Page 117 of Valentine’s Billionaire Auction

The drive home felt long. As he pulled into the winding driveway, the sight of the house felt more unwelcome than a refuge.

The place was quiet, as it had been since the day Kaira left. Too quiet. I’d caught the staff whispering about her a few days ago, reminiscing about her laugh, the way she brightened up the place. I’d shut it down immediately, barking at them to never speak her name under my roof again.

Now, nobody said anything when I was around.

Ruby was still giving me the cold shoulder, and honestly, I couldn’t blame her. I’d exploded on her the day Kaira left, and she hadn’t spoken to me since. I hadn’t apologized either. What was the point?

The silence was suffocating. I was going to drive myself crazy if I stayed in the house another minute.

That evening, I met up with some old friends for drinks. The bar was loud and lively, but it didn’t take long for me to notice the shift in energy. I knew it was because of me. Conversations were stilted, laughter forced.

Eventually, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. “All right,” I said, setting my drink down. “What’s going on with you guys? Why is everyone acting weird?”

They exchanged glances, and I could see the unspoken agreement pass between them. Finally, Simon spoke up. “We’re not the weird ones, Roman. You are.”

I frowned. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you lied to us,” Simon said bluntly. “To our faces. About the engagement, about Kaira. About everything.”

“And let’s not forget that you dragged a perfectly nice woman into your mess and then tossed her aside like she was nothing,” Chloe added.

My jaw tightened. “That’s not what happened.”

“Isn’t it?” Simon challenged. “Because that’s what it looks like from where we’re standing.”

I looked around the table, hoping to find an ally, but all I saw were grim faces.

“You’ve been keeping everyone at arm’s length for years,” Simon said quietly. “Then Kaira comes along, and for a second, we thought maybe she was breaking through that rough exterior of yours.”

“But you couldn’t even let that happen, could you?” Chloe said. “You’re so damn terrified of being vulnerable that you ruined it before it could go anywhere.”

“Enough,” I snapped, my voice sharp.

“No, Roman, you need to hear this. If you don’t see all this as a giant red flag, you’re in trouble.” Simon took a drink. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but real friends tell each other the truth, even when it’s difficult.”

They were right, and I hated it. Hated them for pointing it out. But mostly, I hated myself.

There was no cheering me up after that. I was a miserable drinking buddy and they gave up trying to get through to me. One by one, they called it a night, leaving me alone at the table with a half-empty glass and a gnawing sense of regret.

I couldn’t run from the truth: I was the problem. And if I didn’t fix it, I’d be alone forever.

45

KAIRA

The back deck of my parents’ house had always been my sanctuary. Even with the backyard still dormant, it was beautiful. The sky was a little gray, but I didn’t mind. I appreciated the stillness, something I hadn’t realized I’d been missing until now. The chaos I left behind in LA with Roman and Carla had left me drained, disillusioned. Sitting here, wrapped in my old woolen blanket, I felt the threads of myself knitting back together.

There really was no place like home.

I had been here a couple of weeks, and while my wounds were scabbing over, I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my life. My book had been left untouched on the laptop. I had no desire to write a love story. I was not feeling particularly loving.

Plus, the sight of the laptop reminded me of Roman. Every time I looked at the sleek machine, I thought back to the night he gave it to me. That led me to thoughts of him kissing me and us being in his bed. His birthday. So many good memories had been packed into a relatively short amount of time. When I was caught up in the moment, it felt like nothing could have gotten in our way. We were so happy.

And then it was just ripped away.

“Good morning.”

I looked behind me and saw my mom standing in the doorway with her robe pulled tight around her.