He'd gone beyond his player ways for her.
She'd grown beyond her traumatic past for him.
Together, their love was beyond.
Until one fatal accident.
__________
When she loses the love of her life in a car crash, Althea has nothing left in California...
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*ALTHEA'S POV*
November 12, 2023.
"Is there a problem?"
Jordon's question hit me at the same time as the late-night breeze on our first step outside, both clashing with the heated air remaining in my tight chest, and it surely wasn't the only thing simmering in there.
"A problem? You show up today out of nowhere without warning and announce that you've already planned everything for me to volunteer at a clinic in New York in front of everyone at our table, without asking me. And you ask if there's a problem?" I burst out, taking in how out of breath I was when he pointed out calmly,
"Not out of nowhere. Out of New York, where you and I live."
Jordon raised eyebrows and arguments, never his voice, and while his ability to make everyone cool down had been one of the first things that I'd liked about him, at this instant, it washed over me like a freezing shower.
"And I would have warned you if you'd called me yesterday, or the day before."
"I... I got busy." I swallowed harshly, the ball of spitting annoyance that had been climbing up my throat now turning into a cold weight of guilt as I forced the words out of my mouth. "With preparing my business plan, going to the clinic, helping with Kylie and Pax's wedding..."
"It's fine. I don't blame you." He offered me a soft smile, understanding as always, as his hand reached for mine in a reconciliation gesture and an invitation for a walk at the same time.
It was the perfect place, after all.
The Dove castle was the most romantic spot in the area—after the Lotus hill—and its garden seemed to have been made to encourage intimacy with narrow gravelly paths surrounded by dense bushes that pushed two people closer, small sheltered nooks hiding in the dimness at every turn, the fountain sculpted with two lovebirds encouraging the most hopeful wishes... Everything leading to the illuminated gazebo, where Kylie and Paxton had promised each other forever earlier.
And yet, when we passed the white-petals-covered steps, never had I felt such distance between us, the gentle brush of his lips kissing my ringed finger getting lost in what must have been a pit between us. A pit of...
