His First Love, My Last Goodbye

The world came back in a blur of twisting metal and the horrifying screech of tires. One moment, we were driving. The next, a truck had run the red light.

In the passenger seat, my head throbbing, I watched my boyfriend, Adrian, scramble to comfort his first love, Cassie, who was crying in the backseat. He didn't even glance back at me, his girlfriend of five years, as he helped her out of the wrecked car.

Paramedics arrived. Through the haze of pain, I watched Adrian hover over Cassie, refusing to leave her side for a second. It was like I wasn't even there anymore. He didn't remember my birthday, never knew my favorite food, and never cared that I was allergic to the flowers he bought for me, the same ones Cassie loved.

I had been a side character in their love story, a placeholder until the real star of his life returned. I had been obsessed with Adrian Payne, but it wasn't love; it was a sickness, a trauma bond I had mistaken for devotion.

Why did I do that? Why did I let him mold me into someone so submissive, so unlike myself? It felt like I was being controlled by some invisible force, a plot that wasn't my own.

The spell was broken. The obsession vanished. All that was left was a cold, empty feeling and a sudden, desperate longing for someone else: Kellen Campos, my childhood sweetheart, the boy I had left behind five years ago. I booked the first flight to New York.

Chapter 1

The world came back in a blur of twisting metal and the horrifying screech of tires. One moment, we were driving. The next, a truck had run the red light.

I was in the passenger seat, my head throbbing, a sharp pain in my arm. Adrian, in the driver's seat, was already moving. He looked at me, then his eyes flickered to the backseat.

To Cassie Tate. His first love.

She was crying, a small cut on her forehead.

"Ellery, are you okay?" Adrian asked, his voice tight.

Before I could answer, Cassie let out a sob. "Adrian... I'm scared."

His focus snapped away from me. It was like I wasn't even there anymore. He unbuckled his seatbelt, scrambled into the back, and gathered a whimpering Cassie into his arms.

"It's okay, Cassie. I'm here. I've got you," he murmured, his voice softer than I had ever heard it. He didn't even glance back at me, his girlfriend of five years, as he helped her out of the wrecked car.

Paramedics arrived. They put me on a stretcher. Through the haze of pain, I watched Adrian hover over Cassie, refusing to leave her side for a second.

And right there, with the smell of gasoline in the air and a blinding pain in my arm, I felt a strange sense of clarity. It was like a spell had been broken. For five years, I had been obsessed with Adrian Payne. I thought it was love.

It wasn't. It was a sickness, a trauma bond I had mistaken for devotion. He didn't love me. He never had. I was just a placeholder, a convenient stand-in until the real star of his life returned.

I was a side character in their love story.

The spell was broken. The obsession vanished. All that was left was a cold, empty feeling and a sudden, desperate longing for someone else.

Kellen Campos.

My childhood sweetheart. The boy I had left behind five years ago, right after I met Adrian.

As they wheeled me into the ambulance, I pulled out my phone with my good hand. My fingers flew across the screen.

I booked the first flight to New York.

"I need to go. Now," I told my assistant over the phone from my hospital bed a few hours later. My arm was in a cast, but the pain was nothing compared to the urgency I felt. "I don't care what it costs. Get me on that plane."

"Why now? What's the hurry?" she asked, confused.

"I have to find someone," I said, my voice shaking. "I have to get him back."

I hung up before she could ask more questions.

I was going to find Kellen.

I had to.

I remembered how I used to be before Adrian. Vibrant. Confident. The proud heiress to the Beard hotel empire. Then I met him, and I bent and broke parts of myself to fit into the tiny box he called "the perfect girlfriend."

Why did I do that? Why did I let him mold me into someone so submissive, so unlike myself? It felt like I was being controlled by some invisible force, a plot that wasn't my own.

And Kellen... he was the complete opposite.

He was my best friend. My first love. We grew up together.

He would indulge my every whim. He'd climb the tallest tree to get me a kite, wade into a freezing lake to retrieve my lost bracelet, and spend all night helping me with a project I' d procrastinated on.

He knew I hated ginger, so he'd pick it out of every dish for me. He knew I loved stargazing, so he built a small observatory on his roof just for us.

He had planned to confess to me on our high school graduation night. He' d told me later, his voice full of a pain I was too blind to understand at the time.

But that was the night I met Adrian Payne.

It was at a party. Adrian walked in, and it was like the world stopped. He was handsome, powerful, the CEO of a tech giant. And for some reason, he looked at me.

Something inside me shifted. It was an irrational, overwhelming pull. It felt like I had no choice. I left the party with him, leaving Kellen waiting under the stars with a ring he had designed himself.

I abandoned Kellen without a word.

For five years, I chased after Adrian, convincing myself that his rare moments of attention were proof of his love. But his heart was never with me. It was always with Cassie Tate, the girl who had left him for a richer man years ago.

He never remembered my birthday. He never knew my favorite food. He never cared that I was allergic to the flowers he bought for me, the same ones Cassie loved.

Once, Kellen came back. He found me crying in the rain after another fight with Adrian. He held an umbrella over my head, his eyes full of hurt and worry.

"Leave him, Ellery," he'd pleaded, his voice soft. "He doesn't deserve you. Just give me a chance."

For a fleeting moment, I was myself again. I saw the truth. I agreed. I promised I would leave Adrian.

But the next day, Adrian showed up with some lame excuse, a half-hearted apology, and I fell right back into the old pattern. It was like I couldn't help myself.

Kellen saw it happen. The hope in his eyes died, replaced by a deep, final disappointment. He left for New York the next week and cut off all contact. He was gone.

Now, after this car crash, after watching Adrian choose Cassie without a second's hesitation, the fog had finally lifted. I saw everything clearly.

I wasn't in love with Adrian. I was just a character playing a part. A tragic, foolish side character.

And the moment I realized that, the "love" I felt for him evaporated. It was gone. Just like that.

In its place, a tidal wave of love and regret for Kellen washed over me. The real love. The one I had suppressed for five long years.

I remembered his kindness, his quiet strength, his unwavering support. The way he looked at me, like I was the only person in the world.

He was the one. He had always been the one.

"Kellen," I whispered to the empty hospital room, my voice thick with tears. "I'm coming for you. This time, I'll do whatever it takes."

As soon as I was discharged, I went straight to my penthouse. The first thing I did was go to my closet. I pulled out the bright red dress Adrian hated, the one he said was too loud, too bold.

I put it on.

For five years, I had dressed in pale, muted colors to please him. I had kept my hair long because he liked it that way. I had become a ghost of myself.

No more.

I looked at myself in the mirror. The red dress felt like a declaration of war. It felt like me.

The butler, who had been with my family for years, saw me. "Miss Beard," he said, a small, approving smile on his face. "You look... like yourself again."

I smiled, a real smile for the first time in years. I spun around, the fabric swirling around me. It felt good. It felt free.

I was heading for the door, my suitcase packed, when Adrian and Cassie walked in. They had just come from a follow-up appointment. Cassie was leaning on him, looking fragile and lovely.

Adrian' s eyes narrowed when he saw my dress. He didn't like it. He never did.

"That's a lovely necklace, Ellery," Cassie said, her voice sweet as honey. Her eyes were fixed on the simple, elegant piece around my neck. "Adrian, isn't it beautiful?"

Adrian glanced at it, then at me. "Take it off. Give it to Cassie." It wasn't a request. It was an order.

The store manager, who had delivered the necklace just an hour ago, stepped forward nervously. "Mr. Payne, I'm sorry, but that piece is one-of-a-kind. It's already been purchased by Miss Beard."

Adrian didn't even look at him. His cold gaze was locked on me. "I said, give it to her. You know Cassie likes these things." It was the tone he always used with me, the one that expected absolute obedience.

For five years, I would have taken it off without a second thought. I would have done anything to avoid his displeasure.

But I wasn't that person anymore.

I looked him straight in the eye.

"No."

Adrian froze. He looked genuinely shocked, as if the word was foreign to him, especially coming from my lips.

"What did you say?"

I stood my ground, my chin held high. The red dress felt like armor.

"I said no."

He stared at me, a strange look in his eyes. It was like he was seeing me for the first first time. And he didn't recognize the person in front of him at all.