When Aila Ellis stumbled, Leona Carpenter’s quick reflexes snagged her arm before she could fall. Aila stared up at her, completely stunned.

"If you’re gonna put on an act, at least make it look real," Leona whispered—soft, but sharp with frost. "If you can’t pull it off, I guess I can help you out."

Aila’s heart skipped a beat. She twisted to meet Leona’s gaze, and all she saw back was cold, unreadable glint. A cold wave of dread crashed over her.

The hospital garden was lined with carefully placed decorative stones, laid out to look calm and peaceful. Leona knew exactly what would happen the second she let go of Aila’s arm. And she didn’t even hesitate.

A dull thud rang out as Aila’s head cracked against one of the stones. A nasty lump bloomed instantly on her pale forehead, making her look even more delicate and helpless than she already did.

The whole thing happened in the blink of an eye. Aila was too shocked to move, and even Michael Hansen was caught so off guard he reacted a beat too slow.

When Michael finally pieced together what just happened, he rounded on Leona with a furious glare. "Leona, do you have any idea what you just did?"

Leona gave a lazy little shrug, playing it totally cool. "Oops. My bad…"

"You…!" Michael stared at her unapologetic face, realizing she didn’t feel a single ounce of guilt or remorse.

"Don’t believe me?" Leona taunted, catching the scorn in Michael’s eyes and twisting her lips into a mocking smirk. "It’s so funny, huh? Aila apologizes and you automatically buy it was an accident, but when it comes to me, suddenly you’re suspicious. Guess my acting just isn’t up to your standards, huh?"

Aila brushed a gentle hand against her forehead, pressing lightly to the thick swelling. A sharp, throbbing pain split through her skull, unrelenting. She glowered at Leona, resentment burning in her eyes, and forced herself not to snap back.

For Aila, who made her living off her looks, this was devastating. She never saw Leona coming—never thought she’d go this far.

Leona paid no mind to the hatred in her stare, amusement flickering cold in her eyes. "Aila Ellis, you’d better stay far away from me from now on. Next time, it won’t be something this minor."

Michael caught the warning immediately, stepping fast between them, his gaze dark and locked hard on Leona. "Leona, this is completely irrational!"

Leona lifted a brow casually, her mouth tugging into a icy smile. "If I’m irrational, just stay away from me. I don’t have patience for other people’s mess, and anything I throw away? I think it’s disgusting."

"You!" Michael’s face went tight, his fists clenched at his sides. "If you got a problem with me, take it out on me. Leave Aila out of this."

"You really think this little thing is worth fighting over?" Leona shot back, voice thick with disdain, her eyes dripping sarcasm. "You think an awful lot of yourself, don’t you?"

Michael’s brow furrowed as he held her stare, his voice low and dangerous. "You can hate me all you want, but I won’t let you hurt Aila."

He bent down, lifted Aila gently into his arms, and threw one last cold glare at Leona before walking away.

Leona stood her ground, watching Michael leave. The tears she’d been holding back for so long finally spilled over, tracing hot paths down her cheeks.

Three years of giving up everything for nothing. She’d turned her back on her whole family just for him, and all she got out of it was heartbreak. But from the second she decided to cut him loose for good, she’d never planned to look back.

Leona slowly closed her eyes. No matter how hard she tried to stop them, the tears kept falling. They were proof that this love she’d carried had been her ruin all along.

"You okay?"

A deep, calm voice spoke up right beside her.

Leona Carpenter’s eyes flew open, and the first thing she saw was Vance Martinez’s devastatingly handsome face. Her big, expressive eyes blew wide with shock, and she blurted out before she could think better of it, "What are you doing here?" She never expected to run into him again so soon after their quick goodbye last time.

Vance wore a perfectly tailored Victorian suit, every single detail crisp and immaculate, oozing that effortless, old-money elegance only born into privilege can pull off. "Came to check on an old friend," he answered. His dark gaze locked onto Leona’s, and a fleeting, unreadable glint flickered across them before he asked softy, "How are you holding up?"

Leona looked up, caught completely off guard by those deep, impossible-to-read eyes of his, and her heart stuttered. "I’m fine," she said.

"I meant in here," Vance clarified, tapping a single finger gently against his own chest. "Most women would’ve broken down crying by now, in your shoes. You sure you don’t want to let it all out?"

He held out a handkerchief to her. Leona hesitated for a beat, then let a faint smile tug at the corner of her mouth. "Crying won’t fix anything. And I’m not wasting tears on someone not worth it."

"It hurts, though, doesn’t it?" Vance noted quietly.

Leona stared out at the trees swaying in the breeze, her gaze drifting slowly off into the distance. She murmured, "How couldn’t it…"

She’d thought her passion and honesty would earn her the same in return. But in the end, it had all been for nothing.

Vance’s dark eyes lingered on her a long moment. His voice dropped low, threaded with a faint, almost unnoticeable thread of tenderness. "No use beating yourself up over someone who doesn’t deserve you. Save your tears for the people that actually care about you."

His words sent Leona’s heart racing. She stared into those deep, unfathomable eyes of his, and suddenly her cheeks heated. Flustered, she looked away quickly.

Vance paused, a flicker of conflict crossing his features. "If you know their heart isn’t with you, why hang on? Better to cut the cord clean than let it rot into something ugly."

Leona blinked, caught off guard by how blunt he was. They weren’t even that close, after all. But she knew he wasn’t wrong. Holding on was useless, and she wasn’t the type to lie to herself just to feel better. She had zero interest in sticking around to watch Aila Ellis and Michael Hansen get back together over and over again.

She drew a deep breath to steady herself. "We already split. There’s nothing left between him and me anymore."

For a split second, Vance looked surprised, but the expression vanished faster than it came. He hid a small smile, keeping his tone even and calm. "Cutting off unreciprocated feelings is the smart move. Ms. Carpenter, you’re a lot more sharp than I expected."

"Like you said, better to let go than end up hating each other," Leona agreed. "Besides, anything you have to beg for is just charity. Only what’s given freely is real."

Vance’s eyebrows lifted a fraction, a spark of admiration glinting in his dark eyes. "On that, we definitely see eye to eye."

Their conversation flowed easy, no awkward lulls, neither of them noticing how fast the time slipped away.

"Sir, the lady of the house is asking for you," an elderly woman said as she walked up to them. She glanced at Leona, a warm, kind smile tugging at her lips. "And if you’ve got nothing else going on, miss, why don’t you come join us?"

Leona Carpenter glanced over at Vance Martinez, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

"You gonna go say hi to her?" Vance asked, his eyes warm and open as he gave Leona a soft, encouraging smile.

Leona’s gaze automatically drifted to the elderly woman waiting nearby, who looked practically bouncing off the walls to meet her. After a beat of hesitation, she nodded.

The old woman had spotted Leona and Vance walking toward her, and her grin just kept growing, impossible to hide. She waved warmly, "Honey, I’m sorry I called you over out of the blue. I hope you don’t mind."

This was the first time she’d ever seen her grandson with a girl, and she couldn’t keep the excitement off her face.

"Hi, Grandma," Leona greeted politely.

The old woman’s smile stretched even wider, nearly ear to ear. She curled her hand around Leona’s, patting it gently. "Wonderful, just wonderful. You’re such a sweet girl. The more I look at you, the more I like you."

This sudden, over-the-top familiarity left Leona a little uneasy, but she kept a polite—if awkward—smile plastered on her face.

Vance caught Leona’s discomfort right away. He adjusted his blanket a little to put himself between them, subtly putting more space between Leona and the old woman. "Sun’s bright out today, but there’s still a chill in the air. Don’t wanna catch a cold."

The old woman lifted her brows slightly, caught off guard. This thoughtful, attentive guy? Nothing like her usual cold, distant grandson.

A lifetime of living had made her sharp, and it didn’t take her long to piece together what her grandson was doing. A knowing little smile tugged at her lips.

This boy was worried he’d scare the girl off. Maybe he wasn’t as hopeless with women as she’d thought.

When she turned her attention back to Leona, her gaze was warm and soft. "Sweetheart, how long have you two known each other?"

At first, Leona was thrown off by how enthusiastic the old woman was, but when she caught that kind, fond glint in her eye, it clicked. "Grandma, there’s a little misunderstanding here. We’re just acquaintances."

Acquaintances…

The old woman flicked a quick, knowing glance at Vance out of the corner of her eye. Someone definitely didn’t see it that way.

"Honey, I just took an instant liking to you. If you’ve got the time, would you sit and chat with me for a bit?" She looked up at Leona, then quickly dropped her gaze, playing the part of a lonely old widow perfectly. "That good-for-nothing boy’s always so busy. I barely ever see him. Poor me, just a widow with no one to talk to."

"I…" Leona knew the old woman had the wrong idea, and her first instinct was to say no.

But looking at that silver-haired woman reminded her of her own grandpa, and her heart softened. After a second of thinking it over, she nodded. "Alright."

The old woman’s fake loneliness melted away instantly, replaced by a bright, giddy cheer as she looked at Leona. "Then I’ll be waiting! Vance will drive you over."

"This…" Leona felt a little flustered and turned to look at Vance. "That seems like such a hassle, though."

"It’s no trouble at all!" The old woman snuck a quick look at Vance, pride glowing in her eyes.

A little while later, after they’d finished talking, Leona got a call from Kendra Gray and had to head out.

Vance watched her slim figure fade down the path, his sharp, focused gaze burning into her back like a hunter locked on his prey.

"Vance," the old woman spoke up suddenly, her voice sharp with a edge of cold that made it clear she was not pleased.