Val's POV
Emma's birthday was supposed to be cheerful. Bright. Full of balloons, gifts, messy frosting smudged on cheeks and laughter that echoed louder than any silence in my chest.
But I couldn't breathe right.
Not when Theo walked through the front door.
And I knew it wasn't Emma who invited him. It was Mom. Of course it was Mom.
She always said Theo was "a good influence." And maybe once, I would've smiled at that. But now, all I could do was stick by Emma's side like Velcro—clinging to her like a shield. Because every time I looked up, he was there. Existing like it didn't tear me apart to see him and not talk to him.
He gave Emma a glittery pink Smartwatch. The kind she's been begging for all month.
She squealed. I smiled. She hugged him. I looked away.
I hated that he came.
I hated that he didn't come sooner.
And then Ash told me she was sleeping over. Emma begged. Mom agreed. Dad grunted something, too busy checking his flight updates. After dinner, they both kissed Emma and left for some urgent business trip. "We waited until her birthday, didn't we?" Mom said as she zipped her suitcase.
Now, it was just the four of us in the house.
Ash took Emma upstairs, loud giggles trailing behind them as they ripped open gift bags and counted money with dramatic gasps. I was glad Emma was happy.
But I wasn't.
Not even close.
And I knew Theo knew.
"Balcony?" I muttered to him as I passed by in the hallway.
He didn't say anything. Just followed.
We stood outside under the stars. I leaned against the railing, hugging myself because of course the wind had to bite tonight.
And of course… he noticed.
"Here." He slid off his black leather jacket and draped it around my shoulders like muscle memory. It was warm, smelled like him, and I hated how comforting it felt.
"I didn't know you were from Russia," I mumbled, trying to sound casual. Trying not to drown.
Theo smirked. "Yeah, I know. My name, my face, my whole vibe doesn't exactly scream Moscow. But I am."
I turned to him slowly. "So, you're going to Russia. For a whole month?"
Silence.
"So, what is it? Because I ran out of your house? You think I'm a coward now?" My voice cracked before I could stop it. "I wasn't scared of you, Theo. I was scared of… us. Scared of what I was starting to feel."
He looked at me like I'd just stabbed him in the chest with a spoon.
"It's not because of that, Val," he said softly. "You're not a coward. Don't even say that."
"Then why?"
"Because my father's dying," he said, so flat it knocked the air out of me. "And I have to inherit every single thing he's ever touched. The businesses, the companies. The mess he made."
"Oh," I whispered.
"And I'm sorry," he added. "For yesterday. For the way I treated you. I didn't mean it. It's just… there's a storm in my life right now, and I don't know how to hold an umbrella for anyone else."
I nodded, eyes stinging. But it wasn't enough.
"I think…" He took a breath. "I think I need to cut ties for a while."
The words hit harder than any slap.
"Cut ties?" I echoed. "Our bond wasn't even a relationship. We were just starting to—what? Talk? Feel something? And now you want to cut that off?"
I laughed bitterly. "Is it because of Nicole?"
Theo looked like he wanted to say no.
But he didn't.
"I have to get engaged to her," he said. "If I do… I have to be loyal. That's what it means. Engagement. Marriage. It's not a joke to me."
"But you said you'd burn the world for me," I said, voice shaking. "And now what? You won't even go against your parents' plan?"
"It's not that simple, Val," he said, and his voice finally cracked too. "Nicole's family and mine have business ties. It's a whole empire. And if I refuse, the entire thing could collapse."
"So let it collapse," I snapped. "Build something new. Something with me."
Tears blurred everything. Even him.
And I hated that he was blurry when he stepped closer. When he cupped my face, gently wiping at my tears with his thumb like I was made of glass.
"I'll try," he whispered. "I'll try my best to come back to you. I'll figure something out. Just… wait for me, okay?"
I swallowed the scream in my throat.
"I don't wanna wait," I whispered.
"But I'll wait."
My voice broke again. "I'll wait, I'll wait, I'll wait…"
He didn't kiss me.
Didn't hold me.
He just stood there, his hand warm on my cheek, his eyes colder than the night sky.
And I knew in that moment—this wasn't goodbye.
But it was something close to it.