Chapter Two
Alec sat alone in his office, the evening sun dipping low behind the city skyline beyond the glass walls. The ticking of the clock on the polished wood desk was steady, relentless—a metronome counting down the minutes he felt he'd lost. His gaze wandered over the neat piles of paperwork, contracts, and proposals. The business was thriving, but none of it really mattered lately.
He had mastered the art of control. Every aspect of his life planned, streamlined, with no room for surprises or uncertainty. Except for one piece—the question of Violet. Five years ago, she had shattered everything with her silence. No explanations, no goodbye, just a sudden cut-off that left him reeling, confused, and angry. A private ache that gnawed at the edges of his carefully built life. He had kept his demons locked away, telling himself the story he needed to believe: Violet had betrayed him. She had cheated. And for that, she was gone.
The quiet buzz of the intercom interrupted his thoughts.
"Mr. Hawkins? Your cousin Daniel is here with a delivery for you," the voice said.
Alec didn't move immediately. Daniel was rarely one to come unannounced, especially to the office. The knock came before Alec had a chance to answer, firm and insistent.
"Come in," Alec said, straightening his tie.
Daniel stepped inside with a folder in his hand and that familiar look—the blend of concern and certainty Alec had learned to trust over the years.
"You looked busy," Daniel said, setting the folder on the desk, "but I figured this couldn't wait."
Alec arched an eyebrow but gestured for him to continue.
"Violet," Daniel began, watching his cousin's reaction closely. "I saw her this morning. I'm not sure you knew."
For a moment, silence thickened the room, as if the air itself held its breath.
Alec's heart thumped, steady but sharp. "Where?" His voice came out quieter than he expected.
"By the market district. She was just there, getting coffee. I thought you should know." Daniel's eyes searched Alec's for any sign of the storm he was stirring.
Alec rubbed his forehead, a dry, bitter taste at the back of his throat.
"Why tell me now?" he finally asked.
Daniel paused, then nodded toward the folder. "Because I looked into it—a little. You've had your reasons for walking away, but you deserve to see this."
With careful hands, Daniel opened the folder. Inside was a series of photos—Violet laughing with a man Alec didn't recognize, the two of them sharing moments too close for comfort. In one photo, she pressed a small package into the man's hand. The time stamps on the photos were recent, taken just days ago.
Alec studied the images carefully, a thousand questions brewing in his mind. The anger he'd thought he buried decades ago bubbled up inside him—the sting sharp and fresh despite the years gone by.
"She's been seeing someone," Daniel said softly.
Alec closed his eyes. The years of silence suddenly held meaning. It wasn't abandonment—it was betrayal. The loss wasn't just of a person; it was of trust shattered beyond repair.
"Do you believe she cheated on me?" Alec opened his eyes and asked the question he was terrified to hear the answer to, even though he already suspected it was yes.
Daniel shrugged, uncomfortable. "I'm not here to judge. I'm just telling you what I saw. But yeah…it looks like it."
Alec's fist clenched on the desk, the knuckles whitening. This was the truth he had feared—his worst suspicion confirmed. The woman he had been ready to marry had broken his heart in ways he hadn't allowed himself to fully feel until now.
"And she never reached out," Alec said bitterly, "not a single word. All this time."
"She probably had her reasons," Daniel offered, "but it doesn't mean you deserved to be left in the dark."
The silence enveloped the room once again. Alec's gaze settled on the window, watching the city lights flicker on one by one as daylight faded. He felt hollow and yet alive with conflicting emotions—resentment, grief, and a strange flicker of something like relief.
"I need to know everything," Alec said quietly. "Not just these pictures, but why. Why she left without explaining. If she had a reason, I deserve to hear it."
Daniel nodded solemnly. "I can keep digging, find out whatever you want. But be careful, Alec. Sometimes the truth is harder to live with than the silence."
Alec swallowed hard. For years, his silence had been his shield, but it had never been truly peace. Now the shield was cracking. If Violet had moved on, if she had betrayed the trust he placed in her, he needed to face it. The secret he carried for so long—the belief that he had been wronged—was finally unrolling before him like a dark thread through his life.
"I don't know if I want to forgive her," Alec admitted, voice low and raw. "But I need to understand."
Daniel stayed quiet, watching as the older man retreated inward for a moment, wrestling with the past and the unraveling present.
After some time, Alec pushed back his chair, a brittle resolve settling over him. "Thank you, Daniel. For telling me. For bringing this to light."
Daniel smiled faintly, relieved that Alec was no longer alone in this battle. "Whenever you're ready, I'm here."
As Daniel left the office, closing the door softly behind him, Alec remained seated, staring at the photographs once more. A part of him wanted to burn them, erase any trace of the woman who had meant everything and vanished without explanation. But another part needed to hold on—to understand the woman behind the silence, behind the secret he had spent years inventing.
He thought of the nights he had lain awake, replaying her departure, trying to convince himself it was for the best. Perhaps it wasn't that simple.
The office grew darker as the city lights brightened. Alec knew that whatever came next, the quiet years between them were over. The truth was coming—and with it, a reckoning he could no longer avoid.