1) The Promise That Never Was
When she was five, the narrator and the boy next door were kidnapped.
When the men came for him with a needle, she stepped in front—and took the injection herself.
Whatever was in it scrambled her mind for years.
Back then, everyone joked she would marry the neighbor boy someday. But the boy grew up, went to college, and came back with a beautiful girlfriend. Their old “childhood engagement,” he said, didn’t count anymore.
2) The Girl Left Behind
She understood what that meant: he didn’t want her.
The people in their old gated community whispered that she was the “little idiot” who’d never deserve him.
Heartbroken, she went to visit her father’s grave—her only safe place left—where a stranger found her instead: Cole Lawson, a boy with trouble in his eyes.
“Want to leave with me?” he asked, daring her.
She said yes.
3) The Dare Turned Destiny
From that night forward, life with Cole became a whirlwind of reckless nights and whispered promises.
He was danger wrapped in charm; she was the broken girl who couldn’t stand the dark.
Maybe that was why he stayed—because he knew what it felt like to be haunted.
People said Cole had gone crazy for her.
4) The Drinking Game
Years later, in a smoky private room, she lifted a bottle toward him.
“If I drink all this, will you marry me, Cole?”
He sat in the shadows, flicking his lighter open and shut—silent, unreadable.
She tipped the bottle back. The burn ripped through her throat while laughter rose around them.
“Maybe it’s time you marry the little idiot,” one friend jeered.
“Yeah—she’s getting pretty. And if you don’t want her, we’ll take our shot.”
5) The Threat Behind the Smile
Cole’s smile vanished. His eyes turned glacial.
“You into her?” he asked quietly.
The man stammered, “Just for fun! Who’d actually marry a dummy?”
The laughter died instantly.
Everyone knew the rule: no one touched her except Cole.
Ever since that night when they were children, she had feared the dark—and Cole had always been the one who kept it away.
6) The Pretty Girlfriend
She kept drinking, ignoring the pain, until the room spun with four or five Coles.
Then the college girl—the same one who had replaced her—grabbed her wrist.
“Stop. Even if you finish that, Cole isn’t marrying you.”
Her voice was soft but cruel.
“Didn’t you notice? Cole Lawson doesn’t like you. At all.”
The words sliced through the haze like glass.
7) The Shattered Memory
Doesn’t like me?
She turned to Cole, searching his face.
But when every kid on the block had called her stupid, he had still played with her.
He had once promised never to hate her.
Now she bit her lip until it bled, swallowing her tears—because he hated when she cried.
Someone mocked from the corner, “Crybaby’s gonna cry again—hey Cole, soothe your child bride.”
8) The Exit
Cole stood, anger snapping through his movements.
He flicked his jacket across the heckler’s shoulder.
“Child brides?” he said, his voice sharp. “That’s backward, old-world garbage.”
Then he turned and walked out—taking the pretty girl’s hand with him.
The laughter faded, replaced by the sound of her heartbeat breaking.
9) The Waiting
She stumbled after him to the hotel entrance.
Cole said it wasn’t on the way; he’d drop the girl off first.
“Wait here,” he told her.
So she waited.
Time blurred.
Dry yellow leaves drifted from the trees, landing at her feet. She tore them apart, one by one, like counting seconds until he returned.
But he never did.
10) The Morning Alone
By the time the sun rose, her fingers were numb from the cold.
He still hadn’t come back.
She walked home alone through empty streets, light bleeding across the sky.
Every leaf she’d shredded lay scattered behind her like pieces of her heart.
Once, he’d said, When you finish counting, I’ll show up.
This time she counted to forever—and he never came.
