Kyra's POV

I blinked my eyes in confusion as I woke up, being awoken by an unfamiliar noise happening in the room. It sounded like purring but was as loud as a motor boat. Kain didn't bring his kitten in here last night, did he? I looked to my side to see the noise was coming from my brother, who was curled up on the other side of the bed with his quilt drawn up to his face and my hair splayed out on his pillow, as well as around me. I really hoped that purring wasn't going to be the next new thing that I picked up.

I sighed, nudging Kain to wake him up. "Hey, we need to get up if we're starting your plan today."

He stirred, blinking and giving out a sigh as he sat up. "What?"

"You know, the plan to expose dirt bag while figuring out how our dads feel about each other?"

"Oh right, that." He yawned.

I shook my head, pushing myself off the bed to go get my clothes for the day.

"Why was this on my face?" He questioned, staring at the strand with a brow raised.

"I guess my hair went on you when we were asleep." I shrugged as I grabbed a black knit sweater out of my suitcase.

"Ew. Why do you leave it out when you're sleeping? Wouldn't it be easier if you braided it or something?" He suggested as he came over to join me.

"It would if I could braid. Never learned how. Dad tried to learn when I was a kid, but it ended in him putting a knot in my hair so big that he had to take me to the salon to fix it. Never let him try to do anything other than brush my hair after that fiasco." I smirked, shaking my head at the memory of Dad's face as my eyes filled up with tears while staring at the rat's nest he'd created on my head. "Since then I've never really had any friends who were girls to teach me, but I like having it long, so I just learned to deal with it." I explained, a slight grin on both our faces.

"Damn, the old man really can't do much, can he? Dad taught me how to braid his hair when I was four. I know I'm not a girl, but I could teach you?" He offered, trying to touch my hair before I spun around quickly to bring my clothes to the bed.

"It's fine. Plus, I think we have more important things to worry about than my lack of ability to braid hair. What exactly is the plan today?"

"I was thinking you and Dimi tail Gabe and see where he goes while I try and get back some of the money the dirt bag has stolen? I mean, you drive, right?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah. Dad doesn't really like me driving the sports cars, but I can drive." I shrugged.

"Good. You see what you can find out by seeing where the hell he goes when he's at 'work' and I'll go and attempt to hack this account." He grinned.

I gave a nod, starting to make my way to the bathroom with my clothes as I tossed my messy bed head over my shoulder.

"You know, you really should let me, or Dad braid your hair. It would be so much more convenient." He called after me.

"Shut up and get ready so we can get this plan on the road. I'm going to shower, and you go get Dimitri up." I called back, closing the bathroom door to allow myself the first bit of alone time I'd had in days.

As much as it was nice to have a sibling to talk to and hang around with, it was a bit draining to have someone around all the time when I'd always been alone before. I stripped my pajamas off, turned the shower on and stepped in, allowing myself to be enveloped in the white noise of the water splashing down on me.

After dressing and drying my hair, I came down the stairs to be greeted by a full kitchen. Ray was cooking omelets and bacon while Gabe stood near, not noticing that Kain was sitting at the breakfast bar glaring at him as he ate cereal beside a very cranky looking Dimitri. Dad, Bryan and Tala were sitting at the table, talking amongst themselves in English now that they knew Gabe could understand them.

I approached the two boys, giving Dimitri a smirk as he looked up at me with tired eyes. "Someone's not happy about being up early."

"I would've been fine if your psychotic brother hadn't had jumped on me to wake me up. I already hate being up this early and he decides to almost give me a heart attack at seven am." He muttered.

"Hey, at least you didn't wake up to purring in your ear." I countered.

"Purring?" He cocked his head.

"It's a long story. By the way, how are you going to perform our secret operation in that?" I sighed, motioning to his all white ensemble.

I never knew why but both Tala and Dimitri had this thing about dressing all white or close to it. Like now for example, Dimitri was wearing a pair of white skinny jeans and a white knit sweater.

"What's wrong with this? I look good." He frowned.

I bit my lip, trying to hold back what I had to say. He did look good. His sweater fit well, showing off his muscle he'd been working so hard to build, his shoulder length hair tied back as usual with a few strands hanging by his face. He looked gorgeous.

"You stand out. Your hair already gives you away. All white is going to make you so visible."

He nodded. "Right. I'll be back." He stood up, dashing up the stairs quickly.

Kain smirked, looking from where Dimitri had walked out back to me. "Wow, smooth move sis. I saw that pause."

"Shut up." I sighed, sitting down on the other side of him to have an omelet and coffee placed in front of me by Ray.

"Wow, everyone's up so early today! What for?" He asked, looking between the two of us.

"Dress shopping. I realized I didn't bring anything fancy enough for the wedding, so I was going to go pick something out with Dimitri." I said quickly, Kain nodding along with my response.

"And I have some school stuff that's due after the break. Thought I'd get it done while they're shopping." He lied.

Ray smiled. "Sounds like a productive day. It seems it's going to just be your father, Bryan and Tala here with me then."

"Oh, we're actually going out today. Apparently, Bryan is deciding to try and be romantic by surprising me with a date day. It would just be nice if I knew where we were going." Tala spoke as he put his dishes in the sink, giving a side eye to Bryan.

"You realize that's the point of a surprise, right Papa? To not know where you're going?" Dimitri sighed as he came in again. He'd switched into an all-black outfit consisting of a pair of black skinny jeans and a black turtle neck that looked to be Bryan's by the slight bagginess.

"That's beside the point. Why are you wearing your father's shirt?" He questioned, cocking his brow.

"No reason." Dimitri blushed.

Ray looked at the three of us, glancing over at Dad as we discussed possible ideas of what the date day could be. It was obvious he was having some worries about being alone with Dad just from the look on his face and the way he kept shifting closer to Gabe. Could he be worried about what could happen if they're alone? I looked between the two, debating if I should say anything before Kain distracted me.

"Hey, are you really going to go dress shopping with your hair everywhere like that? Honestly, just let me do something with it." He huffed, trying to reach out for my hair again before I slid out of his reach.

"It's fine, just leave it. It's never been braided up to this point and it's been fine. If it's in my way, I'll just put it up."

"Hey Dad, wanna braid Kyra's hair? She won't let me, and it looks bad." Wow little brother, way to insult me while trying to get your way.

"Oh Kain, your sister looks fine. Though, I could do a simple braid if you'd like? It wouldn't take very long." He suggested, looking at me with almost pleading eyes.

I could tell he was looking for more ways to connect with me and saying no would probably do more damage than I wanted, so I found myself giving a nod and following him as he lead me to sit near Dad at the table and instructed Kain to go get a brush and hair ties.

As he brushed my hair, I noticed Dad looking over at us and giving a soft smile.

"This is already going a lot better than your attempt, hmm Dad?" I smirked.

"It's been eleven years. Are you really not over it yet?" Dad sighed, putting his head in his hand.

"Over what?" Ray questioned.

"When I was six, my hair had gotten to the middle of my back and was starting to become a problem when I'd run around at school. It would get really tangled up and I got made fun of by some of the kids because of it. Dad saw how upset it was making me and tried his hand at learning how to braid, only to cause a huge rats nest of hair to form from his many failed attempts. It was so bad he had to take me to a salon for someone there to fix it. After that I pretty much forbid him from doing anything more than brushing my hair." I explained.

"Well, nice to know not much has changed since our teens. I think the one time you tried to put my hair up for me you got it stuck in the elastic." Ray chuckled, causing Dad to sigh and shake his head.

"Hey, at least you're good at some things Dad. I seem to remember you building that really cool tree house for my seventh birthday. Plus, you taught me how to play piano even though it took a year just to teach me how to play decently." I reminded as Ray began the braiding process.

"Sounds like you two have a lot of good memories together…" Ray spoke softly, causing Dad to look over with a look of sympathy.

"Yeah, lots of historic landmark tours, blading in the park, Dad calling out any boys who underestimated me. But now we all get to create new memories together." I smiled at Dad, him giving a nod with a hopeful smile back.

Just as I heard Ray about to respond, Gabe walked up to us, looking like he was about to leave. "I'm off to work, love. I'll see you tonight." He spoke, giving Ray a kiss on the cheek before turning to walk out of the house.

"Oh, okay. Have a good day." Ray said plainly, keeping his focus on my hair. Well that was an unemotional response from someone who was getting married in a week. Maybe I was right in thinking Ray was having some mixed feelings between Kai and Gabe.

Soon after Gabe's departure, I rushed Ray to finish my hair, saying that Dimitri and I wanted to head out early so we could explore Japan a little bit more. But before the two of us headed out, I felt I had to let Dad know what I felt was going on to see if he could finally act on the feelings I knew he'd been having since our arrival in Japan.

"Oh Dad? Can you come here for a second? I need to ask you about the new rental car." I asked, motioning towards the door. Dad had been pretty smart in getting a new rental car for this stake out mission. Gabe already knew what the rental car the five of us came here in looked like, so he had paid someone to bring one right after Gabe left and had it passed off as Dimitri and I needing another car while Tala and Bryan took the original rental.

Dad stood up from his spot, following me out the door to where the car was parked with Dimitri waiting inside.

"You really need to ask about the car when this is the exact model we have at home?" He questioned, motioning to the black sports car parked beside us.

"No. I thought I'd let you know that I think I know why Ray is being so passive aggressive with you. Not sure how no one else has noticed, but he keeps moving away from you and was looking really worried when he heard the two of you would be alone. Then he barely acknowledged Gabe's leaving. Dad, I think he has stronger feelings for you than you think." I explained.

He shook his head in disbelief. "No. Why would he be acting like he's mad at me if he still had feelings for me?"

"I don't know, to make you think he doesn't like you so he doesn't act on anything? If he drives you away, it gives him no way to act on anything." I suggested with a shrug.

"So why are you telling me all this?" He asked, his brow arching in confusion.

"Because I know you have feelings for him too. Dad, I see the way you look at him and the way you smile. I've only ever seen that smile towards me. That's your 'true love' smile. You can deny it all you want, but I know you never fell out of love with him and that's the reason you've been with all these guys throughout the years. I don't want to see you hurting anymore and I think you should tell him how you feel." I insisted, putting my hands on my hips.

"Kyra, he's getting married." He sighed.

"Yeah, to a man who's not who he says he is and is trying to steal his money. We're trying to expose this creep and break them up anyways. Maybe saying something will give him the push he needs to be honest with himself too. I just want what's best for you Dad, and from what I've seen, being with Ray is what's best for you."

He frowned, looking me straight in the eyes. "You really want me to do this?"

"Yes. I do. Now, I'm going to go expose this liar for what he is and when I come back I hope to hear you've had some emotional talks and he's leaving Gabe for you." I smirked, starting to walk to the driver's seat door.

"Kyra?" He called.

"Yeah?"

"Drive safe and thank you for looking out for me." He smiled, turning to walk back inside.

"What are daughters for?" I grinned, climbing into the car and starting the engine.

Thankfully we had left soon enough after Gabe that we could still see his white Mercedes but follow at a distance. Kain had given us the address of the hospital he supposedly worked at, that way we could follow him and see if he was actually heading there or was somewhere else like we had predicted. As we drove along, it was obvious Gabe was not heading to the hospital by the amount our GPS kept trying to correct us and get us to turn around.

"Well, Kain was right about one thing. He definitely isn't going to work when he says he is. Where the hell is he taking us?" I questioned while keeping my eyes on the road. We had been driving for about half an hour and there was still no indication that Gabe would be stopping since we were still on a highway.

"No clue, but here's hoping it's not into a death trap." Dimitri responded as he fiddled around with the GPS.

"I doubt Kain would send us after him if he thought our lives were at stake. He's finally getting off the highway now anyways." I spoke as I merged lanes, trying to follow as closely as I could, but still keeping one or two cars in between us.

We continued on for another half hour through a small city's streets till Gabe parked in front of a café. I parked across the street, rolling the windows down a bit in order for us to see and hear what was going on if we had to. Thankfully Dad had gotten a car with tinted windows, so we could see out, but no one could really see in. I slid on my sunglasses, trying to do my best to be unrecognizable just in case Gabe looked over as he got out of the car.

"Really? Sunglasses?" Dimitri smirked.

"Oh, shut up. How often do we get to do something like this?" I shot back with a laugh.

"True. It looks like he's going in. Maybe he's just getting coffee?" He suggested.

"Or meeting with someone?"

"That too. Hey, so I never really got to ask, what's your take on Kain's idea of getting your parents back together?" He asked.

I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the café. "Whatever makes Dad happy. If Ray makes him happy, sure, I'll accept it. If it's going to hurt him more than it's worth, I'd say no."

"Well I'm more asking if it's the right thing for you. I know you haven't always enjoyed having a single parent, especially when we were younger, and those kids bullied you…"

I sat up a bit, not really wanting to be reminded of the tormenting of my childhood. Although we were quite popular in high school, I had gotten picked on a lot in the beginning of my school age years for only having a single father. It didn't matter to the other kids that I was the daughter of Kai Hiwatari, it was weird that I only had one parent when everyone else had two. Not that it bothered me as I got older, but as a child I felt confused and upset on why Dad had stayed, and Ray had left. I couldn't ever say I really did have two parents since there was one I never saw or heard from.

"I don't know. Dad is all I've known since I was four. Your parents are more like parents to me than Ray is right now. I think if things were to start off slow I'd be fine but if things get serious really fast…" I spoke, my words getting lost until Dimitri responded with my thoughts.

"It would be like too much too soon. I get it. Speaking of going slow, I was talking to Kain yesterday and there's something I want to talk to you about." He answered, seeming determined before I spotted Gabe coming out the café.

"It's going to have to wait until later cause Gabe's on the move and there's someone with him." I shot back.

I focused my eyes on Gabe and the new man he had brought out with him. He was a man a few years younger than my fathers, short brown hair that wasn't styled very well, dressed like a commoner. My eyes widened as I saw Gabe kiss the man before letting him into the car and starting to drive away.

"He's cheating on my father with a commoner? He isn't even attractive. I mean, not that Gabe is very attractive either, but at least he doesn't look so… Average."

"Uh, aren't Ray and Kain technically considered commoners?" Dimitri asked meekly.

"Not when they're associated with us they're not. Now let's figure out where the hell he's going cause it's extremely obvious it's not work now." I growled, starting the car and flying down the street after the men.

After about twenty minutes more of driving, we ended up following them to a familiar location, Ray's restaurant.

"Hey, isn't this Ray's restaurant that we were at the other day?" Dimitri questioned.

I nodded. "I have a feeling this isn't just a pleasant visit either." I pulled over across the road, hidden enough that they couldn't see us, but we had a good view of them.

The two of us watched for a few minutes as Gabe and the mystery man got out of the car and started to converse with one of the construction workers that was standing outside. It wasn't long until we saw the new man hand one of the construction workers a sledge hammer and gesture to one of the visible pipes outside. The construction worker began pounding on the pipe, causing water to spill out everywhere surrounding as Gabe and his side man smirked while watching. I quickly pulled out my phone, starting to record so I'd have evidence to bring back and show the others. After a significant amount of damage had been done to the pipes, the three men went inside the restaurant.

"It's them. They're the reason there's so many problems with the restaurant." I spoke as I stopped the recording.

Dimitri nodded. "It must be their plan. Get Ray to put money in to fix every damage, just to drain him of any funds he has. The real question is, what are they going to do when Ray has nothing left?"

I frowned. "I don't know, but I really do not want to find out." I quickly unclicked my seat belt and reached into the back of the car, grabbing my purse and starting to search through it.

"Um…what are you doing?" Dimitri questioned, his brow raised in confusion.

I held up a tracker that I had snagged from Bryan when no one had been looking. "This. Cover me." I said quickly as I threw open the car door and broke out into a sprint. I didn't know how long they would be in the restaurant, but I knew I had to get the tracker on the car as fast as I could. I might not get another shot like this again.

I darted up to the car, sliding into a crouch right near the driver's door while reaching my hand with the tracker in it under the car to stick it to the bottom. As I made sure it was secure, I could hear muffled voices starting to become clearer. It didn't sound like they were going to come out, but they were getting closer to the door, which meant I had to get the hell back in the car as fast as I could. Just as I heard a hand start to turn the door handle I sprinted back to the car, going as fast as my legs could take me in heeled boots. Why did I have to choose fashion over practicality for a stake out? I threw myself in the car, slamming the door and drove a few miles away before stopping on the side of the road to finally catch my breath.

"You're insane, Hiwatari. You could have gotten in deep shit if you got caught." Dimitri sighed, running his hands through the front of his hair.

I held my gaze on him for a moment, admiring how good he looked in that moment before snapping back into reality with a scoff. "Oh please, we both know I wouldn't have gotten caught. Besides, we now have one way to keep tabs on him all the time. Next step is the phone bug. Now that one will be hard."

He smirked and shook his head. "You'd think you were a secret spy in a previous life with all of these plans you have."

"Nope. Just happened to learn a lot about security and bugging from a certain uncle that also happens to be your father."

"Ugh, don't remind me. Sometimes I wonder if that's how Dad and Papa always seem to have tabs on me." He sighed.

"Probably. They're just showing they care though. I mean, we did crash a car into a lake and almost die. I think they have the right." I laughed.

He smiled at me for a moment, causing both of us to pause and just stare at each other. Talking to him like this, one on one, just felt so easy. Everything with Dimitri was just so easy. Could dating be just as easy?

"Kyra…I-" He began, trying to take hold of my hand before I moved away to put both hands on the steering wheel.

I looked away, my face getting warm. "We better get to the mall. We told Ray we were getting a dress and it'll look weird if we come back without one."

"Oh…yeah, sure." He said softly, resting his back against the seat once more.

I knew what he was trying to do but I couldn't let it get that far. As much as I wanted to admit to him that I had the same feelings he did, I couldn't imagine losing him if things didn't work out. I'd rather have him as a friend and not a lover than as a lover and lose him for good. That was just how things had to be.

Kai's POV

I sat in silence in my room, going over what my daughter had said. Could she really think that Ray still had feelings for me after all this time? There hadn't yet been a point where I'd seen Kyra get an inference like that wrong, but part of me was still in disbelief. How could he even feel anything like that towards me after all that I'd done? I'd promised her that I would try to address it with him, but it was seeming harder than intended with the way he would dodge my presence. First it was leaving the kitchen right after everyone had cleared out, then it was completely turning off the TV and leaving the living room the minute I had stepped foot in there. He'd even come to go outside but immediately turned on his heel and went back in as soon as he saw me having a cigarette outside the back door. If his plan was to get me irritated enough with him that I would avoid him, he was doing a damn good job of it because I was getting tired of this game.

I'd been going over some of the translations of the documents when I overheard Ray's voice outside the bedroom door.

"What? How could a pipe have suddenly burst? You said everything would be fine and plumbing would go in smoothly. Well, yes, I know accidents happen, but I don't understand how your company keeps making mistakes. You keep saying it's the building but I just don't-" Ray argued, giving a sigh before speaking again. "Fine, I'll transfer the money over as soon as I can. Thank you, goodbye."

I stood up, opening the door to see Ray standing with his phone in hand and a laundry basket on the floor. In it I could spot mostly his and Kain's clothes, with some of Kyra's sitting on top to my surprise.

"Everything alright?"

He looked up at me, golden eyes wide as if he didn't expect to see me. "What are you doing here? Last I saw you were outside."

"Well, I smoked the cigarette, I finished it, and then I came back up here to read through the papers you gave me to try and work everything out like I said I would. What was that call about?" I questioned, leaning against the door frame.

"Nothing that concerns you." He huffed, going to pick up the laundry basket until I stepped forward, taking a hold of his arm before he could. "Let go of me, Kai."

"No. Not until you tell me what the hell I did to make you so passive aggressive towards me. I thought we'd had a good thing going, especially when talking about the kids yesterday morning. But then when we got the restaurant you acted like I was your worst enemy. The kids are asking me what's going on, but I don't even know what to tell them since I don't know myself. So, tell me Ray, what did I do this time?" I demanded, keeping a loose hold on his arm.

"Kai…I…I'm still mad about Kyra and you leaving with her." He stammered.

"Bullshit. You told me yourself, we can't change any of that. You know how bad I feel about it all. Or maybe you don't. Do you think I felt good when shortly after we moved Kyra purred for me and got upset when I didn't purr back? Imagine me having to explain to my four-year-old daughter that I couldn't do that and knowing that all she wanted was to have you there purring with her. Picture me trying to console our daughter for hours as she cried out of confusion." I yelled.

"Kyra hadn't told me that…" He murmured.

"Yes, because she wouldn't have remembered. She hasn't purred since two weeks after we'd moved to Russia. Now, I know for a fact this whole act is not because you're mad about Kyra. In fact, she seems to be under the impression that you're behaving this way because you still have feelings for me." I threw out, causing his cheeks to go beat red.

"What? What gave her that impression?" He spoke, his voice sounding higher pitched like it often had when he was nervous.

"She claims she's seen you looking concerned when it comes to us being alone, as well as not seeming as interested in Gabe as someone who's getting married in a week should. Now I have to ask, is this true?" I asked, my voice softening.

"Why would that be true? After everything that's happened…" He said, almost in a whisper.

"Everything that's happened that we agreed to forgive and put behind us for the sake of our children." I frowned. He wasn't really trying to get me to believe he still was angry at me for this, was he?

"And I can't do that, without being in love with you still? According to Kyra?"

"Apparently. Our daughter is rarely wrong, and I have a feeling she's not wrong in this case."

"I love her dearly, but she is wrong. Even if she wasn't, what would it matter to you?" He bit back.

"Because I still have feelings for you. Have since the day you moved out and have throughout all these years." I uttered the words I'd been wanting to say to him all of these years, my heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest at any moment.

"Liar..." He whispered, trying to turn away before I grabbed his hand.

"I'm not. Why do you think I've never moved on? It's not because I haven't found anyone good enough. It's because they aren't you." I admitted, locking eyes with him.

He tried to pull away from me weakly, not meeting my gaze. "Bullshit... If that was the case, then why..." He locked eyes with me finally, his eyes revealing he was on the verge of tears.

"Why didn't you try? Why didn't you call or come back and fix what you broke! Ten years... Ten years I waited for you to come back." Tears started to run down his cheeks, causing my stomach to drop.

"I fucked up. I was more concerned on doing right by our daughter and trying to provide for her while trying to make sure she stayed with me. I thought that if you knew you'd take her and I'd lose my shot at you all at once. I'd already lost you once. It hurt too much to think of it happening again and losing Kyra in the process." I chocked, shaking my head. "I now know you wouldn't have, but that's what I thought back then."

"You're still too late..." He quivered.

"Do you still have feelings for me?" I asked.

"Of course I do..." He sighed, finally pulling away from me. "But you're still too late."

"How? I've seen how you are with Gabe. Your heart isn't in it, Ray. Can you honestly tell me you love this man enough to marry him?" I accused.

His glare changed to that of a menacing one, his fangs beginning to bare. "I waited for you Kai! I waited, and you never stepped up, you never came back! I'd rather try, than not try. You have no right to tell me where my heart is or isn't, not when you've shattered it so many times."

"Ray...I would never do that again. I know where I've went wrong and will not allow myself to hurt you or our children again. But you need to be honest with yourself. Don't marry him if you aren't sure. I'm not saying this to get you back, I'm saying this because I care if you're happy." I cautioned.

"If you're concerned about my happiness, then stop talking. It's over Kai, has been over for years... Yes, I have been fighting myself with loving you, especially since you've been back. Once again though, you're too late!" He yelled.

"So you still love me too..." I felt a flitter of hope in my stomach, on the verge of a smile until he looked at me again with a scowl.

"Yes!"

"Then why marry a man you obviously don't have those feelings for?"

"Because I love him too! Just stop talking, please..." He shook his head almost violently, as if trying to clear his head of everything we had been saying to each other.

"You're not even willing to accept the fact that I've grown up since I was in my twenties?" I furrowed my brows, remembering how much I hated Ray's stubborn side.

"I can, but you have to do the same for me and accept the fact that I am engaged, and you lost your chance." He seemed as frustrated as me as his pupils were now slit.

I sighed, not able to continue this fight any longer. That was it, I'd lost him. I couldn't continue to put myself through this. If I couldn't have him as a lover, I couldn't have him in my life at all.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can keep up the friendship we've had since being back in each other's lives anymore then. I can be civil for the children's sake, but I can't be your friend and pretend I don't want anything more. I'll stay for the wedding since I know you want Kyra there, but I won't attend and the minute it's over, her and I are on the next flight to Russia. I'll keep in contact with Kain and set up visits with your permission and Kyra can see you as she sees fit, but we are not friends." I growled, turning my back as to not show how painful this was for me.

I didn't look back but knew Ray had gone and left the hallway by the footsteps down the stairs and the sudden slam of the front door. After a few moments, I decided to come down the staircase as well, met by Kyra who was entering with a few shopping bags in hand. She gave me a hopeful smile, only for her face to fall as she saw me shake my head and frown while looking down at the steps.

It was over. Any hope I'd had of having the love of my life back was gone and at that point, I couldn't help but feel I was destined to be alone for the rest of my life.