Who Breaks First

The year our love burned brightest was when Asher died.
They said it was a car crash. Everyone expected me to shatter—but I didn’t cry or scream.
Two years later, I walked into a private lounge and found him alive, kissing a girl like he was starved for air.
His friends rushed to explain: “Elara, after the accident… he was in a coma. He lost his memory. We didn’t want you to worry.”
Asher pushed the girl away and frowned at me. “So you’re my fiancée? I don’t remember, but I’ll honor our engagement.”
I smiled softly. “They’re lying to you. We’ve never met.”
What he didn’t know:
On the day he “died,” I received a video. He was laughing with friends. “I can’t stand being tied to one woman,” he said. “I’ll fake my death. You guys comfort her.”
He also didn’t know—in those two years, I’d found someone else.

1
My friends stood frozen for a beat before a chorus of concerned voices washed over me.
"Elara, how can you say you don't know him? We're the ones who kept it from you, it has nothing to do with Asher!"
"Yeah, Elara, we were just trying to protect you! He's finally awake, don't throw a tantrum now."
The air in the room thickened with their accusations. Before I could respond, a dry chuckle cut through the noise.
Asher rose from the couch, a cigarette dangling between his fingers, his posture radiating a lazy confidence. "Well, if we don't know each other, then that's that. Saves me the trouble."
The girl at his side instantly clung to his arm, her face a picture of shy, nervous adoration. "Asher… I know you. She doesn't appreciate you, but… but I'll marry you, okay?"
Asher didn't answer her. His gaze flickered to me, a cool, appraising look. Then, he wrapped an arm around the girl's waist, leaned in, and captured her lips in a deep kiss.
My friends immediately formed a wall, blocking my view as if to shield me.
"Elara, he has amnesia," one of them soothed. "You know he used to love you more than anything."
"She's right. You need to be there for him, help him remember. This isn't the time for games."
I opened my mouth to say something—anything—to these so-called friends, but a sharp, cramping pain lanced through my abdomen. The color drained from my face. Without another word, I turned on my heel and walked out of the lounge.
I moved so quickly that no one had time to react. It was only after I had vanished down the hall that they turned back to Asher with a collective sigh.
"Man, you took it too far. Elara's genuinely pissed. Her face was white as a sheet. What if she really leaves you for good?"
A self-satisfied smile played on Asher’s lips as he settled back onto the sofa. "Elara's easy. It's been two years, you think she doesn't miss me? Besides, I have the perfect excuse now. Amnesia. Once I've had my fun, I’ll just tell her my memory's back, that none of this was the real me. I won't even have to apologize. She'll come running back with a snap of my fingers."

2
Once I was out of the lounge, my legs gave out. I collapsed against the wall, a wave of pain so intense it stole my breath. I didn't even have the strength to make it to the restroom.
A shadow fell over me.
"What's this?" a familiar, low voice drawled. "Heartbroken enough to want him back?"
I looked up. Leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, was Cade. He was dressed head to toe in black, his sharp features partially obscured by the dim lighting. His eyes, dark and unreadable, watched me from under the shadows. The line of his lips was elegant, yet severe.
In that instant, a raw sense of injustice washed over me, and to my own disgust, tears began to stream down my face.
Cade’s composure shattered. He pushed off the wall and hurried towards me, his voice losing its mocking edge. "Don't cry. I won't say it again."
He was strong. With one arm, he effortlessly lifted me from the floor. The clean, sharp scent of cedar filled my senses, a strangely calming presence. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck.
"My stomach hurts…" I whispered.
Cade paused. "It's early?"
I nodded, my lips brushing against the rough stubble on his chin as I rested my head on his broad shoulder.
He carried me to his car, settling me into the passenger seat before turning the heat on full blast. "Wait here. I'll go buy you something."
He closed the door and walked away, his tall silhouette framed by the sickly yellow glow of the streetlights.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed with a video call from him.
"They're out of your usual brand," he said, holding the phone up to a shelf lined with feminine products. "See anything you like?"
I was about to choose when a surprised, all-too-familiar voice cut in from his end. Asher, with the little girl still attached to his hip, had walked into the same convenience store. He did a double-take when he saw Cade.
"I called you to go for a drink tonight and you blew me off for this? You're out buying stuff for a girl?" he exclaimed, his voice loud. "Are you on a call with her? Let me see! Who's the saint who finally managed to tame the great Cade!"
Asher lunged for the phone. I instinctively jerked my face out of the camera's view.
But he never touched it. Cade shot him a single, cold glance, and Asher’s hand dropped.
"Alright, alright, I get it. You're protective," Asher said, backing off. "Just make sure you bring her out for us to meet sometime! Oh, by the way, I saw Elara. She walked into the wrong room and saw me kissing Nicole. Scared the shit out of me. Thankfully, the guys were quick on their feet and made up that amnesia story. I’ll mess around a bit more, then 'get my memory back.' Of course," he added with a conspiratorial grin, "you were a huge help too, man. I wasn't ready to settle down, and that whole 'fake my death' idea of yours? Genius. Worked like a charm!"
The screen flickered, and then the call was disconnected.

3
Cade returned ten minutes later.
He didn't dare look at me. He handed me a bag and quickly slid into the driver's seat, locking the doors.
"I had some ginger tea sent to the house," he said, his voice quiet, almost cautious. "Are you… are you coming back with me to drink it?"
There was a vulnerability in his tone that was almost comical.
Cade was one of the city's most powerful heirs, and Asher's best friend. Back when Asher and I were together, Cade was always there, a silent, brooding presence at our dinners. He was always so cold towards me, especially when the others would tease Asher and me into public displays of affection. He wouldn't even spare me a glance, his disdain a palpable thing. Everyone in our circle assumed he hated me.
Then, on the day of Asher's "death," I received a video.
From Cade.
The video of Asher, laughing. "The thought of being tied down to just one woman… I can't stomach it. I'll fake my death, live it up for a few more years. You guys make sure to comfort her. Don't let her do anything stupid."
But I never expected that the 'fake death' plan was Cade's idea to begin with. The man was more cunning than I'd ever imagined.

4
The moment we arrived at Cade's villa, he swept me into his arms before my feet could even touch the pavement.
After I'd taken care of things in the bathroom, he laid me gently on the bed and handed me his phone to play games.
When I finished the hot tea, he silently undressed, slid into bed beside me, and began to gently massage my lower abdomen. The soft light from above draped over his chiseled abs like a sheet of silk, each line a story I suddenly wanted to read with my fingertips.
So I did.
Cade's eyes darkened, and his hand closed over mine, stilling its exploration.
"Behave," he murmured, his voice thick.
I ignored him.
He cupped the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair, and pulled me down for a kiss.
Two years had been more than enough time for him to learn every secret my body held. Later, when we were both lost in the haze, he took my hand, his voice a ragged whisper.
"Help me—"
I already knew about Cade’s stamina from the first time I’d gotten drunk and slept with him. It felt like an eternity before he was finally finished, my wrist aching with a pleasant soreness.
Just as he was about to carry me to the bathroom, his phone, lying on the nightstand, buzzed to life.
My body was pressed against it, and I accidentally hit the answer button.
"Cade, I'm thinking of throwing an engagement party with Nicole, you know, to piss Elara off. What do you think?" Asher's voice, smug and confident, filled the quiet room. "She saw me alive, and instead of worrying about me, she just gets jealous and hasn't called me since. Looks like two years has made her bold. I need to torture her a little, make her feel the pain of losing me all over again. I'm planning it out, maybe you can—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
He stopped because I couldn't help but let out a sharp gasp. Not because of his words, but because something in my hand had stirred back to life.
And it was twitching.

5
I shot Cade a look that was equal parts mortified and annoyed.
Asher’s voice crackled through the phone again, this time filled with astonishment. "Well, well, Cade! What are you up to over there? You've got a woman with you? Let me guess, is it the one from the video call earlier?"
It had been two years, and my gasp was just a single, sharp sound. Surrounded by a constant parade of women, there was no way he'd recognize my voice.
Cade, however, had no intention of humoring him. His dark eyes were fixed on me, smoldering with a desire that sent a shiver down my spine.
I glared at him again, trying to squirm out of his grasp and crawl to the other side of the bed. But I didn't get far before his hand shot out, grabbing my ankle and pulling me back.
"Seriously, buddy, you have to bring her out so I can see this miracle worker who made the unshakable Cade fall," Asher prattled on. "And hey, now that you're off the market, you can't turn me down when I try to set you up with girls anymore! Anyway, I was going to ask you to invite Elara to my engagement party, but then I remembered how much you can't stand her…"
Asher was still talking when Cade impatiently ended the call.
He tossed his phone back onto the bed and, in one smooth motion, scooped me into his arms and headed for the bathroom.
It was three hours before we emerged again.
A look of deep satisfaction was etched on Cade's face. I shot him another glare and flopped onto the bed, turning my back to him.
I picked up my own phone. A new text message was waiting.
It was from one of Asher's friends. Two years ago, Asher had eagerly introduced me to everyone in his life.
[Elara, Asher is getting engaged to someone else. It's in seven days. You have to come talk some sense into him! I don't want him to regret this when he gets his memory back! This isn't what he really wants!]
I read the message, deleted it, and tossed my phone aside.
I wasn't the kind of person who went looking for trouble.
Asher's engagement? What did that have to do with me?
Cade reached for me, trying to pull me into his embrace. I glared at him over my shoulder and scooted further away.
I was not about to go through another three hours of that.

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