Chapter 6
When the call connected, my father’s voice sounded exhausted.
“Oh, Kai, what’s up?”
“Mr. Sterling, is Lia… has she left the house today?”
“She hasn’t shown up at the office in days. Is everything okay?”
Kai asked desperately, still hoping against hope.
Silence on the other end for a few beats.
My father let out a heavy sigh: “Kai, didn’t Lia tell you?”
“She flew to Seattle for an arranged marriage.”
“Caught the morning flight. She’s probably already there.”
Kai felt like he’d been hit by a truck. His phone almost slipped from his grip.
Voice cracking, he stammered: “What? Arranged marriage?”
“What about us? Our engagement?”
“How could she just… marry someone else without telling me?”
My father’s tone was cool and detached: “Kai, us parents try to stay out of you kids‘ business.”
“But Lia means it this time. I really hope you’ll respect what she wants.”
After the line went dead, Kai just stood there while his world collapsed.
His ears were buzzing as our entire history flashed before his eyes.
My soft smile, all those little things I did for him without asking for credit, and that final look of pure disappointment.
“Kai, you alright?”
Olivia tried to touch his arm, but he jerked away violently.
“Don’t fucking touch me!” Kai exploded, eyes blazing. “This is your fault! Lia wouldn’t have left if it wasn’t for you!”
Olivia’s mask slipped for a second before she went full victim mode.
“Kai, that’s not fair!”
“Lia was just being crazy jealous–she couldn’t handle you having any friends.”
“She never trusted you. What kind of toxic relationship is that?”
Kai went completely still, my face filling his mind.
sinala Now
Chapter 6
He remembered that company dinner, the way I looked when he casually ate food from Olivia’s plate.
He remembered how I always apologized first after our fights, and how he’d never once appreciated it.
He even remembered when I’d quietly asked: “Kai, could you maybe not get so close to Olivia?”
And his asshole response:
“Jesus Christ, Lia, you’re exhausting.”
The guilt hit him like a freight train.
He sank down on the curb, buried his face in his hands, and completely lost it.
But this time, nobody was there to rub his back and whisper:
“Hey, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Once I landed in Seattle, my career exploded before I even started planning the wedding.
I assembled a killer team, mapped out our new company’s game plan.
Every single day felt productive and meaningful.
My arranged fiancé was William Vanderbilt–his family made Kai’s money look like pocket change.
The Vanderbilts had been trying to set this up for years.
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