Heather Longstaff left the wedding planning agency and immediately booked a ticket out of Kennethville on her phone. Just as the confirmation popped up on her screen, Mitchell Bennett called.
As she answered, his familiar voice came through, tinged with a gentle warmth.
“Heather, my mom says she misses you. She asked me to bring you home for dinner tonight. She also mentioned having something to give you. Can you guess what it is?”
Everyone in Kennethville knew Mitchell as a man of cold demeanor, someone who kept people at arm’s length with an air of aloofness.
Despite the constant stream of women vying for his attention, he had always reserved his tenderness exclusively for Heather.
Until today, Heather had believed in that wholeheartedly.
Their mothers were the best of friends, and Heather and Mitchell had grown up together, childhood sweethearts in every sense of the word.
But everything changed when Heather’s mother passed away. Barely a month after her death, her father remarried, bringing a stepmother into the picture.
Heather’s stepmother orchestrated a cruel scheme, sending her to a desolate rural town.
When Heather regained consciousness, she found herself being groped by a drunken man. Panicked, she grabbed an empty bottle from the floor and smashed it over his head.
The man convulsed on the ground for a few moments before going still. Terrified and at a loss, Heather didn’t know what to do until Mitchell burst through the creaky door, scooping her into his arms.
At that moment, he seemed like a savior descending from the heavens.
Even though she was rescued, the incident left deep trauma. Mitchell stayed by her side every day, tirelessly seeking the best therapists and doing everything he could to cheer her up. Gradually, she began to heal.
His unwavering companionship melted even the coldest parts of her heart.
Yet, having witnessed her father’s betrayal of her late mother, Heather had become exceedingly cautious about love. Before agreeing to be with Mitchell, she had laid everything out plainly.
