1 I’ve always been competitive. In my world, if you aren’t first, you’re invisible. So, when someone on the yacht suggested a game of "Don’t Look Back," everyone laughed and said the prize was already mine. The rules were simple: stand still, face the ocean, and no matter what happens behind you, don’t turn around. If you peek, you lose. My fiancé, Reid Harrison, and my best friend, Sloane Miller, were standing directly behind me. My brother, Chase, was the one tasked with trying to break my resolve. The game started, the salt air whipping my hair around my face. After a few minutes of silence, Chase’s voice cut through the wind. "Nina, Reid just took Sloane’s hand." I didn’t even blink. I watched the horizon, the sun dipping low over the Atlantic. Chase laughed, though it sounded a bit forced. "Seriously? You’re not going to look? They’re full-on hugging now." I stayed rooted to the spot. My heart wasn’t even racing; I knew Chase. He’d say anything to win. But then, his voice went flat. Dry. "Nina... they’re kissing." I knew it was a trick. I knew it was the ultimate bait to make me lose the game. But something in the silence that followed—a heavy, suffocating stillness—made my skin crawl. I turned around. Reid’s head was tilted down, his hands framing her face. Sloane was looking up at him, her eyes closed. They weren’t just "playing." They were kissing. Deeply. My mind went white. The world shrunk down to the three of them. I walked over, the wooden deck steady beneath my feet while my world tilted, and I slapped Reid across the face. Hard. Sloane’s eyes flew open, instantly welling with tears. Reid just stood there, his jaw tight, refusing to meet my gaze for a long, agonizing minute. Finally, Chase broke the silence. "Nina, come on. It was just an impulse. A heat-of-the-moment thing." He stepped toward me, his hands out like he was calming a stray animal. "We all thought you were so obsessed with winning the game that you wouldn’t look. We didn’t think you’d actually turn around." Sloane finally found her voice, her tone trembling with a practiced fragility. "Nina, I don’t want to lie to you anymore. Reid spent four years chasing me in college. We... we just didn’t want those four years to end in regret." I had always known about the girl from Reid’s past. The girl he spent four years pining over before we started dating. I’d seen him drunk over her back then; I’d even sat with him while he complained about her lack of taste for not choosing him. But I never knew that girl was Sloane. Apparently, everyone else did. My brother, our circle, our world. I was the only one kept in the dark. The deck grew quiet, the only sound the rhythmic slapping of waves against the hull. Under my cold stare, Reid remained silent. Sloane spoke first. "Nina, I’m sorry. I did love him once." I let out a sharp, hollow laugh. "Then why didn't you stay with him? Why let me step into the picture?" "It wasn't a fit," Chase cut in, shielding her. "Think about it, Nina. Look at the Harrisons’ status versus Sloane’s family. You know the world we live in." Chase, my own flesh and blood, had known all along. Back when Reid was at his most desperate, Chase had lent him his private jet to fly her across the country and pulled favors with A-list talent to throw her a private concert. I was the only one who hadn't been invited to that grand, four-year romantic spectacle. I looked at my brother, my fiancé, and my best friend. "Is this fun for you? Watching me play the fool for years while you all held the punchline?" Chase opened his mouth to argue, but the weight of my expression silenced him. I turned to Reid. "You. Tell me. Was it worth the laugh?" Reid finally looked at me. "Nina, since you and I started dating, nothing has happened between me and Sloane. Nothing. We both knew our families’ backgrounds made us impossible. This... this was just a moment. An impulsive goodbye to the past. Do you really want to blow this up and embarrass everyone over one kiss?" Chase nodded, unconsciously stepping into a line with Reid and Sloane. I used to think the four of us were a solid unit. But standing there, I realized they were a wall, and I was the one being shut out. Footsteps echoed from the upper deck. My parents and Reid’s parents were coming down. The yacht belonged to the Harrisons; other than the crew, it was just our two families. My mother saw the red mark on Reid’s face and rushed to my side, pulling me back. "Nina? What happened? Did he hurt you?" "He was just kissing Sloane," I said, my voice dead. My mother froze. I waited for the explosion, for the righteous anger on my behalf. Instead, she just looked back at my father. "Mom?" I pulled my hand away from her. "You knew too?" "Nina, don't get worked up," she said, reaching out to tuck a stray hair behind my ear. "Back in college, Reid came to us a few times. He asked me what kind of jewelry girls liked, things like that. When we saw how close you and Sloane became later, we thought bringing it up would just make things awkward for everyone." She sighed softly. "Besides, Reid chose you after graduation, didn't he? He’s with you now. Don't be petty about ancient history." My father didn’t bother with the soft touch. "Our families have been in business together for decades, Nina. You and Reid grew up together. Don't let a little drama ruin a legacy." Reid’s mother stepped in then, taking my hand. "Nina, honey, marriage isn't just about two people in love. It’s about two families. It's a partnership." Reid’s father frowned, his voice heavy with "wisdom." "Every man has a woman he can't quite forget from his youth, Nina. It’s normal. Once the ring is on your finger, his heart will come home for good. In families like ours, you can't base a life solely on feelings." I didn't say another word. I turned and walked into the cabin, locking the door behind me. I ignored the knocking until, eventually, it stopped. Half an hour later, I heard Chase’s voice through the door. "Reid, you really aren't going to check on her?" Then came Reid’s reply. "No. She’s been like this since she was a kid. She has to win everything. She lost the game today, and she found out she didn't know a secret. She just can't handle the blow to her ego. She'll cool off." I picked up my phone and opened my chat with Reid. It had been pinned to the top for two years. His contact name was Reid ❤️. I stared at it for a few seconds, then deleted the heart. I scrolled through our history. It was endless. It’s getting cold, bring a jacket. Don’t get sick. Baby, your stomach is sensitive, stay away from the iced lattes. I’ll pick you up after my meeting. Nails at 4:00? I hit "Delete All." I moved to my photos. I found a picture from last year when I had a high fever. It was 3:00 AM, and I’d been delirious. He had carried me to the ER. In the photo, he was asleep in a chair by my hospital bed, his hand still gripped tightly around my wrist. I had posted that on Instagram with the caption: He says he’ll watch over me forever. His comment was right underneath: Always. I kept scrolling. Our first trip to Napa. Our first kiss. The day we got our Golden Retriever, Barnaby. I deleted them one by one, my vision blurring as tears finally spilled over. If it had all been a lie, it wouldn't have hurt this much. But I knew those moments were real. He had been good to me. But as I wept, the patterns I’d ignored started to emerge. There was a period where Reid was constantly on job boards. "Since when does your firm hire Brand Ops managers?" I’d asked. "Just helping a friend look," he’d said. Shortly after, Sloane landed a high-level job at a top-tier firm. And from then on, Reid had "business trips" to that city every other month. I’d even teased him about it. "Since when does Harrison Group consult for mid-sized firms like that?" Now I knew. He was consulting for Sloane. She had risen quickly, landing projects that even senior VPs fought over. And Sloane... she was always asking about Reid and me. She’d even asked once, "If he had someone in his heart he couldn't forget, would it bother you?" I had laughed and said, "If he’s emotionally cheating, I’m gone. I don’t look back." The phone slipped from my hand onto the bed. The irony was a physical weight in my chest. Don’t look back. I looked back today, and I saw the truth. And Chase. For the last two years, there were so many "guys' nights." "Nina, let me borrow Reid for the evening. Guy talk, you’d be bored." I never checked up on him. I’d just wave them off. "Take him! I need some 'me' time anyway." How many of those nights did Sloane spend with them? I couldn't bear to think about it. The room felt like a tomb. I grabbed a coat and stepped out onto the aft deck for some air. As I approached the railing, I heard Sloane’s voice coming from the shadows. "Be honest. Have you really moved on?" The sea breeze was cold. I stood frozen in the dark. "No." Reid’s voice. Two letters that felt like a knife to the gut. "Me neither," Sloane whispered. They stared out at the black water for a long time before Reid spoke again. "Sloane, you’re going to have a good life. Before I marry her, I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. I’ll introduce you to the right people in the circle—someone wealthy, someone who can give you the happiness you deserve." I gripped the railing until my knuckles turned white. "You shouldn't have introduced me to Nina in the first place," Sloane said softly. "If we hadn't become friends, today wouldn't be so messy." "If you didn't know her, how would you have entered this world?" Reid replied. "Nina saw you as a friend, so she opened doors for you. She brought you into the inner circle. I just didn't expect her to turn around today." He paused. "But don't worry. Even without Nina, you have me. I’ll keep taking you to the galas and the charity balls. Once you’ve solidified your own standing, I’ll be at peace." I couldn't cry anymore. I just felt a cold, bitter smile touch my lips. My friendship with Sloane wasn't an accident. I was her ticket. I was the one who vouched for her, who introduced her to the right people, who groomed her for a world she didn't belong to. And Reid had used me to pave the way for his "ghost." I couldn't listen anymore. I went back to my room and called Riley. She was vacationing on a nearby island and had asked me to join her yesterday. I’d told her I had to be with Reid. She picked up on the third ring. "Sweetie? It's the middle of the night. What’s up?" "Riley, can you come get me?" There was a beat of silence. "You're with Reid, aren't you?" "I’m breaking up with him. I can't stay on this boat." Another pause. "Send me your coordinates. I’ll be there in the morning. Hang on, Nina." 2 I woke up the next morning with a fever of 102. My mother came in to call me for breakfast, and the second her hand touched my forehead, her face fell. "Nina, you're burning up." The yacht had a staff doctor. He took my temperature, checked my throat, and handed me a bottle of pills. "Probably the night air. Rest and fluids." My father poured me a glass of water. "You heard him. Stay in bed." I nodded, took the medicine, and drifted back to sleep. When I woke up again, the room felt stifling. My throat felt like I’d swallowed glass. I put on a silk mask and stepped out to get some air. In the hallway, I saw Chase coming down the stairs with a luxury gift bag. My parents were sitting near two beautifully wrapped boxes. Even Reid’s parents were directing the crew to move gifts to the main deck. It took me a second to realize. It was Sloane’s birthday. I actually had a gift for her in my suitcase. A vintage Cartier watch. We’d seen it in a window last month, and she’d stared at it for the longest time. She loved it, so I bought it. I went back to the room and opened my luggage. The box was tucked under my clothes. I looked at it for a long time before shoving it back down. She wasn't getting it. As I closed the suitcase, I heard footsteps. Reid was coming down the hall carrying a jar of canned peaches. I stopped in my tracks. The yacht was stocked with everything. Imported fruit, artisan pastries, gourmet snacks. But no one would stock a plain, supermarket-brand jar of canned peaches. I knew instantly he had bought it before we boarded. When I was a kid, a fever always took my appetite. I couldn't eat porridge or soup; the only thing I could stomach was chilled canned peaches. Reid used to tease me about it. "Most people want chicken soup, and you want sugar syrup." But every time I got sick, he’d have a jar ready. My heart, which had turned to ice the night before, felt a pathetic, involuntary throb of warmth. He’d thought of me. He’d planned for the possibility of me getting sick before we even left the dock. Reid saw me. "What are you doing out of bed? The doctor said rest." "It's stuffy," I whispered, my voice cracked. "Don't stay out here too long. Take your meds." He didn't hand me the peaches. He walked right past me and headed downstairs. By noon, the pain in my throat was so sharp I couldn't even swallow water. I lay there, staring at my phone, wondering where he’d put the jar. I was just about to text him when I heard the singing from the deck below. "Happy Birthday to you..." I walked to the balcony. Below, the table was laden with food and champagne. Sloane sat in the center, flanked by everyone. And sitting right in front of her was the jar of peaches. Sloane’s eyes were misty. "You remembered?" Reid sat beside her, his voice tender. "You told me back in college. When you were little and money was tight, your mom would buy you one jar of peaches for your birthday. You said that even after you had everything, you could never find that same taste." The jar was never for me. The gift-giving began. Chase gave her a high-end Leica camera. Reid’s mother pushed a box toward her. "You’ll be attending more formal events soon, dear. You’ll need these." It was a set of Mikimoto pearls. My mother handed over her gift, and my father smiled warmly. "I heard your latest project was a huge success. You’ve got real talent, Sloane." Reid’s father nodded. "This girl just needs a bit of a head start. There’s no telling how far she’ll go." They were all gathered around her, laughing, a perfect family portrait. And I stood at the top of the stairs, hidden by my mask, like a ghost haunting my own life. My mother was the first to spot me. "Nina, why are you out again? Go back inside. It’s Sloane’s birthday—don't give her your cold." I turned and walked back to my room. Riley sent a text: Almost there. One hour. One hour. Then I’m gone.
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