Chapter 2
Elena
Elena finally clicked 'Save' on the final presentation slide, collapsed against the back of her ergonomic chair, and let out a sigh that felt like it originated from her soul.
The company spreadsheets looked worse every single time she opened them. It was as if the numbers were actively rotting overnight in a dark, damp basement just to spite her. She rubbed her temples, feeling a tension headache brewing.
What the hell had Aunt Julie been doing for the last ten years?
It had been a decade since her father passed away, and somehow, Waldorf Fashions was still running purely on its old-money reputation, emergency damage control, and Elena personally preventing total financial collapse twice a week.
At this point, caffeine didn't just deserve a seat at the table; it deserved executive shares and a corner office.
A timid knock interrupted her descent into corporate despair.
“Mrs. Montgomery?” an intern said, hovering carefully in the doorway like Elena might throw a stapler. “They need your final sign-off on the winter designs downstairs.”
Elena straightened automatically, her corporate mask clicking into place. “Right. On my way.”
The fashion wing downstairs was its usual brand of beautiful, high-stress chaos.
Rolling wardrobe racks clattered across the polished floors, stylists screamed into headsets about missing stilettos, and rogue clouds of steam hissed from industrial irons in the background.
It smelled like expensive perfume and panic.
But the second Elena stepped into the fitting room, the chaos halted. Someone let out a sharp gasp, followed by an actual, glass-shattering squeal.
“Oh my God—finally!”
Elena blinked, startled.
A tall girl standing near the triple-mirrors was staring at her as if she’d just witnessed a haunting. Dramatic, glossy red curls framed her face in perfect waves, her eyeliner was sharp enough to legally qualify as a weapon, and oversized gold hoops swung wildly as she spun around.
Her grin was blinding.
“Maya?” Elena gasped.
“Elena Waldorf!”
Before Elena’s brain could fully process the reality, Maya charged forward and threw her arms around her, burying Elena in a cloud of designer citrus scent.
“Oh my God, Maya! When did you move to New York?” Elena laughed, hugging her back tightly. “Last time I checked your Instagram, you were shooting a music video in LA and living your best beach life.”
“I was!” Maya laughed, pulling back but keeping her hands on Elena’s shoulders. “But I packed up a month ago after Noir Skincare offered me their global winter campaign. Apparently, my pores now scream ‘I vacation in the Swiss Alps and drink liquid diamonds.’”
Elena let out a surprised, genuine laugh—the first one in weeks. “Maya, that’s huge! Congratulations!”
“I know, right? I meant to call you the second I landed, but Ivy and I were losing our minds apartment hunting, and then the campaign started, and suddenly I had zero free time.”
She rolled her eyes with characteristic drama. “And then yesterday my agent called saying Waldorf Fashions wanted me for their next runway show, so I figured the universe was tired of waiting and forced a reunion.”
Elena’s eyes widened. “Wait—Ivy’s here too?”
“Yes! She got a massive promotion and transferred to the Manhattan division.”
A rush of warmth flooded Elena’s chest. Back at Aurelia University, the three of them had been completely inseparable.
Maya was the reckless, beautiful tornado with an inability to take anything seriously for more than thirty seconds; Ivy was the quiet, sweet anchor with a heart too big for her own good.
Somehow, they had become sisters in every way that mattered.
God, she had missed them. Busy lives and different cities had kept them apart, and it had been over a year since they had last met in person. And now, by some miracle, they all lived in the same square mileage of Manhattan.
“And guess what?” Maya practically vibrated with excitement. “Ivy and Aaron are getting married!”
“No way! When did that happen? That's huge!” Elena squealed, her corporate exhaustion instantly melting into pure, unadulterated joy for her best friend.
“Yeah! She wanted to tell you in person, so we absolutely have to get drinks. Tonight. Tomorrow. Every day.”
“Yes, please. Let's do it,” Elena nodded eagerly.
Maya suddenly stopped, narrowing her heavily linered blue eyes, inspecting Elena’s face like a high-tech scanner. “You somehow got prettier,” she announced, sounding profoundly offended. “It’s honestly really annoying.”
Elena rolled her eyes, flushing. “That is statistically impossible considering you look like you just stepped off a billboard.” Which, to be fair, was now a literal job description.
Maya pressed a dramatic hand to her chest. “Finally! Somebody in this building appreciates my aesthetic value.”
Behind them, a makeup artist snorted into her blending sponge.
Maya whirled around, pointing a manicured finger at Elena. “Do you people even understand who this is? You are basking in the presence of royalty.”
“Maya, please—”
“No, seriously,” she continued, completely ignoring Elena’s burning cheeks. “Back at Aurelia, Half the university wanted to date her, and the other half wanted to steal her wardrobe. She was the It Girl.”
Elena groaned softly, covering her face with her hands. “I am begging you to stop talking.”
Her friend had always been her biggest cheerleader.
“She’s being humble. Don’t trust a word of it,”
Maya stage-whispered to the room. “Every party, every charity gala—people would literally pretend they weren’t breaking their necks trying to stare at her. And she was annoyingly nice about it, too. Like, who casually lets her freshman roommates borrow her Birkins and limited-edition Louboutins?”
Elena laughed under her breath, letting her hands fall away.
God, it felt incredible to just breathe around someone again. To talk to someone who didn’t care about market shares, who wasn’t one of her husband’s stuffy business associates, or one of their equally exhausting, pearl-clutching wives.
With Maya, she was just Elena.
****
“I missed you so much,” Elena admitted a little later, gently dragging Maya away from the bustling racks into a quieter, sunlit corner of the studio. “I think the last time we actually saw each other was my wedding anniversary. That was, what… a year ago?”
“Yes, and whose fault is that, pray tell?” Maya shot her a pointed look, crossing her arms.
“You skipped the Aurelia alumni reunion back in February!”
“Oh, come on. It had barely been three years since graduation,” Elena countered defensively. “That doesn’t qualify as a reunion. That’s just an overpriced happy hour.”
Maya’s expression shifted, her eyes softening into something too perceptive. “That’s obviously not the reason you avoided it, Elena.”
Elena looked away first, her gaze suddenly finding the pattern on the hardwood floors incredibly interesting.
Because Maya wasn't wrong.
She had avoided anything and everything connected to her alma mater. Aurelia University was a beautiful, brick-lined landmine of memories. It reminded her too sharply of the days when she was actually happy. When her future felt bright and entirely her own.
It reminded her of him.
The man who had been the undisputed love of her life. The guy Elena had once been stupidly, blissfully certain she was going to grow old with.
Until he broke her heart into a million pieces on the very last day of college–with a damn hand-written note and vanished.
Carter Evans.
Even just thinking his name caused a familiar, traitorous thrill to zap through her veins, followed closely by the dull ache of an old wound.
He had been a devastating mix of effortless charm, brilliant intellect, and a smile that made her forget her own name.
She’d spent an unhealthy amount of time trying to solve the mystery of his sudden departure.
How could someone who looked at you like you were the absolute center of their universe, who swore he loved you every chance he got, just walk away?
First her parents in the crash. Then him. It felt like everyone she truly loved eventually learned how to leave.
Forcing a bright, practiced smile onto her face—one that felt significantly sturdier than she actually was—Elena shrugged lightly. She held up her left hand, letting the massive, flawless diamond catch the studio light.
“It’s okay, Maya. You can say his name. It was a lifetime ago. Plus, as you can see, I’m a married woman now.”
“Yeah, well, for the record, he wasn’t even there,” Maya said, her voice dropping an octave as she crossed her arms tightly. “Honestly, Ivy and I had a whole tactical plan to throw a glass of cheap Pinot Grigio in his face if he showed up.”
That brought an unexpected, genuine snort out of Elena. “I appreciate the loyalty.”
Maya’s dramatic edge melted away, leaving something fiercely protective in its place. “Seriously, though… Nobody has heard from him in years. I think people just stopped trying to look.”
Hearing that felt stranger than it should have.
Elena realized, with a small jolt, that her burning anger had faded into a hollow curiosity. Where did he go? And why?
“Earth to Elena!”
Maya’s voice snapped her back to reality so suddenly she blinked.
“Yeah. Sorry. Ghost in the room,” Elena murmured, forcing a sheepish smile.
Maya leaned in, her expression incredibly tender.
“Elena, I know it’s painful to look back.
But you’re acting like you ran away with the town’s pension fund or something!
You didn't do anything wrong. We had the absolute best time in college, and everyone adored you. You can’t lock up a whole chapter of your life just because of one guy. ”
Elena stared at her best friend, the truth of her words sinking in. “You’re right,” she admitted with a soft laugh. “I promise I’ll come to the next Aurelia gathering. No more hiding.”