Finding Love After Leaving Him

I spent seven years loving Autry Villarreal, the man who became my guardian after my parents died. He was my savior, my entire world.

Then, he announced his engagement to Cassie Turner, a woman who looked uncannily like a younger version of me. I found out by watching it on the news.

His fiancée moved into our home and immediately began erasing me. She tore out the rose garden I had spent years tending, laughing as the bushes were ripped from the ground.

Next, he used his influence to kill a major brand deal I had, giving it to her instead.

The final blow came when she leaked fake, scandalous photos of me online. He refused to defend my name. He told me to just disappear, offering me money to live comfortably as long as I stayed away.

"I will protect her," he said. "She is my fiancée."

I looked at the man who had promised to always protect me, now offering to pay for my silence. In that moment, seven years of love turned to ash.

I booked a one-way ticket to France. This time, I wasn't running away. I was finally choosing to live for myself.

Chapter 1

"I'm done waiting for him, Darleen."

Jayme Barnes stared out the window of her aunt' s cozy kitchen, her voice flat.

"I' m giving up."

Darleen Henderson placed a mug of steaming tea on the table.

"It's about time, sweetie. He was never the right one for you."

She sat down, her expression a mix of relief and concern.

"I told you from the start. A man who keeps you at arm's length after you tell him you love him? That' s not a man, that' s a statue."

Jayme didn't answer. Her gaze drifted to a small, framed photo on the mantelpiece. It was from her eighteenth birthday. Autry Villarreal stood beside her, his arm stiffly around her shoulders. He had given her a delicate silver locket that day.

The day after, she had confessed her love for him. He never mentioned the confession, but he also never saw her wear the locket without a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.

She had worn it every day for seven years.

Seven years of hoping.

Seven years of trying to break through the polite, distant wall he had built around himself.

He had taken her in when her parents died, a sixteen-year-old boy suddenly responsible for a fourteen-year-old girl. He had been her savior, her world. And for seven years, she had tried to show him she wanted to be more.

Then came the news report.

It flashed across every entertainment channel and social media feed. 'Tech Mogul Autry Villarreal Announces Engagement to University Student Cassie Turner.'

The picture showed Autry with his arm around a young woman who looked uncannily like a younger, more innocent version of Jayme. He was smiling. A real, genuine smile she hadn't seen directed at her in years.

She had spent the entire night staring at her phone. She called him, texted him, over and over. Each call went to voicemail. Each text was met with silence. The locket felt heavy and cold against her skin.

By dawn, she was exhausted. Her heart was a hollow ache in her chest. The fight had gone out of her.

She remembered the years before her confession. He was always there. He would ruffle her hair, bring her snacks when she studied, and wrap her in a blanket when she fell asleep on the couch. After she told him how she felt, the easy affection stopped. He was still her guardian, providing for her every need, but the warmth was gone, replaced by a formal, almost monastic distance. He focused only on his work, becoming a giant in the tech world while she became a ghost in his house.

She walked back to her room in his sprawling, minimalist mansion. She opened her jewelry box, unclasped the silver locket, and dropped it inside. Then she took out every piece of clothing he had ever bought her, every gift, every photograph. She stuffed them all into a black trash bag.

As she dragged the bag to the front door, he was coming in. He looked tired, his suit jacket slung over his shoulder.

He saw the bag. "What's that?"

"Just some old things," Jayme said, her voice even.

He nodded, not asking more. His eyes, the same dark eyes that used to hold so much warmth for her, were cool and distant.

"I saw you called," he said. It wasn' t an apology. It was a statement of fact. "I was busy."

"It's fine," she said. "Congratulations on your engagement."

He watched her, his expression unreadable. "Thank you."

The silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable. She realized with a sudden, painful clarity that all her efforts had been a joke. A seven-year-long punchline.

She went back upstairs and pulled out a suitcase. She found the deed to the small villa in Provence her parents had left her. She packed her camera equipment first. Then, a few clothes he hadn't bought her.

Later that evening, as she passed the living room, she saw him on the phone. He was talking to his housekeeper.

"Yes, have the guest room completely redecorated. Pink tones. She likes pink." A pause. "Cassie will be moving in next week. Make sure everything is perfect for her."

Jayme froze in the hallway, listening.

He hung up and saw her standing there. For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of something, maybe regret, in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Cassie is coming," he stated, his voice void of emotion.

Jayme forced a smile. "I heard. That's great."

Her heart, which she thought couldn't break any further, splintered into a million tiny pieces.

That night, she booked a one-way ticket to France.

Autry Villarreal, she thought, this time, I'm really letting you go. For good.