Chapter 1

I spent seven hundred and seventy-seven nights in hotel rooms with Carter Vance.

Six years ago, a drunken night crossed the line, locking us into a secret relationship kept strictly in the shadows.

I foolishly believed that if I just waited long enough, he would eventually make me his official girlfriend.

Until he told me he was going on a blind date with Chloe Sterling—the girl he had crushed on for three years.

And me? I was just his most compatible friend with benefits.

At that moment, I finally realized that over those six years, I was the only one who took it seriously.

Later, right in front of everyone, he said it out loud:

"Even if I stay single for the rest of my life, there is no way in hell I’d ever want Elena Vance."

I smiled.

"What a coincidence. Neither would I."

This time, I was the one walking away first.

Elena's POV

I spent seven hundred and seventy-seven nights in hotel rooms with Carter Vance.

It was our sixth year of keeping up a secret physical relationship.

In the early morning light, Carter’s arm slid away from my waist.

He slowly slipped into his tailored dress shirt, buttoning his cuffs with his usual careless, nonchalant tone.

"Dress nicely tomorrow. Come back home with me."

My eyelashes fluttered, and my heart skipped a beat.

Suppressing the surge of emotion inside me, I turned to look at him. "Are you saying... we can finally tell our parents about us?"

Carter’s fingers paused abruptly on his cufflink.

It was as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. He tilted his head back, letting out a sharp, mocking chuckle.

"Elena, are you still half-asleep?"

"My parents set up a family dinner tomorrow. It's an official blind date setup between me and Chloe Sterling."

Carter walked over to the side of the bed and looked down at me, his tone overwhelmingly entitled and infuriating.

"The Sterlings are strict, and Chloe has high standards. Tomorrow, sit next to me as my childhood friend. Put in a few good words for me, and make sure your boundaries are crystal clear in front of her. Don't let her get the wrong idea about you and me."

Boom.

My mind went completely blank. Every drop of blood in my body felt drained away in a single second.

Chloe Sterling.

The girl Carter had secretly crushed on all throughout high school.

My whole body trembled uncontrollably. Gripping the messy sheets tightly, my voice came out dry and rough: "You're going on a blind date... then what am I to you? What were these past six years?"

Carter slipped on his suit jacket, leaned down, and pinched my chin, forcing me to look up into his eyes.

"You? You’re my best friend. My most compatible hookup partner."

He gave a low, cruel laugh. "We grab meals, play games, and satisfy each other's physical needs whenever we want. A win-win."

Those words struck like poisoned daggers, stabbing deep into my heart and tearing it to shreds.

Carter patted my cold cheek, his gaze full of mockery:

"Elena, you didn't actually think that sleeping together behind closed doors meant we were dating, did you?"

"We grew up together. We know each other way too well. Marrying an old pal you know inside and out makes life totally predictable. Where's the thrill in that?"

I turned my face away in humiliation, dodging his touch, my fingernails digging painfully into my palms. "Got it... I'm going to take a shower."

When I stepped out of bed, my legs felt weak. I had to brace myself against the wall just to stay upright.

The second the bathroom door locked, I slid down against the cold tiles onto my knees, tears streaming silently down my face.

The faint hickeys left on my skin from last night were still warm.

They were constant, burning reminders of last night’s tangled madness.

We had known each other for twenty-two years.

When we were nineteen, at a graduation party, alcohol made us cross the line.

For the past six years, we indulged in each other's bodies in dim, anonymous suites, only to play the role of best buddies in broad daylight.

I thought he was just waiting because our families were so close and he wanted to be careful before making me his girlfriend.

Turns out, to him, I wasn't even a backup option. Just an on-call, disposable hookup buddy.

When I dried my hair and stepped out of the bathroom, Carter was leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window, making a phone call.

The tenderness and restraint in his voice was something I had never received in six whole years:

"Book the private dining room. She prefers light flavors, so switch the entire menu to mild dishes."

"Order fresh pink and white roses flown in, and snap a picture for me to confirm once it’s decorated."

"Also, prepare a few sharp black suits. Chloe only likes that color."

Every single sentence revolved around Chloe's preferences.

Together for six years, he never once remembered that I had a severe nut allergy.

Yet he had etched another woman's every little habit straight into his marrow.

Carter hung up the phone and grabbed his car keys by the door.

Before leaving, he glanced back at me, his brows slightly furrowing in cold warning:

"I already paid the room bill. Check out when you leave. And don't wear that pathetic, victimized look tomorrow in front of Chloe."

"People might actually think you have feelings for me."

The door slammed shut.

His footsteps faded down the hall until there was total silence.

I stood alone in the empty suite.

Suddenly, a bitter laugh escaped my lips, tears splashing heavily onto the carpet.

Twenty-two years of companionship.

Six years of physical intimacy. In his eyes, it was nothing more than cheap entertainment.

I sat in that room until night fell. I checked out and stepped straight into the pouring rain without a second thought.

Soaked to the bone, I pushed open my front door. My parents gasped in shock and immediately wrapped a large towel around me.

"Why didn't you call an Uber in this storm? Look at you, completely soaked!"

Looking at my worried parents, my throat burned, tight and choked.

"Mom, Dad, about the relocation abroad you mentioned before... I've made up my mind."

"Let's go. Let's move to Europe. And... never come back."

My parents exchanged surprised, delighted looks. "Really? You're sure? We tried convincing you for over six months and you wouldn't budge. Are you truly ready to let it all go?"

I shook my head, my eyes rimmed with red, forcing a faint smile:

"There was never anything to hold onto. I was naive before. Now, my head is completely clear."

Relieved, my parents went into the study right away to prepare our paperwork and travel documents.

I walked into my bedroom, squatted down, and pulled out the bottom drawer of my closet.

A thick photo album, chronicling ages five to twenty-five, with Carter in every single photo;

Tucked deep inside were the casual pieces of jewelry he had tossed to me over the years, and an old stuffed bear he won at the arcade when we were ten...

Twenty-two whole years of memories and emotional ties.

Expressionless, I scooped every last item out into my arms and dumped them straight into the outdoor trash bin.

The housekeeper watched in shock. "Elena, you’ve treasured that bear since you were a kid. Are you sure you're tossing it all?"

Looking at the soaked relics piling up under the rain, I whispered:

"I don't want it anymore."

None of it.

And Carter Vance? I don't want him either.