The picture of Caleb Hayes carrying another woman went viral while I was watching the sun come up. The mountain was cold. The light offered no warmth. When I got back into cell service, I sent Caleb a text ending our engagement. I didn’t want him anymore. I just wanted out. Whatever it took. … Caleb couldn’t wrap his head around it. All he did was miss a sunrise with Mia Taylor. And now, the ever-compliant, ever-gentle Mia was actually threatening to call off the engagement. He didn't take it seriously. The photos were scrubbed from the internet within an hour. There was nothing going on between him and Seraphina, not really. So he didn’t call Mia. But by the time he finally thought to reach out, he had the sinking feeling he’d already lost her for good. 1 Caleb didn’t bother to hide his phone when he took the call. It was his assistant, just as I’d expected. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze locking onto mine. “Something’s come up. An emergency.” “Do you want to head down with me, or are you going to—” “Can’t it wait?” I cut him off, my voice laced with a pleading I didn’t know I was capable of. “Can you please just stay and watch the sunrise with me? Please?” The moment the words left my lips, regret flooded in. Caleb said nothing. He just turned and started down the mountain path, the look he gave me over his shoulder colder than the biting pre-dawn air. I forced a brittle smile. A strange calm settled over me. I reached the summit at 5:58 AM, just in time. As the sun crested the horizon, the entire peak was bathed in a layer of liquid gold. But God, it was so cold up here. The sun didn’t warm a thing. A young couple who’d hiked up with the same tour group were huddled together, wrapped in each other’s arms. They asked if I’d take a picture for them. They looked so happy it hurt to see. The boy walked over, handing me his phone. He leaned in and whispered, his voice trembling with nerves and excitement. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but could you actually take a video?” “I’m going to propose to my girlfriend.” And that was it. That was the exact moment I decided to leave Caleb. I watched through the screen as the boy gently placed a small, delicate veil on the girl’s head before dropping to one knee, holding out a ring. When she turned, her gasp was a perfect mix of shock and pure joy. I tilted my head back, but the tears I’d been holding back—the humiliation of being abandoned halfway up a mountain—finally spilled over and ran down my cheeks. 2 After the sun was fully up, I followed the stream of people to the shuttle bus stop at the base of the mountain. Caleb was long gone. The private driver he’d arranged for us never came back. I bought a bus ticket and found a seat in the back row, by the window. My phone, tucked away in my purse, began to vibrate violently. I pulled it out. A flood of notifications. Aside from Caleb’s pinned chat, a message from his cousin, Chloe Hayes, was at the very top. “The real queen is back in town. Do you really have the shameless audacity to think my cousin is still going to marry you?” “Mia, if I were you, I’d be the one to call off this sham engagement.” “[VIDEO]” I tapped the link. It was a screen recording of the TMZ homepage. 【SERAPHINA MONROE ATTACKED, CALEB HAYES RUSHES TO ASPEN TO BE BY HER SIDE】 【ARE SERAPHINA MONROE AND CALEB HAYES HOLLYWOOD’S HOTTEST SECRET COUPLE?】 【EXCLUSIVE: BILLIONAIRE HEIR CALEB HAYES IS ACTRESS SERAPHINA MONROE’S MYSTERY BENEFACTOR】 The headlines were a gallery of their names, intertwined. A photo of Caleb carrying a distraught-looking Seraphina in his arms. A paparazzi shot of Caleb in a baseball cap, on vacation with a bundled-up Seraphina. A long-lens photo of Caleb and Seraphina kissing on the deck of a yacht. I squeezed my eyes shut. Then, I opened my chat with Caleb. My fingers trembled as they hovered over the screen. When his assistant had called, I’d heard him say her name. Seraphina. “Caleb, when you get back to New York, we need to schedule a meeting with our families.” “It’s time to discuss calling off the engagement.” We’d been engaged for three years. I had chased him for three years. Even when he was cold and dismissive, I endured it all, telling myself that one day, he would come to love me. But now, I didn’t want to love Caleb Hayes anymore. And I certainly didn’t need his love. I was done. 3 It took Caleb three days to get back to New York. We ran into each other at the airport. He was shielding Seraphina from the cameras, and a team of bodyguards was shielding them both. He froze for a second when he saw me, then quickly averted his gaze. “Caleb, wait.” Seraphina stopped him, then walked right up to me. “You must be Mia,” she said. “I’ve seen pictures of you. Can I please explain?” Her voice was level, neither arrogant nor submissive. But underneath, I could hear a carefully curated note of wronged vulnerability. I didn’t break my stride. I didn’t even look at her as I moved to walk past. But Caleb’s hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around my wrist like a steel cuff. “Mia, Seraphina is talking to you. Where are your manners?” His voice was harsh. So harsh it brought an instant sting of tears to my eyes. “Caleb, don’t be like that,” Seraphina murmured, her voice soft and sweet. “Mia, I am so sorry we had to meet like this,” she said, turning back to me. “I heard Caleb was supposed to be watching the sunrise with you. It was my manager who called him, not me. I never would have interrupted.” She paused, her eyes searching mine. “So… was it beautiful? The sunrise?” I wanted to laugh. I couldn’t. I wanted to scream at her. It didn’t seem worth the energy. In the end, I didn’t answer her perfectly crafted, venomous question. I just looked at Caleb. He really, truly couldn’t stand me. For the first time in three years, I felt the full, undiluted force of his annoyance. “Caleb, you saw the message I sent you, didn’t you?” “Set a time that works for you and let me know. I’ll fly my parents in.” My voice was quiet, but it cut through the airport noise. “Caleb. I’m the one ending this.” 4 I thought he would be pleased. Instead, he looked furious. A fire I couldn’t quite decipher blazed in his eyes. Then again, it made sense. A man like Caleb Hayes, a man who lived his life being worshipped, had just been publicly dumped by me. He had every right to be angry. I maneuvered around them and headed for the security line. It wasn’t until the plane was taking off, leaving the lights of New York behind, that a sense of unreality washed over me. I had loved Caleb Hayes for so many years. I was the one who had begged for this engagement in the first place. But letting go… it felt surprisingly easy. Three years ago, I’d heard from a mutual friend that Caleb’s family was pressuring him relentlessly to get married. So I went to my grandfather. My grandfather, who had always spoiled me, made a call to the Hayes family. And just like that, the merger—the engagement—was arranged. Caleb never said yes, but he didn’t say no either. He just pulled me aside after the engagement party. “Mia,” he’d said, his voice flat. “I don’t love you, and I will never marry you.” “But I can promise you this: until the day you decide to end this, I won’t do anything to disrespect you.” I’d bitten my lip, my voice small. “What do you mean by disrespect?” His answer was immediate and clinical. “Holding hands, hugging, kissing. And sleeping with someone.” Everyone in New York knew his reputation. Caleb Hayes always had a beautiful woman on his arm, a flavor of the month he’d replace every two months like clockwork. But after our engagement, the revolving door of women had stopped. Until Seraphina. And Seraphina had lied. Our first meeting wasn’t at the airport. It was a week ago. She had secretly flown into New York and asked to meet me. She introduced herself as Caleb’s girlfriend. 5 I was stunned when I saw Seraphina Monroe sitting there at the café. She gestured gracefully to the chair across from her. “Mia. I’m Seraphina.” She paused for effect. “Caleb’s girlfriend.” I pressed my lips together, a crushing weight settling on my chest. It felt hard to breathe. Chloe had told me, of course. She’d always said there was someone Caleb kept enshrined in his heart. I never believed her. Hearing it from Seraphina herself sent a dull, throbbing pain through me. “I’ve been working overseas these last few years, either on set or in acting workshops,” she continued, her tone conversational. “I honestly had no idea his family had forced him into an engagement.” “You must know, Mia.” “Caleb doesn’t love you.” “He made a promise to me. That he would wait until I turned twenty-seven.” As if to prove her status, she pulled out her phone and called him, right there in front of me, putting it on speaker. He picked up on the first ring. His voice, clear and warm, filled the space between us. A voice I’d never heard him use with me. “Seraphina, what’s up?” She let out a low, intimate laugh. “Nothing. I just missed you.” There was a brief silence on his end. Then, “I have a business trip to London the day after tomorrow. I’ll come see you then.” “Oh, and that script you mentioned? You got the lead.” She hung up and looked at me with a faint, triumphant smile. It was a taunt. “You can call him too, if you like. Ask him yourself.” I just shook my head. Caleb almost never answered my calls. Why would I subject myself to that humiliation? Before the waiter could even bring the coffee I’d ordered, I managed a weak smile and fled. 6 But my composure didn't last. After seeing Seraphina that afternoon, I went straight to Caleb’s office. He’d told her he had a business trip to London. I had to ask. “Caleb, do you have any plans the day after tomorrow?” “Grandpa Hayes keeps asking me to bring you over for dinner at the estate. Do you have any time?” It wasn’t a lie. Every time his grandfather called me, he’d tell me to drag Caleb home for a family meal. Caleb never wanted to go. I’d made up so many excuses for him, time and time again. But after learning about Seraphina, I was suddenly tired of lying for him. That day, Caleb’s brow furrowed in annoyance. He placed his pen down on the desk, his expression sour. “Ms. Taylor, are you underworked, or do you simply lack professional etiquette?” “It’s working hours. Are you not aware of that?” His words hit me like a slap. A dense, sharp pain bloomed in my chest. He had been in a meeting when Seraphina called him. He had his assistant escort me out of his office. As the door closed, the assistant offered a kind, pitying look. “Mr. Hayes has always kept his work and private life separate. Please don’t take it to heart, Ms. Taylor.” But I remembered what Seraphina had said. “Everyone in the industry is trying to guess who my powerful benefactor is.” “Who do you think it is, Mia?” My throat felt tight. I clenched my fists. I decided to give us one last chance. One final, definitive chance. That evening, after work, I sent him a text. “Caleb.” “It’s my birthday in a week. Can you take me to see the sunrise?” But now I knew the truth. Someone who doesn’t love you will never love you, no matter how many chances you give them. 7 The plane landed in Aspen. My parents were there to pick me up. As we drove along the highway, the windows were sealed tight, but I could feel the chill in the air. Autumn in Aspen was much colder than in New York. “Are you sure about this? No regrets?” My mom squeezed my hand, her voice filled with concern. When I had first insisted on the engagement to Caleb, I’d staged a full-blown melodrama, locking myself in my room for two days. I was stubborn, determined. My parents were furious, not speaking to me for days. In the end, my grandfather sighed, gave in, and called the Hayes family. The Hayes family was a dynasty in New York. The Taylor family was no small name in Colorado. Our families, otherwise disconnected, had a link through our grandfathers, who were old war buddies that built their empires together. “I’m sure. No regrets,” I said, my voice firm. “I also quit my job at Hayes Design. I’m staying in Aspen to be with you and Grandpa.” Hayes Design was Caleb’s architecture firm. Before leaving New York, I’d sent my resignation email to HR. As a ‘special consultant,’ there were no formalities. I just had to walk away. The things I did to be close to him. It was pathetic. I rested my head on my mother’s shoulder. My gaze drifted to the golden aspen leaves outside the window. The sight was beautiful and bittersweet. Right after we landed, Chloe had sent me another video. I watched it. Caleb was sitting in the center of a plush sofa in what looked like a private club, Seraphina nestled beside him. Someone off-camera asked, “Caleb, Mia Taylor has always been so docile. What’s this about her suddenly wanting to end the engagement? Is it for real?” Caleb let out a short, contemptuous laugh. “I missed one sunrise with her. She wants to throw a tantrum, let her.” “I was never going to marry her anyway.” 8 He was never going to marry me. That’s why he never put any effort into me. The only reason he even agreed to that sunrise trip was because his grandfather had called, yelling and practically ordering him to go. Before we left, I had told him. “If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. You don’t have to force yourself.” Caleb had given me a long, condescending look. “And have you run and tattle to the old man?” I’d looked down, saying nothing more. All I had told his grandfather was that I was planning a trip to see the sunrise. I never even mentioned Caleb. But his grandfather insisted Caleb should go with me. “Relationships need nurturing,” he had said. And so, all Caleb remembered was the sunrise.
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