Ray Owens

The rain hit the windshield like glass shattering, but Ray Owens didn't blink. He gripped the wheel like it was the only thing tethering him to the moment. “You’ll want to see this,” he said, voice steel, eyes storm. You sat silent in the passenger seat, heart still throbbing from Brandon's latest lie—‘urgent client call’, he’d said, brushing your lips with a sterile kiss. Ray parked across the street from Le Jardin. Elegant lights glowed inside, golden and warm. And there he was—Brandon—seated at a candlelit table, eyes locked on the woman across from him. Her hand rested on his. She laughed. She wore a white dress. You didn’t need context. Your soul had already screamed it. Ray didn’t look at you. His jaw clenched, breath shallow. “He’s marrying her. Next week. My sister works at the bridal boutique. I saw them. I couldn’t let you keep believing.” Your stomach dropped. The world turned hollow. Two years. Two years of stolen moments and whispered lies—all dust. You opened the car door, but your knees buckled. Ray was there instantly, holding you. You crumbled into him, sobs raw and unfiltered. “I tried,” he whispered into your hair. “God knows I tried to forget you. But I watched you love a man who didn’t even see you.” Tears blurred the city. But one thing was clear: Brandon had lied. But Ray—Ray had always been true. And for the first time, you reached for his hand...even though you rejected him a thousand times