The bluntness of her words made both Vincent and Courtney freeze.

Courtney’s eyes welled up instantly. “Vincent, I’m sorry. I didn’t think your girlfriend would get upset over something so small…”

“Roxy, you’re being ridiculous,” Vincent cut in, his expression darkening. “Courtney just wanted to meet you. Why blow it out of proportion? Apologize to her. Now.”

Roxanne’s jaw tightened.

“Tell me, Vincent—am I really overreacting, or is it just that your heart isn’t in the same place anymore?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong, so no. I’m not apologizing.”

Suddenly, Courtney stood up and grabbed her wrist firmly. “Roxanne, don’t be mad. I’ll apologize, okay? I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Roxanne instinctively yanked her arm back.

And in that moment, Courtney lost her balance and crashed to the floor.

A snapping sound echoed through the room, followed by the sharp clatter of crystal pieces scattering across the floor.

Roxanne’s eyes widened. She dropped to her knees, scooping up the shattered remains of her crystal bracelet. Her fingers trembled as she held them up.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

She could feel it—Courtney had tugged on the bracelet as she went down, pulling it hard like she meant to break it.

“I didn’t!” Courtney’s voice trembled, eyes glassy. “Roxanne, just because you’re jealous doesn’t mean you get to throw accusations around. I really just tripped…”

Then, as if gathering courage, she added with a shaky smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back. How much is it?”

Roxanne’s cheeks flushed with fury. “How much? Do you even know that—”

“I’ll pay it, alright?” Vincent cut. He stepped in, helping Courtney up. His face was unreadable as he pulled out his checkbook and started writing. “One million. That enough?”

Roxanne gritted her teeth. “Not even close.”

That bracelet was a birthday gift from her dad. No amount of money could replace it.

Without looking at her, Vincent ripped out a blank check and threw it at her. “Fill in whatever you want. You’re losing it over a broken bracelet.”

Roxanne stumbled to her feet, her voice cold and steady. “That ‘broken bracelet’ was a birthday gift from my father.”

Vincent froze, looking away awkwardly.

“Why didn’t you say it was from your dad?”

Roxanne let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, I did. I posted it in my socials. Everybody saw it wished me a happy birthday.”

Caught off guard, Vincent actually tried to explain himself. “I was busy today. Didn’t have time to check social media.”

“Right,” she said icily. “Busy picking up your long-lost darling from the airport. Who has time to care about their girlfriend’s birthday?”

“Don’t mind it. It’s just a joke. They love trolling in my account,” Vincent’s expression tightened. “And besides, I’ve known Courtney for over a decade. If something were going to happen between us, it would’ve happened already. You think she’d still be single if she was interested in me?”

Roxanne let out a laugh, more amused than angry now.

“Maybe she is still single because she thinks you’re not good enough.”

Vincent’s eyelid twitched. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Roxanne smiled faintly. “Don’t mind it. Just a joke.”

And with that, she grabbed the check and walked out. She moved quickly, almost like she needed the momentum to push out the bitterness building in her chest.

Back home, she went straight to her studio and pulled out her sketchbook. Ninety-nine pages. Every single one filled with sketches of Vincent. She had planned to give it to him as a wedding present. Now, what a joke that felt like.

She tossed the book into a metal bin and lit a match.

The flames caught fast, the paper curling in seconds. As the fire grew, so did the flood of memories.

Vincent carrying her on his back through rain-soaked streets…

Vincent holding her close at the top of the Ferris wheel, whispering forever…

Vincent staying up all night to take care of her when she was sick…

The fire roared, devouring each memory page by page.

All the love she’d carefully painted onto each sheet—gone. Turned to ash.

So were the memories. And so was her heart.

Vincent didn’t get home until ten that night, dragging his suitcase behind him.

Courtney followed close behind, carrying a cake box like a trophy.

She opened it with a bright, innocent smile. “Roxanne, don’t stay mad. Vincent remembered today’s your birthday. See? He ordered you a cake.” 

Roxanne’s eyes fell on the box.

It was cherry mousse—her favorite.

But the once elegant dessert was now a collapsed mess, the sides caved in, the top slanted, almost unrecognizable.

“Oh no! I’m such a klutz!” Courtney gasped, her tone laced with fake concern. She glanced around with wide eyes and added, “It’s too late now—all the bakeries are closed. Roxanne, would you mind making do with this one?”

Roxanne said nothing. She simply stared at Courtney with a cold, unreadable expression.

Vincent rubbed his nose awkwardly. “I’ll get you a new one tomorrow.”

He pulled out a small jewelry box from his pocket.

“Here, I got you something.” Inside was a diamond bracelet. It sparkled beautifully. 

“Do you like it?” he asked.

Roxanne didn’t smile. Because the necklace from the same collection—worth ten times more—was glinting proudly around Courtney’s neck.

Oblivious, Vincent started fastening the bracelet around her wrist. “Amethyst breaks too easily. I got you a better one. Diamond.”

He didn’t even glance at her face.

“Oh, since Courtney’s just back in town, she hasn’t found a place yet, so I told her she could stay here for a few days.”

“Actually,” he added, “give her the master bedroom. Her allergies get bad if the room’s not cleaned properly. The guest room won’t work for her.”

Of course. He didn’t even remember Roxanne had asthma.

She yanked her hand back. “I don’t care if you want to give her your spot. I’m not moving from my room.”

Vincent’s expression turned stormy. “You know I can’t sleep in other room.”

“Oh, that sounds like a you problem,” Roxanne said nonchalantly. 

He stared at her like she’d grown a second head. “You serious? You’re fine with me and Courtney sharing a room?”

Even though she’d already decided to let him go, those words still stung.

She forced her voice to stay calm. “Do what you want.”

Apparently, that wasn’t the reaction he expected. His jaw tightened in frustration.

Courtney tugged at his sleeve gently, her voice soft and shaky. “It’s okay, Vincent. I can just take the guest room. I’ll be fine.”

“No,” his voice sharp. “You’ll stay with me in the second bedroom.”

Vincent grabbed her hand, shouldered past Roxanne and headed toward the spare room.

As he walked away, he tossed a cold line over his shoulder. “You pushed me to this, Roxanne.”

She stood there, still and quiet, watching him walk away.

She counted.

Twenty steps.

That’s how long it took for Vincent to walk away and slam the bedroom door.

And when he did, something in her finally snapped loose.

There was no more pain. Just disgust.

Later that night, she woke up groggy and thirsty. On her way to the kitchen, she caught voices drifting from the other bedroom.

Courtney’s voice, sharp and whiny: “Why don’t we just send her to Possum Hollow? Let the locals knock the attitude out of her. She’s rude, feeling entitled—I can’t stand her.”

“No,” Vincent shot back without a beat of hesitation.

Courtney sniffled dramatically. “What’s going on with you, Vincent? First, you deleted my post after she commented on it. Then you buy her gifts, a birthday cake. Don’t tell me you’re falling for her?”

Roxanne froze, holding her breath.

“Of course not,” Vincent’s voice came after a pause, low and irritated, “I’m just trying to avoid pushing her too far. If she changes her mind about the engagement, the whole plan goes up in smoke. Your plan.”

Courtney clung to his arm, her tears spilling over. “Does that mean you’re agree to sending her to Possum Hollow after all?”

“I hate her, Vincent,’ Courtney whined, clinging to his arm. “She stole my boyfriend. And I want her to suffer—like really suffer—so I can finally feel better.”

Vincent hesitated. For a moment, silence stretched thin. Then, with a sigh, he gave in. “Fine. Stop crying. We’ll do it your way.”

From the shadows, Roxanne’s lips curled into a bitter smile. Whatever warmth she had left inside her felt like it froze over completely.

***

The next morning, Roxanne stepped out of her bedroom and Vincent greeted her with a cheery grin.

“Roxy! Courtney wants to visit her hometown today. Thought you might want to tag along.”

“Okay,” she said, too quickly.

She’d never even heard of Possum Hollow before last night, yet the name stirred something oddly familiar inside her. She decided to play along—and find out what secrets that town might be hiding.

Vincent quietly exhaled in relief. Maybe she was just acting out yesterday, he thought. Maybe things would settle down.

It was a long, bumpy ride. Several hours later, they arrived in Possum Hollow. The small town felt foreign and underwhelming—until Roxanne saw Courtney’s house.

The second she stepped inside, a wave of déjà vu hit her so hard it split her head with pain.

“Achoo!” Courtney sneezed violently a few times, clinging to Vincent. “I don’t feel good… Can you take me to a doctor?”

“Roxy, just go on in. I’ll be back as soon as I take Courtney to the clinic.”

Without another glance, he swept Courtney into his arms and hurried away, never noticing how pale Roxanne had gone.

Clutching her chest, Roxanne struggled to breathe. The asthma attack came fast and hard, but she managed to pull out her emergency inhaler just in time. She leaned against the doorway, gasping.

It took her a while to recover.

She was lucky she always came prepared—otherwise, she might’ve died right there.

Then came the voices.

“Well, well… So this is the girl Courtney's been going on about. Not bad—cute face. Kinda fragile-looking, though. Think she’ll sell? good”

“Who cares? Look at that body. Damn, those curves... If she doesn’t sell, I’m keeping her for myself.”

The filth in their voices made Roxanne’s skin crawl.

She spun around and saw two sleazy-looking men grinning at her, eyes glinting with something vile. Her heart jumped into her throat. With no time to think, she turned and bolted inside, slamming the door and locking it behind her.

Dust flew up around her as she dug out her phone and frantically dialed Vincent.

He answered immediately.

“Vincent, please come back! Courtney sent traffickers after me—they’re trying to abduct me!”

Before he could speak, Courtney’s voice broke through on the other end, trembling with fake sobs.

“Roxanne, how could you say that? I know you don’t like me, but accusing me of something like this? That’s over the line.”

Vincent’s tone turned sharp. “Courtney invited you here out of kindness. And this is how you thank her? You seriously need a wake-up call.”

Then he hung up—cutting off Roxanne’s only lifeline.

She stared at her phone, stunned. This town was way too isolated. By the time the cops arrived—if they ever did—it’d be too late.

Panic clawed at her throat. She turned and bolted up the stairs, heart pounding. If it came down to it, she would rather die than end up in a human trafficking ring.

From the third-floor window, she glanced down—just as the men started pounding on the door.

“Go on, keep running, little rabbit. We like a chase,” one of them sneered. “Come quietly, sweetheart. It'll be easier that way.”

Cornered, Roxanne steeled herself. She gripped the edge of the window, preparing to jump.

And then—everything shook.

The house collapsed beneath her with a deafening roar. She was thrown into the air, pain ripping through her body as she hit the ground.

She was so angry, she had to die without getting a chance to take revenge.