Chapter 5: Collisions

Lucas Young was on a business trip and didn’t know about Carter.

Lucas was always traveling—Atlanta one week, St. Louis the next. His suitcase never seemed to get fully unpacked. He texted me every night, little check-ins, but I’d kept quiet about Carter. He had enough to worry about already.

So when he called to ask if I’d had any trouble lately,

I sniffled and forced a smile. "Pretty good, what could happen."

I tried to keep my voice breezy, but the words came out thin. I twirled a strand of hair around my finger, staring at the water stain on the restaurant ceiling tile above me. The truth felt heavy in my chest.

Lucas’s voice was as clear and calm as always: "If anything happens, be sure to tell me. I’ll handle it."

He was earnest, and it hurt. There was so much he didn’t know—how Carter was making my life a living hell, how Derek had reappeared like a ghost. I wanted to protect him, even from the ugly corners of my own life.

My heart twisted.

In the restaurant bathroom, I covered my eyes.

The air smelled like lemon cleaner and cheap perfume. I pressed my palms to my eyelids, hoping the tears would go back where they came from. Lucas was just an ordinary, hardworking guy. Against the powerful, what could he possibly solve? He would only get hurt.

I urged him to rest early.

Unexpectedly, my voice choked a little as I spoke.

The man on the other end paused, his tone turning cold: "Aubrey, what happened?"

He wasn’t easy to fool—never was. His silence was sharp as a slap. I forced myself to sound normal, but the lump in my throat wouldn’t go away.

I hurriedly hung up.

I hated lying to him, but I couldn’t risk dragging him into Carter’s orbit. Not when things were spiraling this fast.

Carter had colluded with my boss to set up a trap. I thought it was just to discuss an important client, but when I arrived, I realized the client was Carter.

My boss’s fake smile made my skin crawl. Carter leaned back, legs spread, grinning like a cat. I realized I was the only one who didn’t get the joke.

There were coworkers present; at a time like that, I couldn’t just walk away.

My supervisor’s eyes flicked from me to Carter. I felt my throat close up, trapped by politeness and expectation.

Maybe he found my helplessness amusing. Carter brazenly scrutinized me, a look of certain victory in his eyes.

He let his gaze slide over me, smirk widening. The others laughed at something he said—I missed the punchline. I shrank into my chair, wishing I was invisible.

During the second half of the dinner, he kept quietly pressuring me to drink.

He poured glass after glass, nudging it closer, nudging his knee against mine under the table. My head buzzed, and my skin crawled with every forced sip.

As the event was ending, I found a chance to slip out of the restaurant.

I grabbed my purse, mumbling something about the restroom. My hands shook so badly I almost dropped my phone.

But someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me into their arms.

"Did you really think you could get away from me?"

His playful voice sounded above my head. He stroked my face, grinning, the corners of his eyes raised flirtatiously.

I smelled his cologne—too sharp, too sweet—and jerked my face away. I could feel his breath, too close, making my skin prickle with disgust.

I frowned, just about to tell him off and tell him to let go—

Suddenly, a strong beam of light shone, making it almost impossible to open my eyes.

The parking lot was flooded with white light, headlights slicing through the darkness. I blinked hard, heart pounding.

A sleek, low-key Tesla stopped abruptly across the way. The rear window rolled down, revealing a face tinged with coldness.

Derek’s silhouette was unmistakable—jaw tight, eyes cold as stone. His presence alone made the world slow down.

Meeting Derek’s gaze, my face turned pale.

My stomach dropped, and I forgot to breathe. My pulse thundered in my ears. I couldn’t decide if I was relieved or terrified.

After that phone call, I’d already lost hope he would help. How could he suddenly appear in Silver Hollow?

It felt surreal, like a scene in a movie I never wanted to star in. I squeezed my eyes shut, half hoping I’d imagined him.

I took a deep breath and raised my arm, surprisingly easily breaking free from Carter.

He stood there dumbfounded, tongue-tied: "Uh... Mr. Langford?"—like a kid caught by the principal.