Chapter 19
NINETEEN
A simple life. One filled with love, laughter, happiness—that’s all she wanted. Was it too much to ask? At thirty-five, if you’re spending New Year’s at a party full of strangers as one of your dad’s plus-ones, that indicates a breakdown somewhere along the way, right?
The line between what Leah wanted and what she had was fractured, not just once, but twice. Twice in her life, she had fallen victim to the power of love—to the earth-shattering connection that blinded her from reality.
The third glass of champagne helped ease the worry.
A nice woman who complimented her necklace engaged with her in a twenty-minute conversation about how much more fulfilling life would be as a full-time dog walker—turns out, with the right work ethic, it easily provided a six-figure salary.
Two men close to her age tried to pull her into a conversation about this year’s Golden Globe nominees.
Leah didn’t care enough to waste copious amounts of energy, but it gave her a moment’s respite from the painful haze covering her body from head to toe.
Eventually, Leah found herself alone. The owners encouraged tours, so after admiring the size of the primary suite, she wandered to the smallest terrace, accessible only through the third bedroom.
It was private; she seemed to be the only one who took the owners’ invitation to explore the apartment beyond the guest bathroom literally.
She wanted to cry, to yell, to curse at the top of her lungs—all of which she could probably do unnoticed from the privacy of her terrace. But crying would require reapplying makeup, and frankly, it took her long enough to summon the energy to put it on in the first place.
She leaned against the cold railing, the city’s noise muffled by the high terrace walls. She exhaled a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, the weight of the night’s revelations settling in.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, but she ignored it. The last thing she needed was another work email.
The terrace door slid open.
“Leah.”
She didn’t turn to face the voice. She didn’t need to. Her name hung in the air. She took a slow breath, looking out at the city.
Ariana appeared beside her.
“I know you probably don’t want to see me.” Ariana’s voice was hesitant.
“I think it’s a little too late for that, don’t you? Considering we’re going to be work colleagues.”
“Your dad told you about that. I was going to, I swear—things just got a little complicated the last time we met.”
Leah faced Ariana, her eyes searching. “Was I just a game to you?”
“I . . .”
“Did you think, oh, I wonder how easy it would be to make Leah fall in love with me all over again? I wonder if I could use her for my own career gain. She’s a sucker, she won’t see it coming.
I can feed her mind with all the bullshit about how I never stopped loving her, and how every moment of every day there’s a reminder of her—and the apartment.
I mean, is that even true? Do you even have an apartment in Michigan, or was that just another lie to make me believe your bullshit story? ”
There was a long pause.
Ariana looked as though she was about to respond, but Leah held up a hand, her voice cutting through the air.
“I’m done with this.” Each word careful and controlled.
Ariana took a step closer, desperation in her eyes. “Leah, please, you don’t understand. None of what you’re saying is true.”
“Don’t talk to me about the truth, Ariana, when all you’ve done is lie.”
“I broke up with Hannah.” She took a deep breath, her words tumbling out.
“You said that last time. Another lie.”
“I didn’t lie, I just didn’t have the guts to tell her the truth. I never wanted to hurt Hannah—I tried to make it as painless as possible. But in doing that, I wasn’t clear enough. My choice of words left room for interpretation, and that’s my fault.”
“So, it’s over?”
“Yes, it’s over.”
“Then why haven’t you called?” Leah’s breath hitched, and for a moment, the sound of the city faded, the silence between them filled with everything they wanted to say.
“I owed Hannah an explanation—a chance to understand where it went wrong. I never gave that to you, and I regret it. I moved on with Hannah and never allowed you the time to process, to ask questions, to fight, to seek to understand before I left. Your questions went unanswered. I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.
It was the least I could do,” Ariana said truthfully, her eyes wide, pleading.
“So, you answered her questions, and now what?”
“I moved out. A work colleague offered me a place to stay for a month until I can find something more permanent. It’s over.”
“You told her you weren’t in love with me anymore . . .”
“I didn’t mean it. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
Everything I’ve said to you still stands.
I love you, Leah. I might’ve gone about things in the wrong way, but I did the best I could.
I was in an impossible situation. I knew if we had any chance of being what we used to be, I needed to end things properly with Hannah—I needed to prove to you I was fully committed to this. To us.”
“And what about the job at my dad’s firm? Why would you do that? How do I know your intention was genuine?”
“I did it because of you,” Ariana said quietly.
Leah’s face crumpled. “You showed your interest before I came to New York. How could you have done it because of me?”
“Because I knew if I worked closely with your father, there was a chance I might see you again.”
“Wait . . .the fundraising gala . . .did you know I was going to be there?”
Ariana nodded.
“I would’ve never had the guts to admit I was wrong in leaving you, Leah.
I was scared to leave Hannah, to come back to Michigan with my tail between my legs hoping you might forgive me.
So I thought if one day I could just bump into you—if we could somehow, someway end up in the same place at the same time—maybe that would set off the chain of events that would eventually get me here. ”
Leah felt that old pull, the ache in her body that made her want to reach for Ariana.
“I don’t know what to say, or believe, or feel anymore.”
“Just say that you believe me. We can work on everything else if you can just find it in yourself to believe what I’m telling you,” Ariana pleaded.
“I want to believe you, and I want to forgive you for what you did back then—but I can’t pretend it didn’t matter. You mattered to me, more than anything.”
It felt like a fragile promise.
They were just two people standing in the cold, separated by years of history that neither had truly moved on from, and Leah was torn. Torn between her undeniable love for Ariana and the betrayal she still felt—both past and present.
“I know I hurt you,” Ariana said, her voice cracking. “I never meant to.”
Leah’s eyes clouded with memories—the look on Ariana’s face when she walked away for the final time.
“But you did,” Leah whispered.
Whenever she thought about that moment, the pain was still as raw as the day she left.
“I don’t know how to just . . .forget what happened. I don’t know how to trust you again, like I did before.”
Ariana swallowed hard. She hated the sight of Leah’s vulnerability—and knowing she was to blame.
“I can’t undo what I did, but if you let me, I’ll spend every day for the rest of my life proving there will never be another. I would never make the same mistake again. I’ve done nothing but regret my decision for five years—that’s the God’s honest truth.”
Leah’s eyes searched Ariana’s face, looking for the sincerity she had grown accustomed to.
Ariana leaned in closer, her voice steady now, but full of emotion. “If it’s at all possible for us to find our way back to each other—to have the chance at rebuilding what we used to be—I will never let that go.”
Leah closed her eyes. She searched for the answer. The weight of her heart pressed heavy against her chest. She wanted to give in to the pull.
Slowly, she reached for Ariana’s hand, her fingers trembling.
“I don’t know how I’ll feel, Ariana,” Leah said honestly.
“I know—and you can take all the time you need to figure it out. I’ll wait.”
“Despite everything, I want to be with you, that much I know.” Her voice wobbled.
Ariana’s breath caught, her eyes brimming with tears. And in that quiet, fragile moment, they joined together again. The skyline flickered with city lights, their breath visible in the frosty air.
Their lips met as fireworks erupted all around them.
The kiss began softly, hesitant, as if they were trying to fight their way back to who they used to be.
There was a gentle pressure as Ariana brushed a lock of hair behind Leah’s ear, her hand shaking slightly under the weight of the moment.
Leah, overcome, pulled her closer, a hand sliding around the back of her neck, fingers threading through Ariana’s curly mane of hair.
Their connection grew stronger with every second—more intimate, more raw as the feelings came flooding back.
The kiss was no longer just a kiss—it was a promise. A declaration of everything unspoken. A lifeline. A way back from the depths of despair.
In the moments that followed, they held each other close. Leah was uncertain—but bound by the hope that love could overcome anything, even when tested.