Chapter22 When the class reunion ended , rain was pouring down outside . Chase Rylan didn't bother with an umbrella . Cold water soaked through his clothes as he wandered aimlessly down the street , Lydia's words and the tenderness in her eyes when she looked at Noah Sterling replaying in his head like a broken record . Back at his empty estate , he collapsed onto the couch and drifted quickly into a restless sleep . In his dream , he was back in high school , right after the fire . Sienna Quinn had pressed Grandma's Locket into his hands . " Thank you for saving this . Here's five hundred thousand - it's my way of repaying you . " He had shoved the bank card back at her , voice flat . " Then we're even . From now on , you and I are done . " The whole class had watched as Sienna's face went pale . She had bolted from the room in humiliation , and after that day , he had never spoken to her again . Instead , he spent his days with Lydia - sitting beside her in class , saving her a spot in the library , making sure she had hot cocoa and hand warmers during her cycle . When college began , he had carried her luggage through the gates of Northbridge University . When they graduated , he had dropped to one knee and proposed . In his dream , they had married , moving into a house with a garden overflowing with blooming gardenias . Every summer , the fragrance filled the air . Lydia had become a respected attorney ; he ran the family business . At night , they curled up on the couch watching movies , ordinary yet blissful . " Someday , let's have two kids , " he had told her , holding her close , smiling like a man who had everything . " One who looks like you , one like me . " Her laugh had been soft against his chest . " Okay . " But then Chase jolted awake . The villa was silent . The couch was empty . Lydia was gone . His chest ached as if hollowed out . He stumbled to his study , yanked open a dusty box , and found the remnants of what they once had- her old love letters , photo booth strips , the broken pieces of the homemade star projector he had built . He picked up a photo . Lydia in a white dress , smiling , leaning into him , her eyes filled with trust . But that girl would never belong to him again . The next morning , he parked near Hartwell & Pierce LLP , waiting across the street . From behind a tree , he watched Lydia step out of the building in her suit . Noah Sterling was already there , umbrella in one hand , thermos in the other . a " It's colder today . I made some beef stew , " Noah said , handing it over . He tugged Lydia's coat snug around her shoulders , the motion effortless , intimate . She laughed , eyes sparkling . " How did you know I was craving stew ? " " Lucky guess . " He reached out , ruffled her hair . " Come on , let's eat . I'll pick you up after work too . " The two of them walked off together , their silhouettes warm beneath the morning sun , as if they belonged to a painting . From his car , Chase's grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white , He knew . She was gone - truly , irrevocably gone . He no longer even had the right to stand at her side . From then on , he buried himself in work . When friends and family introduced him to women , he declined without hesitation . Chapter22 100.00 % He kept Lydia's old bedroom in the estate exactly as it had been , as if she might walk back in at any moment . Years slipped by . Then , one day , a former classmate let it slip - Lydia was getting married . The groom was Noah Sterling . The ceremony would be at St. Brigid Chapel . On the wedding day , Chase stood in the shade of a tree outside the church . The doors opened . Lydia appeared on her father's arm , radiant in white , walking step by step toward Noah . Noah , in a sharp suit , watched her approach with unwavering devotion , as though she was the most precious thing in the world . " I do . " Applause thundered as they exchanged rings and sealed their vows with a kiss . Outside , Chase stood frozen . Silent tears slid down his face . Once , he had held her heart . Once , she had dreamed a future with him . But because of his own arrogance and selfishness , he had driven her away - straight into the arms of someone who would never let her go . Now Lydia had found happiness . And all that remained for Chase was endless regret , and the long , lonely road ahead . Chapter22