Addison Fitzpatrick POV:
The new city was a stark contrast to the familiar warmth of home. Grey skies, biting winds, and relentless rain became my constant companions. I embraced the chill, the biting cold a physical manifestation of the emotional numbness I craved. It helped keep the memories at bay, a constant distraction from the lingering ache in my chest.
Ava had moved with me, a fierce, protective presence. We enrolled in different programs, but she was my anchor. We filled our days with strenuous activities – long runs in the drizzling rain, late-night study sessions fueled by bad coffee, exploring every unfamiliar corner of the sprawling campus. Anything to keep my mind from drifting back to Kade.
Every now and then, the urge to check his social media, to see if he' d noticed my absence, would claw at me. But I fought it, tooth and nail. I was done being his "beta test," his "unpaid intern." I was done being a victim.
Ava, however, couldn't resist. She' d occasionally send me screenshots, her texts filled with outrage. "Can you believe this? More shots of him and Jodi 'living their best life' in Positano. Positano, Addy! Remember how you dreamed of going there?"
The updates were a steady drip feed of Kade's new, glamorous life. He and Jodi were everywhere-skiing in the Alps, yachting in the Mediterranean, attending exclusive parties. He, who had always been so private, now meticulously curated his public image. His social media, once a sparse collection of business-related posts, was now a vibrant, almost theatrical performance of joy and success. Every post was perfectly framed, highlighting picturesque locations, his arm invariably around Jodi.
It was all so public, so performative. Old acquaintances, mutual friends, would occasionally reach out to me, puzzled. "Addison, where have you been? Kade's pictures look amazing! You always used to be in his travel photos."
I' d offer a vague, rehearsed answer. "Oh, busy with my studies. Just needed a change of scenery. You know." I' d force a smile, my voice carefully neutral. But each mention of his name, even casually, was a jolt, a reminder of the raw wound that hadn't quite healed.
The harsh environment of my new life was a strange comfort. The sprawling, indifferent city, the vast, unforgiving cold-it mirrored the emptiness inside me, absorbing my pain without judgment. There was a weird solace in facing something just as cold and vast as my heartbreak.
"It' s all so fake, Addy," Ava would say, scrolling through Kade's latest post. "He's putting on a show. It's too perfect. He's trying to provoke a reaction, I just know it."
"Who cares?" I' d shrug, turning back to my textbooks, my voice dripping with feigned indifference. The truth was, a part of me still cared deeply, still ached with the injustice. But I was learning to build walls, to compartmentalize the pain, to push it down until it was a dull throb rather than a searing agony.
I' d look out at the grey sky, watching the heavy flakes of snow fall, merging with the slush on the ground. I was actively trying to forget Kade, to erase him from the tapestry of my life. To learn that I could survive, and even thrive, without him. That I was more than his "beta test" or his "unpaid intern." I was Addison Fitzpatrick, a brilliant coder in my own right, carving out a new path.
Months turned into a year. The initial shock had faded, replaced by a dull ache that, with time, became almost imperceptible. The forced isolation and distraction had worked its magic, dulling the sharp edges of my pain. Kade Dalton became a distant memory, a ghost haunting the corridors of my past, rarely intruding on my present. I stopped checking his social media, even through Ava. I stopped wondering what he was doing, or who he was with. I convinced myself that he had moved on, and that I finally had too.
As the holiday season approached, a strange sense of peace settled over me. I packed my bags, ready to return home for the break, a new warmth in my heart that had nothing to do with Kade. I was a new person, stronger, wiser, finally free.
That feeling lasted until I walked through my front door. Kade was already there, sitting in the living room, laughing with my parents. The very sight of him sent a jolt of ice through my veins. My peace shattered.
