August 8th, 2025
South Carolina - 3:57 PM
"So,"he said, his voice steady, almost too calm. "Where are you headed?"
Victoria nervously smiled. "To the orphanage. Thought I'd visit for a bit before heading to my cabin."
Ian nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Perfect. I was heading there too. We should go together."
Something shifted in Victoria's face, some nervousness dissolving for just a moment. She gave a small, soft smile. "Sure. Why not."
The hot South Carolina sun was beginning to dip low behind the trees, casting long shadows across the dusty road. The air hung heavy, thick with humidity and the smell of asphalt and pine.
Ian glanced over at Victoria as she slid into the passenger seat of Mathilda's pickup truck without hesitation. Jack's voice thundered behind them, furious, but Victoria ignored him completely.
She closed the door with a sharp clunk, her eyes focused only ahead. Ian, without missing a beat, shifted gears and pressed the pedal.
The old pickup roared to life and rolled forward, leaving Jack standing alone on the roadside beside his luxury car, arms flailing, his face red with disbelief and rage. Victoria didn't look back. Ian didn't say anything either.
For a few long, tense moments, the only sounds were the rattling hum of the engine and the wind brushing through the cracked window.
She leaned her head back against the worn-out seat and exhaled. Jack's voice faded behind them, and within moments, the highway had swallowed the scene entirely.
Inside the truck, the atmosphere slowly thickened with unsaid words. Ian glanced at her again, this time with a little more weight behind his voice. "What about your boyfriend? You just left him standing there."
Victoria let out a dry laugh, full of both frustration and amusement. "He's been insufferable lately. Insecure. Jealous. Always asking where I'm going, who I'm talking to. Like I'm not allowed to breathe. He needs to be punished for acting like a spoiled brat."
Ian raised a brow. "Punished, huh?"
Victoria didn't answer that. She just stared out the window, jaw tight.
"How long have you two been together?" Ian asked carefully.
There was a pause. Then she answered, her tone sharp. "Two years. Since you suddenly called off our relationship in Tokyo."
That struck Ian harder than he expected. He gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"Victoria..."
"Don't," she cut him off, her eyes locked on his. "You don't get to speak unless you have something new to say. Something real."
Ian's mouth opened, but no sound came out. What could he say? She was right. He did leave. Without warning. Without a proper goodbye. It was his decision - but not an easy one. And he had his reasons.
"There was a reason," he muttered, voice low.
Victoria scoffed. "And let me guess. It was personal. So personal you couldn't even try to talk to me about it."
He flinched.
"You think it didn't destroy me?" she asked. Her voice cracked a little, just enough to reveal the pain underneath. "We were building something. Or I thought we were. Then suddenly, poof. You said we're done. Then you vanished. No calls. No letters. Nothing."
"Victoria, I had to -"
"Did you ever think about what it did to me? How I had to carry on while still being watched by the world? How I had to pretend I wasn't broken?"
Ian glanced at her. Her eyes were shining now, glassy but proud. She wouldn't let the tears fall. Not here. Not yet.
"You know when I met Jack?" she continued. "In Paris. During my film shoot. He was doing some EDM festival nearby. We bumped into each other at some artsy afterparty. He was charming, confident, knew how to make me laugh. And most of all? He wasn't you."
Ian remained silent.
"But no matter what I did, who I dated, what I achieved - I always thought of you. Even when I hated you. Especially when I tried to forget you."
Ian's eyes were fixed on the road, but his heart was pounding in his ears.
"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness," he said, finally. "But I never stopped thinking about you either. I left because I didn't want to bring you into something that could hurt you."
"Bullshit. You didn't trust me enough to make that decision with you."
Ian nodded slowly. "You're right. I didn't. And I regret that every day."
Silence again. The truck rumbled down the two-lane road, passing old fields and rusted mailboxes. A flock of birds soared above them in the orange light.
Finally, Victoria spoke again, softer this time.
"So why now, Ian? Why come back?"
Ian exhaled through his nose. "Because for the first time in years, I felt like I needed a break. And I needed to feel at peace again. And only the orphanage could give me the peace I deserve. And...."
"I'm hoping to see you again."
Victoria didn't respond immediately. She reached into the glovebox, pulled out a tissue, and dabbed the corner of her eye.
"You hurt me, Ian. Deeply. But... seeing you again... I don't know what I feel."
"I know," he said softly.
The orphanage came into view down the dusty road, just as the last rays of sun painted it gold. The old building stood tall, worn by time but not forgotten.
Victoria placed her hand on the dashboard and whispered, more to herself than anyone else:
"Feels like everything's coming full circle."
And beside her, Ian, his eyes never leaving the road ahead.
The sun had begun its slow descent behind the clouds of the southern sky when Ian pulled the truck into the gravel lot of the orphanage.
The familiar building stood like a relic of his past, weathered by time but still standing tall. Dust billowed behind the tires as he parked. His hands, still gripping the wheel, twitched with a mix of nervous anticipation and unresolved emotion.
Victoria sat silently beside him, gazing at the orphanage with a half-smile. Ian turned to her, half-jokingly, half-serious. "How are your parents? Mr. and Mrs. Everhart?"
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. The softness in her expression caught him off guard.
"They're okay," she said with a fondness. "Still uptight. Still stubborn. But... they're okay."
Ian nodded slowly, his eyes distant. The Everharts had adopted him once. Briefly. Before tossing him back like a returned product. Still, he wanted to know. Even if they'd wronged him.
Before he could respond, the distant glint of polished chrome caught his attention.
"What the hell..."
A black Rolls Royce sat arrogantly at the front of the orphanage steps. Jack stood outside, arms folded, sunglasses off, his stormy eyes locked on Ian like a bull before the charge.
Victoria stepped out of the truck first, her sandals crunching gravel. Ian followed. He barely had one foot on the ground when Jack strode over and blocked his path.
"We need to talk," Jack snapped. But his eyes weren't on Victoria. They were on Ian. Burning.
Jack's face as if he wanted to punch Ian again.
Ian stood still, eyes cool. "You want to hit me? Go ahead. But it'll cost you an arm."
Victoria giggled beside him, not realizing the truth behind Ian's words. Jack, however, did.
"We're fucking leaving," Jack said to Victoria through gritted teeth. "Whether you like it or not."
"What is wrong with you?" she shouted back. "I said I'm visiting the orphanage."
"That won't happen," Jack barked. "We have to leave. Elizabeth Ravenglass is here. And so is your rival - Madison Hart."
Ian flinched. His breath caught. Elizabeth?
What was she doing here at the orphanage?
Before he could gather himself, the door to the orphanage burst open with excitement.
"Victoria?!" a warm, rich voice called.
Mathilda.
The kind caretaker after her aunt, Ms. Marlene, and their childhood friend, rushed forward, arms open.
"Oh, my God! You're here!"
Victoria's face lit up. She darted into Mathilda's arms and they embraced like long-lost mother and daughter.
"I didn't know you're going to visit," Mathilda said, holding her face, then turned to Jack. "And you brought... him. Well, you're still good-looking, but your aura's nasty."
Jack rolled his eyes but said nothing.
"Mathilda. Here's the grocery," Ian said softly. His voice shook.
She turned to him. Her eyes grateful. "Thank you, Ian."
She grabbed the groceries from him.
"Come on, come on, guys. I'm going to cook something grand today. Especially now that Victoria visited us." Mathilda said, excited.
Jack scowled, watching them. Then, the door creaked again.
From the shadowed frame stepped a woman in white.
Beautiful. Tall. Regal. British.
Elizabeth Ravenglass.
The soft breeze caught her silk scarf. Her high heels tapped gently as she stepped down onto the porch. Her golden hair shimmered under the sun. Her lips curved into a warm, haunting smile.
But her eyes?
They were only on Ian.
He felt his blood run cold.
"What are you doing here?" Ian asked Elizabeth, shocked and confused.
Elizabeth's smile widened just a little.
The entire group turned in confusion. Victoria looked between Ian and Elizabeth. Jack visibly tensed, eyes narrowing with suspicion.
Mathilda suddenly appeared awkward, backing away slightly.
"Do you two know each other?" Victoria asked cautiously.
Ian didn't answer. His mouth opened but no words came out. First of all, Elizabeth didn't know anything about his childhood and this orphanage. After Ruth's, he became a private person. Not revealing anything about his childhood. Only she knows where he came from. South Carolina.
If so, how the hell did she know about this orphanage? And why the hell was she here?
"I'm Ian's ex-girlfriend, sweetie," Elizabeth said calmly. "We were inlove, passionate, and inseparable. Not so long ago."