Chapter 2Love’s Last Light

But he forgot.

His heart only had room for the girl he kept hidden in the shadows.

Half an hour later, my phone pinged. The girl had updated her social media.

It was a video.

On the screen, Dominic and a little boy were clapping and singing Happy Birthday.

Then, Dominic got down on one knee. He pressed a reverent kiss to the girl's ring finger before slipping the massive diamond onto it.

The speaker picked up her delighted, high-pitched scream.

With her big, doe-like eyes brimming with tears, she threw herself into Dominic's arms.

"You're the absolute best, hubby."

But as she laughed, a fragile vulnerability entered her voice.

"More than the diamond, I just want all of your love."

She stuck out her pinky finger like a child.

"Promise me. Promise you'll love me the most in this lifetime."

The little boy hugged Dominic's leg, his voice sweet and milky.

"Daddy, you have to love me and Mommy forever."

What a picture-perfect family of three.

The tears flowed freely now. I suddenly thought of the Dominic from ten years ago.

We had just graduated college. We poured every single cent we had into his startup.

During the darkest days, we lived in a cramped, damp basement apartment.

Dominic would hold me in the dark, crying out of pure guilt.

"Hazel, I swear I'll make it."

"I swear I'll give you a beautiful life."

But the only thing I ever wanted was his unwavering love.

When the freezing winter wind howled through the cracked window, I would curl up against his chest for warmth, listening to his strong, steady heartbeat.

"I don't need you to give me the world."

"Just give me all your love, Dominic. Promise you won't ever make me cry."

When his company finally started turning a profit, a rival business hired local thugs to trash our office.

I saw the glint of a knife swinging toward Dominic's back, and I threw myself in front of him without a second thought.

It hurt. God, it hurt so much.

That was the day we lost our first baby.

Dominic cried like a broken man, cursing me for being so stupid.

But I was so terrified of seeing him consumed by guilt that I forced myself to smile. I swallowed my tears and told him I was fine.

Look at him now. The rising star of the industry.

We moved into the most exclusive neighborhood in the city. He hired top-tier specialists to nurse my battered body back to health.

Diamonds, designer clothes, rare handbags. They flowed into my life like water.

Everyone told me I had an incredible eye, that I had bet on the right horse.

Yet I missed the old Dominic so fiercely it felt like an open wound. The boy who, no matter how exhausted or how late it was, would always rush home just to coax me to sleep.

Tears?

I didn't even know how many I had shed over the years.

In the final second of the video, fireworks exploded outside the window.

The bright flashes illuminated a very familiar skyline in the distance. Moonridge.

My heart was suddenly seized by an invisible hand, squeezing until I couldn't breathe.

I knew that view.

It was the view from the tiny, rundown house my late grandmother had left me. My only inheritance.

Without a moment of hesitation, I dug through my vanity drawer, grabbed the rusted key, and drove straight to Moonridge.

I kept one hand on the steering wheel and called Dominic.

Call declined.

I called again.

After an agonizing amount of attempts, Dominic finally picked up, his voice laced with heavy irritation.

"Make it quick. I'm in the middle of a crucial meeting."

It felt like someone was carving a chunk of flesh straight out of my chest. I swallowed the thick lump in my throat.

"I miss my grandmother. I'm going to Moonridge to look around."

Dead silence on the other end.

After a long pause, his tone softened into something resembling coaxing.

"The place is still under heavy renovation. You're pregnant, you shouldn't be running around."

"Once the construction is completely done, I'll take you there myself."

A faint female voice drifted through the receiver, urging him to come cut the cake.

My nails dug so deep into my palms they nearly drew blood. I let out a long, shaky breath and spoke with absolute finality.

"I just miss her too much."

"I'm going to take a look tonight, even if it's just from the outside."