Chapter 2

It was our university's anniversary celebration.

Jada Vance was back.

She had transformed into a high-powered VP, with a salary in the high six figures.

When I walked in, our old classmates were all fawning over her.

"Jada, you're the pride of our graduating class!"

"I heard you donated half a million to the school. That's incredible. If I had taken a chance and moved to the city back then, maybe I'd have made a name for myself too!"

"Come on, money is all about timing. What I want to know is how you landed Nate Price! He was a legend on campus back in the day!"

Jada smiled, a perfect, practiced curve of her lips.

"It was just fate!"

Then, someone brought me up.

"Hey, what ever happened between you and Liam Archer? We all thought you two were endgame."

Jada’s expression frosted over for a second before she forced a casual laugh.

"Everyone has a few pairs of shoes that just don't fit."

Everyone there was sharp enough to read the room. They saw she didn't want to talk about me, so they quickly changed the subject, gushing about what a perfect couple she and Nate were.

I brushed the rain from my clothes and walked over, acting as if I hadn't heard a thing.

An old friend spotted me immediately.

"Hey, look who's here!"

"Liam! Get over here, man!"

"Dude, what happened? You're soaked!"

I smiled and gave a few noncommittal answers.

As I turned, my eyes met Jada's.

She tilted her chin up, her gaze filled with undisguised contempt. She wore a long trench coat, her makeup was flawless, and a purse that cost more than a car dangled from her wrist.

Nate Price, clad in a sharp suit, had his arm wrapped gently around her waist.

They looked like they belonged on a magazine cover―a perfect match.

And then there was me.

A complete mess, soaked to the bone by the rain.

But I didn't care.

I gave her a polite nod and then turned away, striking up a conversation with some other people I knew.

"Hey, does anyone remember Sloane Sutton?"

"Of course! The campus queen! The Sutton family heiress!"

"I heard she's coming today, too. And she's the keynote speaker!"

"Well, she's earned it. She's donated a ton of money to the university over the years..."

I glanced down at my phone as they whispered among themselves.

The ceremony wouldn't start for a little while.

This damp, sticky feeling was unbearable. I got up and headed to the restroom to clean myself up.

When I came out, Jada was standing by the door.

I figured she was waiting for someone else.

But as I walked past her, she called out my name, her voice dripping with mockery.

"After all these years of running your own business, you still can't afford a car?"

"Getting soaked like this just to get here... you're really something else."

I turned to face the woman who was once more familiar to me than my own reflection. I answered coolly.

"I like the rain."

Jada gritted her teeth.

"Then I hope you enjoy it for the rest of your life!"

She spun around, her heels clacking loudly against the floor as she stormed off.

But halfway down the hall, she stopped and turned back, her face a mask of fury. "Liam Archer! You're just the same as you've always been... suffering in silence and pretending it doesn't hurt!"

"But no matter how much you pretend, I know you regret it!"