Chapter 4

The moment the soup finished simmering, Darren's phone buzzed. When he answered the call, the frost in his expression melted away in an instant. "Hey, Winona? The soup's done. I'll bring it over now." He left in a hurry. Beatrice watched the door close behind him before finally turning to Kayla. "Kayla…" "I'm fine, Mom," Kayla said quickly, though her voice was so hoarse it barely sounded like her. "He's found someone he really loves. I'm happy for him." She kept wiping down the stovetop in stiff, repetitive motions. But her tears betrayed her, falling soundlessly onto the marble counter. That night, Kayla climbed into bed beside Beatrice, just like she used to when she was little. But not long after she had finally drifted off, she was stirred awake by the sound of rustling clothes. While rubbing her eyes, she looked up and saw Beatrice putting on her coat. "Mom? What's going on?" "Mr. Tate's stomach condition flared up. He asked me to bring him some medicine. Go back to sleep, I won't be too long," Beatrice whispered as she glanced toward the rain pouring outside. Kayla sat up immediately. "No, let me go. You stay in bed." She took the medicine bag, grabbed an umbrella, and stepped out into the storm. Rain soaked through her canvas sneakers almost instantly, the cold seeping up from her toes straight into her chest. Outside the private room at the club, the soft hum of laughter drifted through the heavy door. Kayla was just about to knock when a voice from inside drifted through the door. "Darren, you've been spoiling Winona like crazy lately. Last week, it was the symphony, then you rented out the whole amusement park just for her. And didn't you drive her up a mountain in the middle of the night just because she said she wanted to see the stars? You're really into her, aren't you?" Darren let out a soft laugh, the kind Kayla had never heard from him before—gentle, indulgent. "Yeah, I really like her." These five easy words were said lightly, but they hit Kayla like a punch to the gut, blunt and unforgiving. Then another voice chimed in, "Honestly? I thought you'd end up with Kayla." Kayla froze, her hand still in mid-air. "Back then, you went everywhere with her. You shut people down if they so much as whispered gossip about her. You even remembered to bring her painkillers during her period. We were all betting on when you two would finally make it official." The guy laughed. Darren's voice came again, this time lazy, careless. "She's just not my type. Beatrice has worked for my family for 20 years. Taking care of her daughter was just part of the deal." The words landed like a punch straight to the gut. She should have realized it long ago. None of it had anything to do with love. All those tender moments she had cherished in her heart for a decade… The way he shut down rumors for her, the way he remembered every birthday, the medicine he brought when her stomach flared up late at night—none of it meant what she thought it did. They weren't tokens of love. They were crumbs of kindness, thoughtless gestures from someone who saw her as nothing more than the housekeeper's daughter. "Come on, even a blind guy could tell Kayla's totally into you," someone teased, laughing. "The way she looks at you? It's written all over her face. Don't tell me you never noticed." Kayla stood just outside the door, frozen in place. All she could hear was the pounding of her own heart. She had never imagined the feelings she had hidden so carefully for ten years would be exposed like this, so suddenly, and right in front of Darren. Now that it had all been laid bare, there was no way to look at him the same again. However, what came next hit harder than anything that had come before. Darren said coldly, "Of course I noticed. But there was never a chance between us. I just pretended not to see it—figured if I ignored it, she wouldn't get the wrong idea or try to confess." The words slammed into Kayla like a punch to the gut. Her knees buckled beneath her. She could barely stay upright. So he had known all along. He had seen right through the feelings she had buried so carefully over the years. And the only reason he had pretended not to notice was that he had been guarding against her the entire time. She remembered when she was 15 and burning up with fever, he had rushed her to the ER. When the nurse asked if he was her boyfriend, he had quickly shaken his head, unwilling to be associated with her like that. At 18, he gave her a necklace for her birthday. But when their classmates started teasing them, he brushed it off. He said it was just a random gift and that he didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea. Even last month, when her hand accidentally brushed his, he had instinctively pulled away and gone straight to the sink. He scrubbed his hands three times like her touch had left something behind. It wasn't Kayla's imagination—Darren had been quietly keeping his distance all along. She never dared to hope she could stand by his side, let alone confess her feelings. She knew better than anyone that there was a world of distance between them. But in his eyes, she didn't even deserve the right to quietly like him. Staggering back, she accidentally bumped into Winona, who was walking toward her. "Kayla? What the hell are you doing here?" Winona's tone was cold and sharp. Kayla turned back, her lips parted to explain she had just come to drop off medicine. But Winona scoffed before she could say a word. "I thought I made things clear the last two times. Guess I overestimated you. Still trying to throw yourself at Darren?" "It's not what you think—" "Save it," Winona snapped, cutting her off. "Tonight, I'm going to make sure you finally get the message." Kayla turned and walked toward the bar at the end of the hallway, grabbing two unopened beer bottles. Before she could react, a loud crash echoed. The first bottle smashed over her head, shards of glass mixed with cold beer spraying everywhere. The second hit her shoulder, sending a sharp pain radiating through her body. Staggering, Kayla fell to her knees as warm blood trickled down her cheek, soaking the carpet with dark red stains. Through her blurred vision, she saw Winona strutting into the private room in heels. "Darren!" Winona's voice broke, thick with tears. "I still don't believe Kayla means nothing to you. So when I saw her, I snapped. I hit her with beer bottles." She sobbed. "Now you have to choose—are you taking her to the hospital, or taking me to Lover's Cliff to watch the sunrise?"