The room was dimly lit, and the curtains drew against the late evening sun. Sierra, sitting at the wine bar in her silk robe, could still remember the way Liam had looked at her that day in their cramped college apartment, as if she were the last chocolate cake at his favourite bakery and he was the lucky customer.
They were sprawled across the old couch, their books and papers scattered on the floor. The scent of old leather and his cologne wrapped around them, enclosing them in their own little world. Liam's strong hands webbed her neck, pulling her into a kiss that was soft at first, then deeper, hungrier. She sighed into his mouth as his tongue teased hers, one of his hands slipping down to rest against the curve of her hip.
"God, Sierra," he murmured against her lips. "You're addictive."
She giggled, breathless, her fingers curling into his hair as he shifted to straddle her slightly. "Then don't stop," she whispered, eyes locked on his.
He kissed along her jawline, his breath hot against her skin. His hands slid under her T-shirt, caressing the soft skin of her waist, his thumbs brushing over her ribs. She moaned softly as his mouth moved lower, hovering around the base of her neck. His lips were firm and warm, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind.
Her back arched slightly as he pressed his body closer. The heat between them was undeniable, overwhelming, like a fuse ready to blow. She felt it in every cell of her body. It was magnetic
Liam pulled back suddenly, just enough to look into her eyes. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes burned with a mixture of desire and restraint. "I want you so much," he said, voice low and steady, "but I want to do this right."
Sierra blinked, dazed by the heat that simmered between them. "What do you mean?" she asked, her breath coming in short bursts.
He took a steadying breath, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you, Sierra, and I want our first time to be after we're married. I want it to be special. I want to give you everything with a clear heart. No regrets."
Her heart raced at the sincerity in his voice. A green flag, she had thought at the time. A man who respected her, who valued love and commitment above lust. Not a red one in sight.
Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, overwhelmed by how deeply she loved him in that moment. "You're too good to be true, Liam Hayes," she whispered.
He smiled, brushing a kiss against her forehead. "No. I'm just in love with you. And I will always be."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close, and whispered against his ear, "Then promise me you'll never keep anything from me."
"I swear it," he said.
Sierra believed him with everything in her. Thought they would build a perfect life because their foundation was honest, raw, and strong.
Now, years later, Sierra stared at her reflection in the glass pane of one of the wine cabinet doors in their penthouse suite. Her silk robe clung softly to her body, her hair perfectly curled from the event they had just returned from and the stem of an expensive wine glass between her thumb and index fingers. She looked every bit the glamorous wife of a billionaire. But inside, something was off. Something had been for a while.
She traced her finger down the side of her face, studying the faint shadow under her eyes. Liam was still in the other room, on a call with one of their international investors. He'd been different lately, more distant, more tired. And their intimacy... well, it had become mechanical, almost non-existent.
She tried not to dwell on it. They were both busy. They were growing Hayes Properties across continents. They had a team of hundreds of thousands of clients. She couldn't expect candlelit dinners and passionate nights like when they were in their twenties.
Still, a part of her missed the version of them that kissed all day on that old couch, when money didn't matter and their biggest concern was affording next month's rent.
They had met in high school, when Sierra was loud and hyper, and Liam was shy and observant. He was always tucked into the back of the classroom, nose in a book, answering questions only when called. She noticed him before he ever noticed her.
One afternoon during a school science fair, he'd stood awkwardly in front of her presentation on sustainable housing.
"You're smarter than the teacher," he'd said, his voice soft.
She had laughed. "Took you long enough to notice."
That was the beginning.
They grew together through college. She majored in architecture, he in business. They dreamed of building more than just a life. They dreamed of building an empire. They got married in a tiny courthouse ceremony just weeks after graduation, exchanging vows with nothing more than borrowed rings and overflowing hope.
Their first project was a rundown duplex. They lived in one unit and renovated the other. Sierra designed, and Liam handled the finances. They flipped it, and then the next. Eventually, they created Hayes Properties, now one of the biggest real estate empires on the East Coast.
They made Forbes lists. They were profiled in magazines. And they did it all together.
To the world, they were unstoppable.
But to Sierra, something was slipping through the cracks.
She missed his touch.
She missed his kisses.
And she missed the way he used to look at her like she was the only thing that mattered.
Lately, Liam wouldn't even meet her eyes when they talked about starting a family.
Every time she brought it up, he brushed it aside, "too busy", "not the right time", "let's focus on the expansion first".
It was beginning to feel like he wasn't just stalling.
It was beginning to feel like he was hiding.
But Sierra wasn't ready to admit that.
Not yet.
Not when she still believed in the man who once waited to have her, just to prove he was worthy of her love.