I Stopped Loving Him

At 20, I became known for two things.

First, I weighed over 200 pounds, yet I still ended up dating Christian Fairmont, the coldest and most unattainable man in our circle.

Second, I turned down Christian's proposal, changed my name, left the country, and became the one woman no one dared mention around him—the forbidden, unattainable love he could never let go.

For the next five years, Christian shut himself away in a church and refused to see anyone.

Just when everyone thought he was about to become a priest, he suddenly announced his engagement.

He made such a spectacle of it that even I heard about it all the way in Goldridge. That alone showed how much he valued his bride-to-be.

I booked the first flight home that same night.

Everyone who saw me reacted the same way. First, they stared at how completely I had changed, how much weight I had lost, how I looked like a different person. Then they sighed.

"Juliana, you came back too late."

Even Christian looked at me with cold, distant eyes. "When you walked away and left me behind, did you ever think that five years later, you'd regret it?"

Regret? I shook my head. "I don't regret it."

I was already married and had a child.

I did not return to Imperius for Christian Fairmont.

When newspapers in Goldridge began flooding the headlines with news of his engagement, my father called.

"We finally got a lead on your mother's belongings."

That was why I booked a flight that same night.

By the time I landed in Sothoris, rain was pouring down. I dragged my suitcase toward the underground parking garage and quickly located the car my father had arranged, matching the license plate he had given me.

The moment I opened the door, my breathing halted.

Christian sat in the back seat. He wore a perfectly tailored suit, and five years had done nothing to soften his distant, untouchable air. He looked exactly as I remembered: cold, restrained, and untouchable.

I thought I had the wrong car and began to close the door, but he spoke first. "Wrong car? No. I came to pick up Jessie for Mr. Winslow. I just happened to be picking you up as well."

The name caught me off guard. Jessica Winslow was my father's affair child, only six months younger than me.

I stared at Christian's profile. A moment later, the truth settled into place. His fiancée and Jessica were the same person.

He noticed my reaction and lifted a brow.

"My engagement was announced, and you rushed back almost immediately. You obviously care a great deal, yet you pretend not to know who I'm marrying. Juliana Winslow, do you ever get tired of acting?" The mockery in his voice was unmistakable.

I took the front passenger seat. My hand paused on the seat belt. "I came back to deal with something personal. Not because of you."

He let out a quiet scoff, as if