BROKEN PROMISES

Chapter 1 Rain poured endlessly from the dark sky, covering the streets of New York in silver reflections. Cars rushed past the wet roads while thunder echoed in the distance. Emily Carter stood under the weak light of a bus stop, hugging herself tightly as the cold wind hit her skin. Her long brown hair was soaked, sticking to her cheeks as tears mixed with the rainwater falling from her face. She looked broken. Completely broken. Her shift at the restaurant had ended two hours ago, but the manager refused to let her leave early despite the storm. Now the buses had stopped running because of the weather. Emily sighed shakily and checked her phone again. No messages. No missed calls. Nothing. She laughed bitterly under her breath. “Of course,” she whispered. Nobody waited for her anymore. Not after everything that happened two years ago. Especially not him. Michael Anderson. Even hearing his name in her mind still hurt. He had been her first love. Her first everything. The man who once held her hands beneath the stars and promised her forever. The man who looked into her eyes and said: "I will never leave you, Emily." But he did. Without explanation. Without goodbye. Without mercy. Emily closed her eyes tightly as painful memories flooded her chest again. She still remembered the night he disappeared from her life. The calls he never answered. The texts he ignored. The apartment he suddenly moved out from. It was as if he had erased her completely. And the worst part? She never discovered why. A loud thunder pulled Emily out of her thoughts. The rain became heavier. She stepped closer to the road, hoping desperately to see a taxi. Then suddenly— Bright headlights appeared through the storm. A sleek black luxury car slowed down before stopping directly in front of her. Emily frowned slightly. The car looked expensive. Too expensive. The tinted window rolled down slowly. And her entire world stopped. Michael Anderson. Her breath caught instantly. He looked exactly the same. Sharp jawline. Dark intense eyes. Perfect black suit. Cold expression. But somehow… even more dangerous than before. Emily’s fingers tightened around her bag. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. The tension between them felt unbearable. Michael stared at her silently, his eyes slowly moving across her soaked figure. “You’re freezing,” he finally said quietly. Emily forced herself to look away. “I’m fine.” “You’re shaking.” “I said I’m fine.” Michael’s jaw tightened slightly. “Get in.” Emily almost laughed. After two years… That was all he had to say? No apology. No explanation. Nothing. “I’d rather walk,” she replied coldly. The rain hit harder against the car windows. Michael leaned back slightly, still watching her carefully. “Emily.” The way he said her name made her chest ache painfully. “I’m not here to argue with you.” “Oh really?” she snapped suddenly. “That’s funny because disappearing for two years without explanation sounds exactly like someone who likes avoiding conversations.” Michael’s expression darkened. Emily hated herself for noticing how handsome he still looked. It wasn’t fair. How could someone destroy her heart and still make it race like this? “You don’t understand what happened,” Michael said quietly. “Then explain it.” Silence. Emily felt anger rising inside her chest again. “That’s what I thought,” she whispered bitterly. She turned away, preparing to walk into the rain. Then Michael suddenly stepped out of the car. Emily froze. God. Even after all this time, his presence still affected her. The rain soaked his black suit instantly as he walked toward her slowly. “You shouldn’t be alone at this hour,” he said. Emily crossed her arms tightly. “You lost the right to care about me a long time ago.” Pain flashed across Michael’s eyes for one brief second before disappearing. “I never stopped caring.” Emily’s heart betrayed her painfully at those words. No. She refused to fall for him again. Not after everything. “Don’t,” she whispered shakily. “Please don’t do this to me.” Michael stared at her silently. For the first time, Emily noticed how tired he looked. As if he hadn’t slept properly in years. “You think leaving you was easy for me?” he asked softly. Emily looked at him in disbelief. “Easy?” she repeated. “Michael, I cried for months. I blamed myself every single day wondering what I did wrong!” Michael clenched his fists tightly. “You did nothing wrong.” “Then why did you leave?!” Her voice cracked emotionally. The question she had buried inside her heart for two years finally escaped. Michael looked away briefly, rain running down his face. “It was complicated.” Emily laughed through her tears. “That’s your answer?” “It’s the truth.” “No,” she whispered painfully. “The truth is you stopped loving me.” Michael’s eyes snapped back to hers instantly. “That was never the problem.” Emily’s chest tightened. Then what was? Before she could ask, another car suddenly pulled over nearby. A beautiful woman stepped out holding an umbrella. Emily instantly recognized her. Jessica Miller. Tall. Elegant. Perfect. The same woman constantly surrounding Michael before he disappeared. Jessica stopped when she saw Emily. Surprise flashed across her face before being replaced by a small smile. “Well,” she said softly, “this is unexpected.” Emily immediately stepped back. Something about Jessica always made her uncomfortable. Jessica walked toward Michael naturally, placing a hand on his arm. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she said. Emily’s stomach twisted painfully at the sight. Michael immediately removed Jessica’s hand. “I was leaving.” Jessica’s eyes moved toward Emily again. “Oh,” she said knowingly. “I see.” Emily suddenly felt stupid standing there. Like an outsider. Like she didn’t belong in Michael’s world anymore. And maybe she never did. “I should go,” Emily muttered quietly. She turned quickly before either of them could stop her. But Michael grabbed her wrist gently. The moment his skin touched hers… Everything came rushing back. Every memory. Every kiss. Every promise. Emily’s breathing became uneven instantly. “Don’t walk away from me again,” Michael whispered. Again? Emily stared at him with tears in her eyes. “You were the one who walked away first.” Michael looked shattered by those words. But before he could reply, Jessica spoke again. “Michael, your mother is waiting.” The atmosphere changed immediately. Emily noticed it instantly. Michael’s face hardened again. His mother. Mrs. Anderson hated Emily from the beginning. To her, Emily was nothing but a poor girl trying to steal her son. Emily slowly pulled her wrist away. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” she whispered. Then she finally walked away into the rain. This time Michael didn’t stop her. But she could still feel his eyes following her long after she disappeared down the street. --- Meanwhile… Inside the black car, Jessica watched Michael carefully. “You still love her,” she said quietly. Michael remained silent. Jessica smiled bitterly. “After everything she put you through?” Michael’s voice turned cold instantly. “Watch what you say.” Jessica looked away angrily. She hated this. Hated how Emily still affected him after all these years. “She’ll only hurt you again,” Jessica whispered. Michael stared out the rain-covered window. “No,” he said quietly. “She’s the one I hurt.” --- Across the city… Emily finally reached her small apartment. Her older brother Daniel immediately stood up when he saw her soaked clothes. “Emily!” he exclaimed. “What happened?” Emily forced a weak smile. “I’m okay.” But Daniel knew that look. “You saw him again, didn’t you?” Emily’s silence answered everything. Daniel cursed under his breath angrily. “That bastard.” “Daniel, stop.” “No!” he snapped. “After what he did to you, he doesn’t deserve your tears.” Emily looked down quietly. Maybe Daniel was right. Maybe she should hate Michael. Maybe she should move on completely. But deep inside her heart… One painful truth remained. She still loved him. And that terrified her more than anything.