Chapter 6

Kiera Case POV:

The day I returned home coincided, ironically, with Felix' s graduation party. Not just any party, but a grand affair hosted by the Deckers at their sprawling estate, celebrating his graduation from Columbia and his official stepping into a senior role at Decker Real Estate. It was a formal announcement, a coronation of sorts, attended by New York' s elite. My parents, as long-time neighbors and family friends, insisted I attend. It would be rude not to, they said, and would only raise questions about my sudden absence. So, with a deep breath and a carefully constructed mask of indifference, I prepared to face him.

The moment I stepped onto the manicured lawns of the Decker estate, the familiar scent of expensive perfume and freshly cut grass hit me. The air was thick with the murmur of conversations, the clinking of champagne glasses, and the soft strains of a live jazz band. And there he was. Felix.

He stood on a raised platform, next to his father, receiving congratulations, a picture of effortless charm and power. He was taller, broader somehow, his shoulders more imposing in his tailored suit. His smile, usually so easy, held a new gravitas, a subtle shift from boyish charm to commanding presence. He looked every inch the heir, the future, the man who possessed everything he desired.

A familiar pang, a ghost of old affection, flickered in my chest. But it was quickly extinguished by the cold, hard memory of his French words. He was magnificent, yes, but he was also cruel. The Kiera of old would have been mesmerized, drawn to him like a moth to a flame. The new Kiera felt a curious detachment, a sense of observing a well-rehearsed performance. He was a beautiful, gilded cage, and I had narrowly escaped.

I tried to blend into the crowd, seeking refuge near the elaborate floral arrangements, my eyes scanning for any familiar faces. I just needed to make an appearance, offer my congratulations to his parents, and then slip away. But Felix, with his uncanny ability to sense my presence, found me.

His eyes, sharp and intense, cut through the throng, locking onto mine. A slow smile spread across his face, not the public, charming one, but a private, knowing smirk that sent a chill down my spine. He started towards me, moving with a predator' s grace, weaving through the chattering guests. My heart thumped, a quick, nervous rhythm. My first instinct was to turn and run, to disappear into the crowd. But it was too late.

He reached me in a few long strides, his hand closing around my wrist, his grip surprisingly firm. "Kiera. You actually came." His voice was low, possessive, a hint of triumph in it. "I thought you' d be too much of a coward to show your face."

I tried to pull my hand away, but his grip tightened. "Let go, Felix," I whispered, my voice tight.

Just then, Bella Ramsey, looking stunning in a shimmering emerald green gown, appeared at his side. She linked her arm through his, her smile saccharine sweet. "Oh, darling, who is this?" she cooed, her eyes, sharp and calculating, raking over me. "Another one of your childhood friends, perhaps? I thought you said all your little admirers were still in high school." She punctuated her words with a delicate, tinkling laugh, clearly implying I was out of my league, a relic of his past.

Before I could even formulate a response, Felix chuckled, a dismissive sound. "Kiera? Oh, she' s just... a neighbor. We grew up together." He pulled his arm from my grasp, subtly putting more distance between us, and tightened his hold on Bella. "She tends to be a bit... dramatic sometimes. Thinks everything is a bigger deal than it is." His eyes, when they met mine, held a cold, warning glint. He was publicly disavowing me, painting me as an overemotional nuisance.

A fiery heat rose in my cheeks, but I forced myself to remain calm. My jaw clenched, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of an outburst. I simply gave Bella a small, polite smile and a barely perceptible nod. I wouldn't engage. I wouldn't play her game, or his.

Their eyes, Felix' s now shadowed and unreadable, Bella' s narrowed and triumphant, darted between us. The air around us thickened, growing heavy with unspoken tension. The celebratory chatter of the party seemed to fade, replaced by a suffocating silence.

Thankfully, a booming announcement from Felix' s father, calling him to the stage for a toast, broke the awkward standoff. Felix' s face hardened. He leaned in close to me, his voice a low, venomous whisper. "Don' t think this is over, Kiera. This isn' t you getting away." Then, with a curt nod, he led Bella away, his hand still firmly clasped around her waist.

I watched them go, a strange sense of clarity washing over me. The small, residual flicker of affection I'd felt earlier was gone, replaced by an icy contempt. He was truly a monster, a manipulator, and I had been blind.

The party swirled around me, a dizzying array of faces and conversations. People I hadn't seen in years greeted me with overly enthusiastic hugs and questions. "Kiera! Long time no see! You've been so quiet lately. Where have you been hiding?" "Are you and Felix still inseparable? You two are just meant to be!" I smiled, made vague answers, and nodded politely, feeling like an alien among them. They knew the old Kiera, the one who revolved around Felix. They didn't know the Kiera who was slowly, painfully, coming into her own.

I needed air. I needed to escape the suffocating pretense. I slipped away from the main crowd, finding refuge on a secluded balcony overlooking the city skyline. The cool night breeze was a welcome balm against my heated skin. I leaned against the railing, taking a deep, shaky breath, trying to regain my composure.

Just as I felt the tension begin to ebb, I heard voices from the doorway. Felix' s. And Dion' s.

"Man, I' m telling you, she' s still got it bad for you," Dion chuckled, his voice smug. "That Kiera. Always following you around like a lost puppy. Some things never change, huh?"

Felix laughed, a harsh, unfeeling sound. "She' s pathetic, honestly. Can' t believe she still thinks she has a chance. So desperate." He paused, and I heard the clink of ice in a glass. "Honestly, sometimes it' s such a bore, having just one girl around all the time. But Kiera? She' s a reliable constant. Always there. Always waiting."

My hands clenched on the railing, my knuckles turning white.

"So you' re just gonna keep her on the back burner?" Dion asked, intrigued. "What about Bella?"

"Bella is... exciting. High-profile. Good for the brand," Felix said, a hint of calculation in his voice. "But Kiera? She' s the one who won' t rock the boat. She' ll always be there, waiting, no matter what. She' ll never leave. Not really. Especially not after I take over the company. She knows which side her bread is buttered on." He took a long sip of his drink. "Once I' m CEO, I' ll need someone stable at home. Someone predictable. Kiera is perfect for that. She'll always be my escape. My comfort."

A cold, hard rage, unlike anything I' d ever felt, surged through me. No. Not anymore. He was still talking about me in the present tense, as if I were a possession, a given. He still believed I was his loyal dog, waiting patiently to be called.

I couldn' t take it anymore. I pushed myself away from the railing and spun around, my eyes blazing. Felix and Dion froze, mid-conversation, their faces pale in the dim light of the balcony. Their smug grins vanished, replaced by shock.

"You' re wrong, Felix," I said, my voice steady, dangerously calm. "I' m not a constant. I' m not waiting. And I' m not your escape or your comfort." My eyes, usually so soft and yielding, hardened into chips of ice. "I' m gone."

With that, I walked away, leaving them stunned in my wake. The anger was a burning fire in my veins, but beneath it, a profound sense of liberation. Every last vestige of feeling, every fragile thread of affection I' d held onto for Felix, had been severed. It was truly over. And the realization brought with it a strange, fierce joy. How could I have ever loved someone so utterly, completely selfish? How could I have been so blind?