That Killed Us 21

Chapter21 

Chase Rylan arrived at the Grand Armitage Hotel a full thirty minutes early. 

He was dressed in a tailored suit, hair perfectly styled, and in his hand he clutched. read countless times over the past five years, until its edges had worn soft. 

а 

single folded sheet of paper–the same one he had 

His gaze swept the room until it snagged on a figure by the window. 

Lydia Rivers. 

She wore a champagne–colored dress, a delicate pearl stud at her ear. She was laughing softly with a classmate, her expression bright but composed, every gesture steady with quiet confidence. 

Chase’s breath caught. He straightened his tie, forced air into his lungs, and crossed the room: 

“Lydia.” His voice trembled; even his fingers shook. 

She turned at the sound. Her smile didn’t fade, but it didn’t warm either. She gave the faintest nod. “It’s been a while, Chase.” 

“Yeah… it has.” He sat opposite her, eyes fixed on her face. “I heard you’re an international lawyer now. Saw your name in the news once. Honestly, I wasn’t sure it was really you.” 

“I’ve been working in London,” she said, lifting her glass of water for a measured sip. Her tone was polite, careful, distant. “This trip back is just for some business.” 

Chase’s eyes darted to the empty chair beside her. Hope sparked. He asked, hesitant, “So… you came alone?” 

She met his gaze briefly, then countered, “Why do you ask?” 

“I just… wanted to know how you’ve been these past years.” His voice softened, aching with hope. 

“My life has nothing to do with you anymore.” Lydia set her glass down with calm finality. “Chase, we ended a long time ago. There’s nothing left to talk about. 

His chest constricted. He fumbled in his pocket, pulled out the worn letter, and slid it across the table. 

“I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have believed Sienna Quinn’s lies, shouldn’t have ignored you, shouldn’t have hurt you over and over. I’ve regretted it every day these past five years. 

His voice cracked, desperate. “I never let you go. You loved me once–couldn’t you… couldn’t you give me one more chance?” 

He lowered himself further, words almost a plea. “Sienna’s out of my life. I’ve stayed single all these years. I never stopped thinking about you. Even if I’m nothing more than a afterthought, just let me stay close. I’ll take whatever you give me.” 

Lydia’s eyes flicked to the letter, then back to him, her expression unchanged. She gave a small, almost pitying smile. 

“Chase, you still don’t get it.” 

“I was young back then. I thought you were just shackled by some misplaced sense of obligation, that you went too far for Sienna because you felt you owed her.” 

Her voice sharpened, every word clear and cold. “But now I see it. You didn’t act out of duty—you wanted her. You had feelings for her and couldn’t admit it, so you tried to have it both ways.” 

She leaned closer, her tone cutting like glass. “You talk about regret. Do you know what I remember? The night in the Merriton River. I was drowning, and I saw you turn your back and swim toward her. That despair–I’ll carry it for the rest of my life.” 

Her gaze hardened. “You only dared to be so cruel because you thought I’d always love you, that I’d never leave. But you forget it was you who pursued me first.” 

Chase went pale. His lips trembled, but no words came. 

Just then, the door to the private room opened. A man in a crisp white shirt stepped in, exuding calm assurance. He walked straight to Chapter21 

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Lydia, picked up her coat, and said gently, “It’s getting late. We should go.” 

Noah Sterling. 

Older now, his features sharper, his demeanor more refined–but still the same steady grace. 

Lydia rose, accepted her coat, and smiled at him, her voice soft in a way it had not been with Chase. “Give me a second–I’ll just say goodbye.” 

She turned, said a few polite words to her classmates, then walked out with Noah at her side. 

Chase sat frozen, the letter slipping from his hands to the floor. 

The chatter around him blurred, fading into nothing but the sound of his own heart breaking. 

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