Chapter 2 The fall

Twelve hours before the accident, Drace Vellion stood on the edge of everything he thought he knew about love.

His tie was still straight, his shoes still polished, and the ring box in his pocket still untouched - but something in his chest already felt... off. Cold. Heavy.

He had rehearsed it in his mind a thousand times.

Tonight, he was going to propose.

To Elowen Sinclair, the glamorous, enigmatic heiress of Sinclair Global Shipping. She had it all - the name, the money, the eyes that pulled you in and drowned you in velvet darkness. And she chose him.

Or so he thought.

The Betrayal

The security guard at her penthouse looked uncomfortable when Drace arrived unannounced. "She wasn't expecting anyone," the man said. "She said not to be disturbed."

Drace smiled politely. "I'm full of surprises."

He took the elevator alone.

When he opened the door to her apartment - using the spare key she'd given him "for emergencies" - he didn't expect roses or candles.

But he didn't expect to find Elowen with Dominic Ryker either.

Dominic. His oldest rival, a venomous creature born from privilege and corruption. They had history - a blood feud layered in business, betrayal, and a bitter college war.

And now? That man had his hands on Drace's future.

Elowen gasped when she saw him.

"Drace- I can explain-"

But there was nothing to explain.

Drace didn't speak. Didn't shout.

He dropped the ring box at the threshold like it weighed a thousand bricks.

And walked away.

The Descent

He drove blindly, the city's bright towers blurring into smears of hate and heartache. The first bar welcomed him like an old friend. The second made no questions. By the third, his jacket was gone, his tie undone, and the pain had fermented into something darker. Something hollow.

He wasn't drunk because he was weak.

He was drunk because she made him feel like nothing.

And for a man like Drace Vellion - who built himself from the gutter without a family name to carry him - being nothing was worse than death.

The Accident - Again

He staggered into his car after refusing a cab.

The bottle on the passenger seat mocked him.

Rain started to fall.

Harder.

Faster.

The streets bled silver, his vision blurred, and somewhere between self-destruction and denial...

A figure appeared.

Too fast.

Too close.

Thud.

Screech.

Silence.

The moment Ruby's body hit the ground, so did the last piece of the man he thought he was.

In His Mind

He didn't know who she was.

Didn't know what kind of life she lived.

But something about her eyes-right before she passed out-unlocked something in him he hadn't felt in years.

Recognition.

Not of her... but of pain. A familiar pain. One that didn't need words.

And without knowing it yet, in hitting her, Drace hadn't ended a life.

He had just collided with four of them.