Chapter 1: The Day Everything Broke

The sound of laughter filled the room.

It was loud, bright, and completely out of place.

Viktoria Romanova stood near the edge of the hall, her fingers lightly gripping the stem of a glass she hadn’t touched. The lights above shimmered, reflecting off polished marble floors and crystal chandeliers, turning the entire place into something almost unreal.

Everything looked perfect.

Everything felt wrong.

Her eyes didn’t move. They stayed fixed on one point—on the couple standing at the center of the room.

Smiling.

Happy.

Celebrated.

Her fiancé—

No.

Her ex-fiancé… and her cousin.

For a moment, it didn’t feel real. As if she had stepped into someone else’s life, into a scene that didn’t belong to her.

But it was real.

Every second of it.

“…Viktoria?”

The voice came from somewhere beside her, distant and blurred, like everything else in that moment.

She didn’t respond.

Her gaze remained steady.

He was laughing.

The same way he used to laugh with her.

The same warmth. The same ease.

Nothing had changed.

Except everything had.

...****************...

Six months ago

...****************...

“You’ll get used to him.”

Her mother’s voice had been gentle, reassuring, almost hopeful.

“But mom…”

“No but.”

The words were soft—but firm enough to end the conversation.

Viktoria had sat quietly, listening, her expression calm—too calm.

“It’s a good match,” her father added. “He’s responsible. From a good family.”

A pause.

“And he likes you.”

That had been enough for her to nod.

Not because she believed it.

But because she had stopped expecting more.

Love wasn’t something she trusted anymore.

Not after everything that had almost been… but never was.

Not after the way life had pulled her away before she could even understand what she felt.

Some things had remained unspoken.

And some feelings… were never given a chance to exist.

So she agreed.

Not with excitement.

Not with hope.

But with acceptance.

Back to the present

The applause grew louder.

Someone announced their names again.

Her cousin smiled shyly, her hand wrapped around his arm.

He didn’t hesitate.

Didn’t look around.

Didn’t look at Viktoria.

Not even once.

And somehow, that hurt more than anything else.

Not the betrayal.

Not the sudden change.

But the ease with which he moved on.

As if she had never mattered.

“Viktoria…”

This time, the voice was closer.

She turned slightly.

Her mother stood beside her, concern carefully hidden behind a composed expression.

“You should sit down.”

“I’m fine,” Viktoria said.

Her voice was steady.

Too steady.

Her mother studied her for a moment, as if trying to see past the calm surface.

“You don’t have to stay.”

But Viktoria shook her head.

“No,” she said quietly. “I’ll stay.”

Because leaving would mean acknowledging something.

And she wasn’t ready for that.

The evening passed in fragments.

Voices. Faces. Smiles that didn’t reach her eyes.

Congratulations.

Music.

More laughter.

At some point, someone handed her another glass.

She didn’t remember taking it.

She didn’t remember anything clearly.

Only one thing stayed constant—

That feeling.

Not heartbreak.

Not exactly.

Something quieter.

Something heavier.

Like something inside her had simply… shut down.

Later that night, she stood alone on the balcony.

The cold air brushed against her skin, sharp and grounding.

For the first time that evening, she breathed properly.

Below, the city lights stretched endlessly.

Beautiful.

Distant.

Untouchable.

Just like everything else.

“You’re still here.”

The voice startled her slightly.

She turned.

Her cousin stood there now, hesitation in her eyes.

“I was looking for you,” she said softly.

Viktoria didn’t reply immediately.

She simply watched her.

There were a thousand things she could say.

Questions. Accusations. Words that demanded answers.

But none of them came.

Instead, she asked quietly:

“Are you happy?”

The question seemed to catch her off guard.

A pause.

Then—

“Yes.”

A simple answer.

Honest.

And that was enough.

Viktoria nodded once.

“Good.”

No anger.

No bitterness.

Just acceptance.

Her cousin stepped closer, uncertain.

“I know you don’t want to listen to my explanations… no explanation can make things right. It just—

I didn’t mean for it to happen like this…”

Viktoria looked away.

“It doesn’t matter.”

And for her, it truly didn’t.

Not anymore.

That night, everything settled into place.

Not with emotion.

But with clarity.

A few days later, her parents spoke again.

Carefully this time.

As if they were walking on fragile ground.

“We won’t force you,” her mother said.

“But…”

There was always a but.

“There’s another proposal.”

Viktoria didn’t react immediately.

She leaned back slightly, her expression unreadable.

“How long do you think this will continue?” she asked quietly.

Her parents exchanged a glance.

“What do you mean?”

“These meetings. These proposals. These expectations.”

Her voice wasn’t sharp.

It was calm.

Too calm.

“I keep saying no,” she continued.

“You keep bringing someone new.”

A pause.

“Or I say yes… and it ends like this.”

Silence filled the room.

Then she exhaled softly.

As if letting go of something invisible.

“Fine.”

Both her parents looked at her.

“I’ll meet him.”

This time, there was no hesitation.

No resistance.

No expectation either.

Because this wasn’t about hope anymore.

It was about ending something that had been going on for far too long.

And somewhere, in a completely different world—

Someone else was about to walk into her life.

Not as a memory.

Not as a past.

But as someone she had no reason to recognize.

Or perhaps…

no reason to remember.

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