ADRIAN VALE POV!!
"Wow."
The elevator doors slid open, and Natalie stepped out slowly, her fingers still wrapped around mine.
"Oh my God, Adrian… this is beautiful."
Her voice carried pure wonder, soft and breathless. I watched her take in the rooftop, and for a moment I allowed myself to feel proud.
I would have been deeply disappointed if she had not liked it.
She had once mentioned, almost casually, that she had always dreamed of having dinner on a rooftop under the open sky. She had said it months ago, but I remembered every detail.
So I made it happen.
The rooftop of one of our private properties overlooked the entire city. Strings of warm lights glowed softly above us. Red roses, her favorite flowers, were arranged in careful circles around a small round table set at the center. Petals were scattered across the concrete floor in deliberate patterns. Candles lined the edges of the rooftop walls, flickering gently in the evening breeze, casting shadows that danced across her face.
The city lights below us shimmered like distant stars.
I had spent hours overseeing every detail.
"You like it?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
She turned so quickly I almost laughed. Her eyes were wide, and shining.
"Are you kidding me? I love it, Adrian."
My heart reacted instantly.
There was something about the way she said my name. She often called me Adrian in a soft tone, but when she used it like that, with emotion and warmth wrapped around each syllable, it did something to me.
"Well," I said, clearing my throat, "if you love it that much, sit down before the food gets cold."
I guided her to her seat, pulling the chair back for her. She looked up at me with a teasing smile.
"Such a gentleman you are," she teases and I roll my eyes.
"Shut up and sit down, before I change my mind and pull the chair away," I replied.
We stared at each other for a moment, then broke into laughter.
"I will never forget the first day we met," she said, still laughing.
The memory came back instantly.
I was ten. She was eight. Our parents had introduced us at a formal dinner. I remembered her hiding shyly behind her mother's dress, her ponytail bouncing when she shifted from foot to foot.
I had assumed she was quiet.
Until I called her Natalia.
She had exploded from behind her mother like a small, furious storm.
"It is Natalie. Na ta lie. Learn the difference. Do you not go to school?"
I had stood there stunned, my pride bruised by someone two years younger than me.
Even at age ten, I had a pretty huge ego, so later that day, when our parents sent us to play in the garden, I decided I needed revenge. I mean this bratty eight year old couldn't get away with her miss-know-it-all attitude.
There was a swing in the backyard. She had run toward it excitedly. I waited behind the tree until she jumped to sit, then quickly pulled the swing away.
She landed hard on the grass.
The way she screamed had echoed through the house. I laughed until my stomach hurt.
"You were horrible," Natalie said now, smiling.
"And you were a bossy child," I replied as I took my seat.
She just rolls her eyes when a waiter appeared with our food.
I had preordered everything she loved.
"You already ordered?" she asked, lifting the silver cover.
Her gasp was dramatic.
"My favorite!" She squeals staring at the food like her most prized possession.
"Of course it is," I said.
She immediately began eating, humming softly in satisfaction.
I still don't understand why she loves carrot rice and vegetable sauce.
I mean there's already enough carrots in the rice so why accompany it with more vegetables?
Sigh.
That's a theory I'd never get to understand.
I watched her for several minutes without realizing it.
Her brown hair framed her face perfectly. Her lips curved slightly as she chewed. Her eyes sparkled under the candlelight.
"Adrian."
"Hm?"
"You are staring."
"I am considering skipping dinner and having you instead," I replied smoothly. "You look far more appetising and definitely contain a lot of vitamins that's good for my health".
She burst into laughter, the sound warm and bright.
"You say anything just to get me into bed again."
"What can I say? You're irresistible," I shrug and she giggles.
She bit her lip in mock challenge.
"Your libido is unbelievable. I could never keep up with you."
"Do not test me," I said quietly, leaning forward. "Or I might forget we are on a rooftop and press you against the wall and the entire building will hear you scream my name as I make you come".
Her eyes widen at my words and her cheeks flushed immediately. She looked down at her plate, pretending to focus on her food.
Natalie is always loud and I love to shut her up my way.
I smirk as she tries to desperately avoid my eyes, hiding her face with her hair.
Oh how i love this woman...
...
I remember thinking that night how lucky I was.
How deeply I loved her.
How certain I was that she loved me too.
"Adrian. Adrian."
My mother's voice dragged me back to the present.
I blinked.
The memory dissolved, replaced by cold rain and darkness.
It was evening now. The sky had turned nearly black. I was standing outside our family estate, still wearing the soaked tuxedo from the ceremony that never happened.
"You need to change," my mother said softly. "You are allergic to the rain."
I did not respond, I just stared at the empty road.
She might still come, I thought.
Hope is cruel like that. It refuses to die even when logic begs it to.
"Stop doing this to yourself," my mother continued. "She is not worth it."
"Do not speak about her like that," I said sharply.
"There must be a reason why she did not come, she could be hurt or something might have happened."
Even as I said it, my voice lacked conviction.
"Use your head," my mother replied. "If something had happened, someone would have called, surely her parents were with her, her bridesmaids and even the driver. Surely someone would have called if anything had happened don't you think? Or you think she's still stuck in traffic? Then, that must be one hell of a traffic don't you think?. Wake up Adrian, wake the hell up! Everything is as clear as day.
That girl left you. She left you at the f*cking alter without a f*cking word, when will you face the
f*cking reality that she left you?!""
I visibly flinch at mother's harsh words. Tears burning my eyes, but I refuse to cry, I did not want to hear reason.
Denial was easier.
"Adrian."
Julian's voice cut through the rain.
He was running toward me, breathless, his phone clutched tightly in his hand.
"What?" I demanded.
"Natalie."
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
"What about her? Is she hurt? Tell me."
I grabbed his shoulders, shaking him.
"She left," he said.
My hands dropped.
"She left the country," he continued quietly. "With Tristan. They got married this afternoon. They are at the airport."
The world seemed to tilt.
He held the phone up.
There she was.
Natalie.
Wearing the exact wedding dress I had chosen with her months ago.
Beside her stood my brother.
Tristan wore the tuxedo I had gifted him earlier that year.
His arm was wrapped possessively around her waist. Their suitcases stood beside them.
And they were kissing.
Kissing like two people who had chosen each other.
The rain continued to fall.
But I no longer felt it.
Something inside my chest collapsed quietly, completely.
This time, there was no denial left to cling to.
She had not been late.
She had chosen him.
And in that moment, whatever remained of the man who believed in love shattered beyond repair.