CHAPTER 1: NOTHING BUT A STRANGER
488 Words
The rain poured mercilessly, soaking Evelyn’s trembling body as she stood outside the grand mansion. Her heart pounded violently against her rib cage, her hands gripping the iron gates until her knuckles turned white.
She had nowhere else to go.
Her clothes clung to her skin, her body shivering as the night wind cut through her bones. But none of it compared to the icy pain that gripped her heart as she watched him.
Adrian.
The man she once loved more than anything.
The man who now looked at her like she was nothing but a stranger.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing herself to step forward. "Adrian..." Her voice barely came out, weak and broken.
He stood at the entrance, dressed in his tailored suit, his expression unreadable. Beside him, a beautiful woman clung to his arm, whispering something in his ear. But Adrian’s eyes never left Evelyn.
Something flickered in them for a brief moment—recognition, hesitation—but it was gone as quickly as it came.
"You don’t belong here," he said coldly.
Evelyn flinched. The words cut deeper than any wound.
"Adrian, please... I just need to talk to you." Her voice cracked, her entire body trembling from something far colder than the rain.
He exhaled sharply, as if annoyed. "There is nothing to talk about, Evelyn. You should leave."
"Leave? I have nowhere to go!" she cried, desperation clawing at her throat.
His gaze darkened. "That’s not my problem."
Tears mixed with the raindrops on her cheeks. "Adrian… why are you doing this? You once—"
"Enough." His voice was sharp, merciless. "You’re embarrassing yourself."
The woman beside him smirked, gripping his arm tighter. "Darling, let’s go inside. She’s just a desperate beggar looking for attention."
Evelyn's nails dug into her palms, humiliation washing over her. "You… you can’t seriously mean this. After everything?"
Adrian’s expression didn’t waver. "I don’t remember ‘everything’ you’re talking about."
His words knocked the air from her lungs.
"You don’t… remember?" she whispered.
"I don’t," he said. "And I don’t care to."
Her vision blurred. "You’re lying."
"I don’t lie, Evelyn. The past doesn’t matter. Move on."
A sob escaped her lips. "You were my world, Adrian. And now you’re acting like I never existed!"
He stepped closer, his cold gaze locking onto hers. "Because you never did."
Something inside her shattered.
Her legs wobbled, her entire being collapsing under the weight of his words.
The rain drowned out the sound of her broken sobs as Adrian turned away.
He walked inside without looking back.
And the door shut behind him, sealing her fate.
Evelyn staggered backward, her body weak, her soul crushed beyond repair.
She had lost him.
No—he had thrown her away.
And in that moment, as she stood alone in the storm, she realized the bitter truth.
Adrian wasn’t going to remember her.
Because he never wanted to.
- Writer
