The day I sold the house, I received a call from Selah Martin.

"Lilah, I've decided to say yes to Jayden's proposal."

"Congratulations to both of you."

"I hope you can come to the engagement party, can you make it?"

"I'm sorry."

"You're not over it yet, Lilah?" Selah's voice was gentle, almost pitying. "Some things just aren't meant to be."

"But you know, you're wiser now than you were before. You know when to push forward and when to hold back."

"Still, Lilah, it's pointless. Jayden only listens to me; he's always had eyes only for me."

"See, with just one word from me, he left you behind."

"Selah, what's your point?"

There was a brief pause on the line.

"Lilah Rivera, I've decided to come back, so I wanted to make it clear to you—stop holding onto Jayden."

"Have I been holding on?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to."

"You love him so much, there's no way you'd let go, especially now that your family's bankrupt!"

"If he truly has eyes only for you, only listens to you, then what are you afraid of?"

Selah stayed silent for a long moment, so I hung up.

A few seconds later, I got a voice message. Jayden's voice came through, laid-back and dismissive: "Finally got rid of that clingy nuisance."

"I've never felt so free in my life."

"Congrats, Mr. Lewis, on getting your freedom back, haha."

I chuckled, turned off my phone, and moved on.

The day I left New York was cloaked in thick grey clouds and the oppressive weight of smog. Exiting the cab, I pulled my suitcase behind me as I headed into the bustling airport terminal. Suddenly, the distant roar of an engine snapped me out of my thoughts, making me turn instinctively. It was a vehicle I knew all too well, racing toward me.

I tightened my grip on the suitcase handle and pivoted, walking purposefully.

"Lilah!"

Jayden Lewis jumped out of the car, quickly covering the distance between us.

"Lilah," he repeated, his hand grabbing my arm, the tremor in his voice unmistakable, "Where are you going?"

I met his gaze with calm detachment. "Jayden, let go."

His eyes were bloodshot, and his whole demeanor was filled with urgency.

"Lilah, stay. Can't we turn back the clock?"

I let go of the suitcase handle, stepping back slightly as I slowly unbuttoned my coat. The biting New York winter wind sliced through me, chilling me to the bone.

Though my frame remained slender, there was now a slight curve to my belly. Jayden’s eyes moved downwards, inch by inch, finally stopping in stunned disbelief.

I simply smiled at him, my eyes narrowing with a hint of amusement. "Jayden, look—how can we ever go back to the way things were?"

The wind, which had been howling moments ago, suddenly seemed to pause, as if someone had turned down the volume. Jayden Lewis just stood there, motionless, and after what felt like an eternity, he finally lifted his bloodshot eyes to meet mine and asked, "Lilah, how did it all end up like this?"

I pulled my coat closer around me and ran a hand through my wind-tousled hair. "Are you really asking me?" I replied with a composed smile. "Isn't this exactly what you set in motion?"

"Lilah, that's not it," Jayden said. "I did leave you there, but Selah said her relative would pick you up. She insisted you were too naive and needed toughening up—otherwise, how would you be able to handle marriage?"

"I was so fed up with you at the time, you seemed to be everywhere I turned, and in a moment of frustration, I agreed with her."

"But I never meant for you to get hurt. I thought you might face a bit of difficulty, and then you'd come back home and stop pursuing me..."

"Lilah, did Selah's relative not come to get you?"

The smile faded slowly from my face as the cold wind blew. "Oh, he came alright."

Jayden exhaled, relieved. "I knew it. Selah is always so meticulous and generous in what she does..."

"But do you have any idea what her relative actually does for a living?"

Jayden looked taken aback. "Lilah?"

"Organized crime, smuggling, you name it."

I stared at Jayden with indifference, and in my empty eyes, he saw his own foolish, astonished expression reflected back at him.

"Escaping from him, I nearly lost my life. I lost my ID, my phone, my wallet—everything."

"I was so hungry that I had to fight with homeless people for scraps. I slept under a bridge at night and narrowly escaped being assaulted several times."

"In the end, someone had plans to sell me off to a brothel."

During those four months, I'd cried myself dry. But maybe it was the wind now—too sharp, too icy—that made my eyes sting with pain.

"The only one who reached out to help me during that time was him."

"The father of the child I'm carrying."

"Stop it."

"Lilah, just stop."

Pain was etched across Jayden's face. He stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. "I'll take you to the hospital, Lilah. This child, whose beginnings are so dubious, can't stay."

"Why?" I asked.

He couldn't meet my eyes, his voice low and rough. "If we end this pregnancy, we can pretend none of this ever happened."

"Lilah, I'll take care of you."

"Your mom’s in the States. You don’t have any family here."

"If you stay with me, I'll look after you..."

"Jayden Lewis."

I pulled my hand away, forcefully.

"Lilah, don’t be naive. No one knows about your pregnancy."

"I can arrange for a private clinic. You can terminate the pregnancy, and no one will ever have to know. Your reputation won’t suffer..."

"And then?" I prompted him. "Will you marry me?"