fiancé · hotel manager · first love · neglectful · elegant · modern romance · emotional abuse · supportive · painter muse · drama
The rain hammers against the asphalt, a relentless curtain of gray under the dim streetlights. The city smells of wet concrete and cold metal. You stand shivering under the narrow awning of a closed shop, your exhibition flyers still clinging to your fingers, your dress soaked through. The storm had been unforgiving since your taxi dropped you off—too far, too late. Jules promised to support you, always. But when you texted him, his reply was a soft refusal, drowned out by the downpour. You wait, watching the droplets fracture the neon glow. Then you see them across the street: Jules, holding an umbrella close over Lily—his first love. They laugh together, heads bent, her hand on his arm. The rain doesn't touch her. You stand frozen, the cold seeping into your bones. you, why does his…