EPISODE 1
ALTHEA
The suitcase slammed into the trunk louder than I expected.
I winced slightly, then slid into the driver’s seat, fumbling with my seatbelt as my heels tapped restlessly against the car floor.
“Are you actually packed this time?” Mira’s voice came through my phone, light and teasing.
“Almost,” I muttered.
“Just… trying not to forget anything.”
Aria’s voice followed, calm as ever.
“Breathe, Althea. You’re stressing over nothing.”
Mira laughed immediately.
“Nothing? Please. She stresses over everything. Even her seat on the plane.”
“I do not—”
“Window or aisle, Althea?”
I hesitated.
Mira gasped.
“Exactly. This is what I mean!”
A small laugh escaped me despite myself, but it didn’t last long.
“You’re not running away this time, are you?”
My hand stilled on the steering wheel.
The question was light.
Casual.
But it settled deep.
Heavy.
I swallowed, forcing my voice steady.
“I’m getting on the plane, aren’t I?”
No one answered.
And somehow, that silence said everything.
Because the truth was… I always ran.
From things that felt too real.
From things I couldn’t control.
From love.
From him.
Going back felt different from leaving.
It always did.
The city hadn’t changed.
Not really.
The same roads, the same buildings, the same quiet familiarity wrapping around me the second I stepped out of the car.
But I had.
At least… I thought I had.
Memories lingered in places like this.
In corners you didn’t expect.
In moments you couldn’t prepare for.
And I wasn’t sure I was ready for any of it.
Still, this was just a stop.
A few days.
Then Paris.
Then the wedding.
Then I would leave again.
Simple.
That was the plan.
By the time I arrived at the resort, the sun was already beginning to set, casting everything in soft gold.
Music drifted faintly through the air, blending with laughter and the distant sound of waves.
The engagement party had already started.
Of course it had.
“Finally!”
Mira’s voice came before I even fully stepped out, and then she was there, pulling me into a tight hug.
“Do you know how long we’ve been waiting?” she said dramatically.
“I got here as fast as I could,” I laughed, hugging her back.
Aria wrapped her arms around me next, softer, warmer.
“We missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
And I meant it.
Pulling back, I took them in properly.
Aria looked exactly the same—soft, composed, her ginger hair catching the light, her green eyes warm and steady.
Mira, on the other hand, looked like chaos as usual—wild curls, bright grin, energy that refused to sit still.
“And you—” Mira said, stepping back to look at me.
“You look suspiciously put together.”
I raised a brow.
“Suspiciously?”
“Yes. Like you’re hiding something.”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“Liar.”
Aria rolled her eyes.
“Ignore her. Come on.”
The engagement party was alive with movement and light.
Music flowed easily through the space, soft laughter rising and falling as people moved between conversations.
Everything felt warm.
Effortless.
Exactly like Aria.
“She really did all this,” Mira murmured beside me.
“She would,” I replied.
My gaze drifted toward the center of the room—
And then everything stopped.
Elias.
He stood across the room like nothing had changed.
Like time hadn’t passed.
Like I hadn’t spent years learning how to forget him.
My chest tightened instantly, breath catching before I could stop it.
No. I turned before he could see me.
Before I could think.
Before I could feel.
And I walked.
Fast.
Past the lights.
Past the laughter.
Past everything— until the noise faded and the ocean replaced it.
The beach was quiet, the waves rolling in slow, steady rhythms against the shore.
I sank into the sand, pulling in a breath that didn’t quite fill my lungs.
“Althea—”
I closed my eyes briefly.
Of course she followed me.
“I didn’t know,” Aria said as she approached.
“I swear, I didn’t know he was Ryan’s cousin until a few days ago.”
My jaw tightened.
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“I wanted to,” she said quickly.
“I just… didn’t know how.”
I looked out at the water.
Because I understood.
And I hated that I did.
“I can’t do this,” I said quietly.
“Not tonight.”
“Please,” she said softly.
“Just come back for a little while. For me.”
Silence stretched between us.
“Five minutes,” I said finally.
She nodded.
“Five minutes.”
And then she left.
I didn’t hear him approach.
But I felt it.
That shift.
That presence.
I turned.
Elias stood a few steps away, closer now.
Too close.
“If I’d known you’d be here…” His voice was quieter than I remembered.
“…I wouldn’t have come.”
A humorless laugh slipped out.
“You always have something to say.”
His gaze held mine.
“Althea—”
“Don’t,” I cut in.
“Don’t act like you know me.”
Something flickered in his expression.
“I never stopped trying,” he said.
My chest tightened.
“I’m not doing this,” I said, shaking my head.
“Not here. Not at Aria’s engagement.”
He stepped closer, careful, like I might disappear.
“Then when?” he asked quietly.
My stomach twisted.
But I shut it down.
“Never, Elias.”
My voice was steady.
Final.
“Some doors don’t open twice.”
Silence fell between us.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
I turned away, staring out at the horizon as the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in gold and fire.
Behind me— he didn’t follow.
And somehow… that hurt more than it should have.