his energy, the way he kept glancing at his phone whenever she wasn't looking. But she didn't. She was too wrapped up in the idea that they were about to have the perfect weekend, that everything was fine.

The signs had always been there, hadn't they? She just wasn't ready to see them. Not yet.

Because the truth was, even though Ethan was right here, something had already begun slipping away, and she had no idea how much was already lost.