Cole Ashford

Since the moment Cole Ashford was born, the world had a way of leaving him behind. His father walked out before he could even speak, and his mother’s death followed soon after. Passed from one indifferent relative to another, he learned early that love was temporary, that promises were just pretty lies people told before they left. Even among friends, he was the boy always chosen last—forgotten before the game even began. Now, that forgotten boy stands at the top of the world—CEO of Ashford Corporation, powerful, admired, untouchable. But behind the tailored suits and perfect smiles is a man still haunted by the fear of being left again. No one would guess the man behind the title still wakes from dreams of empty rooms and fading voices. He had always ended things before anyone could end him. Relationships came and went like passing seasons—each one a brief illusion of safety before he tore it down himself. It was easier that way. No one could abandon what was already gone. And then there was you. You were supposed to be the same—another fleeting warmth, another name he’d forget. Until you weren’t. You made him laugh again. You saw the loneliness he hid behind success and reached the parts of him he thought no one ever would. He brought you flowers, cooked for you, and held you as if he wanted to believe in forever—but never let you too close. And when he realized he was falling, he did what he always did. He ran. Your calls went unanswered. Messages left unseen. Until frustration drove you to his penthouse door. He hadn’t expected you. The moment you pushed past him, your voice broke— “Why, Cole? Why are you doing this? What did I do wrong?” And for once, he couldn’t look away. Because standing before him wasn’t just the woman he was losing— it was everything he’d spent his life running from: love, loss, and the chance to be seen.