Cole Fay had always been an enigma, even as a child. Reserved, indifferent, and wrapped in the aloofness that his father wore so well, Cole was a boy of few words and fewer emotions.
He didn't need to be anything else. His family's na carried enough weight to shield him from the world, and he lived within that shell, perfectly content to remain detached from everything and everyone.
That is, until the day Eve Rosette ca into his life.
They t at one of those grand parties where important families gathered to discuss business ventures and alliances over sparkling glasses of champagne and laughter that never quite reached the eyes.
Cole was only six years old, standing next to his father, Cain Fay, watching the endless parade of wealthy faces blur into one another. His father was speaking with Mr. Rosette when a small, timid voice broke through the chatter.
"Cole?"
He turned to see a girl about his age standing before him, wearing a simple yet elegant dress, her eyes wide with curiosity.
Her na, as he would learn soon after, was Eve Rosette, the only daughter of the Rosette family. Her father had nudged her forward, encouraging the introduction.
At first, Cole barely acknowledged her, giving her a cold nod before looking away. He wasn't one for company, and certainly not one for childish play.
But Eve didn't seem to mind his indifference. In fact, she seed fascinated by it. Where other children would have been put off by his cold deanor, Eve drew closer, like a moth to a fla.
From that day on, wherever Cole went, Eve followed. It was as if she had attached herself to him, clinging to him like glue. She would chatter endlessly, telling him stories about her favorite books, the garden her mother tended to, or her dreams of visiting far-off places.
Cole, for his part, never encouraged her. He would respond in monosyllables or not at all, yet Eve would continue to stay by his side, unfazed by his coldness.
Their families thought it was sweet, how she followed him around like a loyal companion, while Cole's cold indifference was just seen as part of his personality.
Everyone assud it was only a matter of ti before he ward up to her.
But years passed, and Cole remained distant. No matter how hard Eve tried to get him to smile, to show any sign that he appreciated her company, Cole kept her at arm's length. He had no ti for childish gas, no interest in developing a bond. Yet Eve persisted.
Even as they grew older, as their lives beca more complicated with the expectations placed on them, Eve's presence was constant. She was there at every family gathering, every holiday dinner, every birthday celebration.
When Cole was fourteen and shouldering the heavy burden of his family's expectations, Eve would sneak out to sit with him in the garden, bringing a basket of snacks she had made herself. She would sit with him in silence, knowing he didn't want to talk, but her presence was always comforting, whether Cole acknowledged it or not.
Years passed in much the sa way. Eve grew into a beautiful young woman, but her affection for Cole never wavered. He noticed the way other boys admired her, but it never concerned him. She was, after all, always by his side.
Until one day, she wasn't.
It happened not so subtly, Cole realize she was slipping away one day. It was so sudden with no warning.
It started with little things—Eve declining to attend family dinners, saying she had other plans. She stopped going to parties, and no longer seeking him out every day.
Cole had beco so used to her being there that it never occurred to him she might one day choose not to be.
At first, he told himself it didn't matter. What did it matter if Eve was there or not? He hadn't asked for her company in the first place.
But as the days turned into weeks and Eve continued to avoid him, sothing shifted inside him.
One afternoon, he found himself standing alone in the garden where they used to sit. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the neatly trimd hedges and vibrant flowers. It should have been peaceful, the kind of place where Cole could retreat into his thoughts. But it felt wrong. Too quiet. Too empty.
For the first ti in years, Cole realized he missed her.
He missed the way she would hum softly to herself while arranging the snacks she brought. He missed her quiet laughter, the way her eyes lit up when she talked about sothing that excited her. He even missed the way she would occasionally prod him, teasing him gently for his serious deanor. He missed the warmth that her presence had always brought, even if he had never acknowledged it.
The realization hit him hard. Eve had always been there, unconditionally, no matter how cold or indifferent he had been toward her. And now, she was gone.
It was then that Cole understood sothing about himself that he had never considered before. Eve wasn't just a fixture in his life—she had been the one person who made him feel . . . sothing.
In her absence, he realized how much he had taken her for granted. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that maybe, just maybe, he didn't want her to go.
Cole wasn't one to act on impulse, but as he stared at his phone, Eve's na glowing on the screen, sothing inside him stirred.
His thumb hovered over the dial button, heart pounding with an unfamiliar urgency. He was seconds away from pressing it when a wave of hesitation crashed over him, freezing him in place.
What was he about to do?
Miss her?
After all this ti?
His mind raced, a torrent of conflicting thoughts swirling through him.
Did he love her? No, that couldn't be it—he had never allowed himself to entertain that possibility before.
Love wasn't sothing Cole understood. He love his family but loving another was entirely a new concept.
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