The moment the soup finished simmering, Darren's phone buzzed.

When he answered the call, the frost in his expression melted away in an instant.

"Hey, Winona? The soup's done. I'll bring it over now."

He left in a hurry.

Beatrice watched the door close behind him before finally turning to Kayla. "Kayla…"

"I'm fine, Mom," Kayla said quickly, though her voice was so hoarse it barely sounded like her. "He's found someone he really loves. I'm happy for him."

She kept wiping down the stovetop in stiff, repetitive motions. But her tears betrayed her, falling soundlessly onto the marble counter.

That night, Kayla climbed into bed beside Beatrice, just like she used to when she was little.

But not long after she had finally drifted off, she was stirred awake by the sound of rustling clothes.

While rubbing her eyes, she looked up and saw Beatrice putting on her coat. "Mom? What's going on?"

"Mr. Tate's stomach condition flared up. He asked me to bring him some medicine. Go back to sleep, I won't be too long," Beatrice whispered as she glanced toward the rain pouring outside.

Kayla sat up immediately. "No, let me go. You stay in bed."

She took the medicine bag, grabbed an umbrella, and stepped out into the storm.

Rain soaked through her canvas sneakers almost instantly, the cold seeping up from her toes straight into her chest.

Outside the private room at the club, the soft hum of laughter drifted through the heavy door. Kayla was just about to knock when a voice from inside drifted through the door.

"Darren, you've been spoiling Winona like crazy lately. Last week, it was the symphony, then you rented out the whole amusement park just for her. And didn't you drive her up a mountain in the middle of the night just because she said she wanted to see the stars? You're really into her, aren't you?"

Darren let out a soft laugh, the kind Kayla had never heard from him before—gentle, indulgent. "Yeah, I really like her."

These five easy words were said lightly, but they hit Kayla like a punch to the gut, blunt and unforgiving.

Then another voice chimed in, "Honestly? I thought you'd end up with Kayla."

Kayla froze, her hand still in mid-air.

"Back then, you went everywhere with her. You shut people down if they so much as whispered gossip about her. You even remembered to bring her painkillers during her period. We were all betting on when you two would finally make it official." The guy laughed.

Darren's voice came again, this time lazy, careless. "She's just not my type. Beatrice has worked for my family for 20 years. Taking care of her daughter was just part of the deal."

The words landed like a punch straight to the gut.

She should have realized it long ago. None of it had anything to do with love.

All those tender moments she had cherished in her heart for a decade…

The way he shut down rumors for her, the way he remembered every birthday, the medicine he brought when her stomach flared up late at night—none of it meant what she thought it did.

They weren't tokens of love.

They were crumbs of kindness, thoughtless gestures from someone who saw her as nothing more than the housekeeper's daughter.

"Come on, even a blind guy could tell Kayla's totally into you," someone teased, laughing. "The way she looks at you? It's written all over her face. Don't tell me you never noticed."

Kayla stood just outside the door, frozen in place. All she could hear was the pounding of her own heart.

She had never imagined the feelings she had hidden so carefully for ten years would be exposed like this, so suddenly, and right in front of Darren.

Now that it had all been laid bare, there was no way to look at him the same again.

However, what came next hit harder than anything that had come before.

Darren said coldly, "Of course I noticed. But there was never a chance between us. I just pretended not to see it—figured if I ignored it, she wouldn't get the wrong idea or try to confess."

The words slammed into Kayla like a punch to the gut. Her knees buckled beneath her. She could barely stay upright.

So he had known all along. He had seen right through the feelings she had buried so carefully over the years. And the only reason he had pretended not to notice was that he had been guarding against her the entire time.

She remembered when she was 15 and burning up with fever, he had rushed her to the ER. When the nurse asked if he was her boyfriend, he had quickly shaken his head, unwilling to be associated with her like that.

At 18, he gave her a necklace for her birthday. But when their classmates started teasing them, he brushed it off. He said it was just a random gift and that he didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea.

Even last month, when her hand accidentally brushed his, he had instinctively pulled away and gone straight to the sink. He scrubbed his hands three times like her touch had left something behind.

It wasn't Kayla's imagination—Darren had been quietly keeping his distance all along.

She never dared to hope she could stand by his side, let alone confess her feelings. She knew better than anyone that there was a world of distance between them.

But in his eyes, she didn't even deserve the right to quietly like him.

Staggering back, she accidentally bumped into Winona, who was walking toward her.

"Kayla? What the hell are you doing here?" Winona's tone was cold and sharp.

Kayla turned back, her lips parted to explain she had just come to drop off medicine.

But Winona scoffed before she could say a word. "I thought I made things clear the last two times. Guess I overestimated you. Still trying to throw yourself at Darren?"

"It's not what you think—"

"Save it," Winona snapped, cutting her off. "Tonight, I'm going to make sure you finally get the message."

Kayla turned and walked toward the bar at the end of the hallway, grabbing two unopened beer bottles.

Before she could react, a loud crash echoed.

The first bottle smashed over her head, shards of glass mixed with cold beer spraying everywhere. The second hit her shoulder, sending a sharp pain radiating through her body.

Staggering, Kayla fell to her knees as warm blood trickled down her cheek, soaking the carpet with dark red stains. Through her blurred vision, she saw Winona strutting into the private room in heels.

"Darren!" Winona's voice broke, thick with tears. "I still don't believe Kayla means nothing to you. So when I saw her, I snapped. I hit her with beer bottles."

She sobbed. "Now you have to choose—are you taking her to the hospital, or taking me to Lover's Cliff to watch the sunrise?"

Kayla slowly opened her eyes, the harsh white lights stabbing at her vision. Everything felt blurry and distant.

When her gaze finally settled, she saw Darren standing in front of her, looking down at her with a blank expression.

She parted her lips to speak, but her throat was too dry to manage even a whisper. "Mr. Tate…"

With great effort, she reached out a trembling hand, trying to grab the cuff of his pant leg.

But Darren said nothing. After a long pause, he took Winona's hand instead.

"Of course I'd choose you," he said with a helpless, tender smile. "I've never had feelings for Kayla. Please don't test me like this again, okay?"

Winona burst into relieved laughter and threw her arms around him. "I knew it. I knew you loved me the most."

Darren ruffled her hair, wrapped his arm around her, and walked away with her in his arms.

He never once looked back at Kayla.

Still lying on the floor, Kayla stared after them and forced out a bitter smile.

Something inside her cracked wide open, and a sharp wave of pain surged through her chest until her vision blurred to black. She collapsed completely, consciousness slipping away.

…

"You're finally awake." The nurse wheeled in a cart of medications and sighed in relief when she saw Kayla's eyes open.

"You've got over 30 stitches on your head and shoulder. When they brought you in, you'd almost lost too much blood to make it."

Kayla's voice was faint. "Who brought me in?"

The nurse replaced her IV bag. "A bartender from the club. You're lucky. If it had been any later, you wouldn't have survived."

Kayla slowly closed her eyes again.

The scene before she passed out came flooding back—the way Darren had chosen Winona without hesitation and how he hadn't even spared her a glance.

Her chest tightened again as the memory settled over her like a weight. She clutched the bed sheet in both hands to stop herself from crying.

Then her phone vibrated sharply on the bedside table.

She picked it up with weak fingers. The screen lit up with a message from Winona. A string of over a dozen photos filled the screen.

The first photo showed them at Lover's Cliff, watching the sunrise. Darren stood behind Winona, arms wrapped gently around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder.

The look in his eyes was so soft, it could have knocked the breath out of anyone.

The second photo showed them at an upscale restaurant. Darren was seated across from Winona, carefully cutting her steak, his focus entirely on her plate.

The third captured the moment Winona tried on a diamond necklace. Darren stood behind her, fastening the clasp with a concentration that made it seem as though he were handling something sacred.

Each image was worse than the last.

In every frame, Darren looked at Winona with a depth of affection Kayla had never seen before.

Then came a video. Kayla hesitated, then tapped to play.

In it, Winona was curled up in Darren's arms. She looked up at him and asked sweetly, "I heard Kayla had to get a lot of stitches. Do you think I was too much?"

Darren chuckled. "A little."

Winona immediately sat up, clearly about to get upset, but Darren pulled her back into his arms and kissed her before she could say a word.

He bit down on her lip, his voice rough with heat. "What can I do? I'm in love with you."

The rest of the video was nothing but breathy moans and kisses. Winona murmured against his chest, "Are you going to check on Kayla?"

"Will you be mad if I do?"

"Of course I'll be mad."

"Then I won't go."

The video ended with the two of them locked in a deep, lingering kiss.

Kayla watched the clip again and again until her phone screen went dark.

She couldn't make sense of it.

Darren already belonged to Winona. He had never felt anything for Kayla—not even a flicker of interest. Yet Winona still treated her like a threat, as if her existence alone was some kind of offense.

Kayla shut her eyes, too drained to fight the ache building in her chest. Tears slipped down her cheeks in silence.

But it didn't matter anymore. She would be leaving Cadville soon and starting over in another country, with no reason to ever cross paths with them again.

Kayla stayed in the hospital for several days. To keep Beatrice from worrying, she lied and said she was spending time at a friend's house.

Beatrice didn't question it. With Kayla set to leave the country soon, it made sense for her to spend time catching up with friends one last time.

That afternoon, Kayla went to handle her discharge paperwork. As she stepped into the main lobby, a commotion broke out behind her.

"Move! Get out of the way!"

She turned around and froze.

Darren came bursting through the hospital doors, carrying Winona in his arms. She was covered in blood. He looked frantic, yelling for the hospital director to come save her.

It was the first time Kayla had ever seen Darren like that—so desperate.

Darren was always composed. No matter the crisis, he handled everything with cold, quiet control.

But now, his white dress shirt was soaked in blood, his hair a disheveled mess. The usual composure that marked him as the poised scion of the Tate family was completely gone.

As if pulled by something beyond reason, Kayla followed them.

Outside the operating room, Darren's closest friends were trying to console him.

"Darren, stop blaming yourself. This wasn't your fault."

"Yeah, Winona insisted you take her to that mountain highway to watch the sunset. That road's practically a death trap."

"You shielded her during the crash and still got injured yourself. You did everything you could."

Despite the flurry of voices around him, Darren said nothing. His eyes remained locked on the operating room door.

Then a doctor burst out in a rush. "Her liver's ruptured. We need an immediate transplant."

Darren shot to his feet. "I'm a match. Use mine."

"No way! You're the heir to the Tate family. Your parents would never agree to this." His friends rushed to block him.

"Exactly. Look, we get that you love Winona. But in the end, she's just one girl. Your life's worth too much. First loves don't usually last. Don't throw it all away—"

"I'm not marrying anyone else," Darren said sharply. His voice was low, unwavering. "It's here or no one."

He pushed past them all and followed the doctors into the operating room.

From around the corner, Kayla stood silently and watched it all.

She was reminded of a rainy afternoon when they were kids—how Darren had waited outside for three hours just to help an injured stray cat. Even back then, she had known he was the kind of person who would love someone deeply, without hesitation.

Now, all that devotion belonged to Winona.

He truly loved her so much that he was willing to sacrifice his health, abandon his responsibilities to the Tate family, and give up everything for Winona.

Just like he had chosen Winona that night, leaving Kayla bleeding on the floor without a second glance.

She whispered to herself, "Darren, I hope you find your happiness."

That single sentence had been her final farewell—a quiet, resolute end to a decade of unspoken love. From that moment on, Darren's joy or sorrow would have nothing to do with her.

Afterward, Kayla kept herself busy with preparations for her upcoming departure. She filed for a leave of absence from school, packed her luggage, and handled all the miscellaneous paperwork and arrangements.

Now and then, while scrolling through her phone, Winona's Instagram posts would pop up.

Photos of Darren lying pale in a hospital bed after donating part of his liver. A video of him gently feeding Winona chicken soup. Another clip showed him brushing her hair with the utmost tenderness.

Kayla barely blinked as she scrolled past, feeling nothing at all.

Three days before she was set to leave the country, she returned to campus to finalize the last of her paperwork.

The moment she opened the front door of the Tate residence, deafening music blared from inside.

The living room was a mess. Winona and her friends had turned the place upside down.

Red wine was spilled across the white rug, snack wrappers were scattered on the floor, and Darren's cherished model aircraft were carelessly tossed into a corner.

"What are you doing?" Kayla switched off the speakers, her voice trembling.

Winona spun around with a wine glass in hand, her smile indulgent and smug. "Isn't it obvious? It's a party.

"Darren's busy today, so I thought I'd celebrate. He said I could use the house. Got a problem with that?"

Kayla froze.

Darren had always been obsessive about cleanliness. He never allowed noise in the house, let alone anyone touching his models or books. But everything in front of her now made one thing painfully clear—he was willing to toss all of that aside for Winona.

She stood there for a long moment. Then she bent down, carefully picking up the broken pieces of a model plane. She gently wiped the dust from the wings before placing them back into their display case.

She said softly, "This one was his favorite. Please just be careful with it when you're playing around."

She turned to leave, but Winona suddenly grabbed her arm.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you his girlfriend? Or am I? Are you telling me how to act now?"

Kayla didn't want to argue. She opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment, the butler, Dominic Woolridge, came rushing in, out of breath.

"Ms. Wolfe!" Dominic was sweating through his uniform. "It's scorching outside. Beatrice's already waded into the pond more than ten times and picked nearly nine hundred water lilies. Please let her come inside. She's going to get heatstroke!"

Kayla's head snapped up. "What water lilies?"

Winona tilted her head with an innocent smile. She swirled the wine in her glass.

"We were craving lily seed pods, so I asked your mom to fetch some. She's the housekeeper, isn't she? Picking a few flowers shouldn't be too much to ask."

Kayla felt a chill run down her spine.

In that unbearable heat, her mother had waded into the pond over ten times, picking nearly nine hundred water lilies.

She bolted out like a madwoman, and when she reached the edge of the pond, the sight she saw shattered something deep inside her.