Chapter 719

Kian wasn’t asleep. He sat at his desk, files spread out under a warm desk lamp. The truth stung—his mom’s surgery had been fake, but her illness was real: early-stage lung cancer and a weak heart. A deadly combo if left untreated. Still, she refused real treatment—too focused on keeping him away from Ophelia.

He planned to confront her in the morning. But when he grabbed his phone, Emilio’s name popped up with a taunting text. His stomach dropped.

Emilio and Ophelia… getting married?

It was all over the internet. If it was trending, it had to be true. Was this really what Ophelia wanted? Or had her parents pushed it? No, they usually respected her choices—unlike his own mom.

Still, he couldn’t break up her engagement just because he loved her. That would be selfish. Maybe they really weren’t meant to be.

Before bed, he wrote an email to her:
[I’ll never forget that night at the bar when you hugged me and said my name. If you hate me, delete this. I won’t reach out again. But if you ever need me, I’ll be there.]