Chapter 9 

I finished the entire steak. I hadn’t eaten that much in years. Afterward, my stomach rebelled. 

I wanted to vomit but didn’t dare. 

The discomfort kept me tossing and turning all night. “Uncomfortable?” James asked from behind me. 

We were sharing a bed. 

But with enough space between us for three people. 

James hadn’t tried anything inappropriate since that first night. “Too full,” I admitted, fighting nausea. 

The next moment, James moved closer. 

His warm hand slid under my shirt to my stomach, gently massaging. 

I bit my lip, body tense and motionless. 

I don’t know when I fell asleep. 

I don’t know when James fell asleep. 

We maintained that awkward position all night. 

We spent a week in Lake Tahoe, skiing, building snowmen, having snowball fights, and going river rafting. 

Next, we visited Arizona, hiking the Grand Canyon. 

We watched the sunrise and sunset from the rim. We went to the West Rim and 

added locks to the love lock fence. 

I bought a longevity lock. 

I saw James’s expression darken when he realized what it was. 

He didn’t buy anything, just wandered among the thousands of locks, seemingly searching for something. 

I discreetly hung my lock, which was engraved with “James” on it. 

Afterward, I went to find him. 

Following his gaze, I spotted a heart–shaped lock with “James & Sophie” engraved on it. 

I didn’t ask. James didn’t explain. 

Leaving the Grand Canyon, we went straight to Montana. 

We stayed there longer than planned. 

I wanted to extend our time there, loving the vastness, the big sky, the freedom. I rode horses across the plains. 

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I’d never actually ridden before, but somehow I wasn’t afraid at all. James followed behind me. 

I could hear him calling for me to slow down. 

His voice carried panic… 

Inevitably, I fell. 

Blood poured from my nose. 

It flowed and flowed, refusing to stop. 

James was beside himself. He picked me up, ready to rush me to a hospital. 

I absolutely refused. 

Going to a hospital would expose everything I’d hidden from him. 

He shouted at me: “Do you want to die?” 

“No,” I shook my head honestly. 

I just didn’t have much time left. 

“Would you care if I died?” I suddenly asked. 

James responded coldly: “Better if you did. Stop causing trouble.” 

But after that day, James never let me ride again. 

Instead, we walked together across the plains. 

During those days, I often heard him taking calls in the middle of the night. 

Either from his agent or Yasmine. 

I knew I was holding James back. 

His career momentum was at its peak. He should be leveraging this success to solidify his position in Hollywood. 

Not disappearing completely as if he’d vanished. 

I was being selfish. 

“James, let’s go back,” I suggested suddenly. 

He was sitting at the hotel laptop, researching our trip to Colorado. 

That journey would be even longer than our Montana stay. 

He was planning meticulously. 

He looked up at me. 

“Lucas called. He wants me back,” I lied. 

I watched James laugh. 

A laugh that brought tears to his eyes. “Sophie, am I that amusing to you?” 

I remained silent. 

“I’m such a fucking dog,” James said furiously, smashing the laptop against the wall. 

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Then he stormed out. 

I saw the blood on his knuckles but lacked the courage to call him back. The next morning, I packed my bags to leave alone. 

Opening the door, I found James standing there. 

For a moment, it seemed like he’d never left, like he’d waited there all night. The pain in my chest was suffocating. 

But my face remained calm and detached. 

“Chicago,” James said. 

I stared at him blankly. 

“It won’t take much of your precious time,” James said, cold but stubborn. 

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