Amara's POV
"Trey Alvarez is the groom, right?" Crystal asked the moment she barged into my room without knocking.
I looked up from my laptop, trying to keep my expression calm even though my heart tightened at the mention of his name.
"Yeah," I said casually. "Why?"
Crystal leaned against the doorframe, studying me with a teasing smile.
"Well, I remember you used to have a massive crush on him," she said. "How does it feel seeing him again after all these years, Amara?"
I blinked at her in surprise.
"How do you even know about that?" I asked, frowning.
Crystal shrugged lightly.
"Just because you lived with Mom at the Alvarez mansion while I stayed with Grandma doesn't mean I didn't hear things," she said. "I remember overhearing Mom talking to Grandma after you left the mansion. She was worried about you."
My cheeks warmed immediately.
"I don't want to talk about that, Crystal," I said quietly, turning my eyes away.
But Crystal was not the type to let things go so easily.
"Well," she continued, pulling out her phone, "I follow his fiancée on social media."
My chest tightened slightly.
"They had a date last night," she added casually as she scrolled through her phone.
The word date pierced through me like a thin blade.
Crystal sighed dramatically.
"Too bad she never posts Trey's face," she continued. "She always takes pictures of herself looking beautiful, but she never shows him. Still, if he was already handsome when he was young, I'm sure he must look even better now."
I forced a small smile, even though my chest felt painfully tight.
I hated that hearing about him still affected me this way. I had no right to feel anything anymore. Not after everything that had happened.
My mind drifted back to the past, to the moment that had changed everything. Back then, I had been young and foolish enough to misunderstand everything.
Trey used to give me small gifts sometimes. Books he said I might like, snacks he brought back from the city, even a scarf once when he noticed I was cold while studying in the garden. At that age, those little gestures meant the world to me.
I thought they meant something more. I thought he liked me too. I still remember the look on his face when I confessed my feelings, and how, in that single moment, reality came crashing down on me.
I had misunderstood everything.
What I thought were special gestures were nothing more than kindness. Nothing more than the casual generosity of the wealthy son of the house toward the maid's daughter who happened to grow up there.
Humiliation burned through me that day in the rose garden. After my foolish stunt of confessing my feelings to him, I could not bear to stay in that mansion any longer.
So I begged Mom to leave. I cried, pleaded, and insisted that I could not face Trey again after embarrassing myself like that.
Mom tried to reason with me. She reminded me that her job at the mansion was important. That we needed the money.
But I was too hurt and too stubborn to listen.
Grandma was sick back then. Her medication was expensive, and Mom had been working tirelessly just to keep up with the costs.
Leaving the Alvarez mansion meant losing the only stable income we had. And yet, despite all of that, Mom still chose me. She packed our things and left the mansion for my sake.
Even now, remembering it made guilt twist painfully in my chest. I had been so naive back then. So selfish.
I had known we needed the money, but I still begged her to leave because my pride had been hurt. Mom sacrificed everything just to protect me. And I had never stopped feeling guilty for that.
I looked down at my hands, trying to steady my breathing. Whatever feelings I once had for Trey Alvarez should have stayed buried in the past. Because that world was never meant for someone like me.
"Well, Pauline is the perfect match for him. Why didn't you include me in the list of waitress who will serve the wedding, Amara?" My sister asked.
"You are just an extra staff, Crystal. I needed this wedding to be perfect. I can't allow part-timers to do the serving. I am sorry." I replied trying to sound a real boss.
"Come on, I just want to witness a fairytale wedding. I promise to be the best waitress you could ever have, Amara. Besides I needed the extra cash to buy the book I wanted badly." She insisted and I shook my head.
"No." I replied and she frowned.
"I hate you." She said before she turned around without closing the door.
I let out a heavy breath as I sat behind the steering wheel of my car, trying to steady the storm of emotions inside my chest.
For a long moment, I simply stared ahead at the quiet road in front of me.
Then I made a decision. I would rather drive to the vegetable farm than return to the Alvarez mansion.
Right now, the last person I wanted to see was Trey.
Not after the press conference.
My chest tightened at the memory of his words in front of all those cameras. I knew he had only told the truth. I had no right to feel hurt about it. He had simply stated what everyone already knew.
I was the maid's daughter. There was nothing wrong with saying it. It was the truth I had grown up with my entire life.
So why did it hurt so much whenever the words came from him? Why did it feel different when Trey was the one saying it?
Before leaving, I had said goodbye to my mother. She hugged me tightly, as if she sensed something heavy in my heart. Crystal, however, did not even bother to say goodbye.
I knew why.
She was still upset that I had refused to let her help during Trey's wedding preparations.
I trusted my sister, but that was not the issue.
Crystal had a sharp tongue and an even sharper memory. If I allowed her to involve herself in Trey's wedding, she would use it against me whenever she wanted something in return.
I could already imagine the future arguments.
You owe me, Amara. I helped you with Trey's wedding.
No. I could not give her that kind of weapon.
I pressed my lips together as I started the engine. I gripped the steering wheel more tightly as I pulled out onto the road.
I should have buried my memories of Trey a long time ago. But instead, fate had given me new ones. The thought made my chest ache.
He had carried me in his arms. I could still remember the warmth of his body and the way his scent surrounded me. It was intoxicating, something warm and masculine that lingered in my mind no matter how hard I tried to forget it.
How was I supposed to erase something like that?
Even if Trey looked down on me and saw me as nothing more than the maid's daughter, a part of my heart still wanted him.
And I hated myself for it. Maybe after his wedding, everything would finally end. Maybe once he married Pauline, I would finally be able to close that chapter of my life for good.
That would be the moment I could truly say goodbye.
Because deep down, I had always known the truth. Trey Alvarez was never someone I could have.
I drove away from our house with a heavy heart, yet there was also a strange excitement building inside me as the road stretched ahead.
At least I was driving my own car.
Trey had offered me one of his luxury cars while I was staying at the mansion, but I still loved my old car more. It felt like the only thing in my life that truly belonged to me.
My phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence inside the car.
I glanced at the screen and saw Tessa's name. I hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Why are you not back yet, Amara?" Tessa asked immediately, her voice filled with concern the moment I picked up the call.
"I can't make it today, Tess," I replied, keeping my voice as calm as possible while keeping my eyes on the road. "I'm already on my way to the vegetable farm."
"What?" she exclaimed in surprise. "My brother has been looking for you everywhere. You're supposed to be here, Amara."
I sighed quietly.
"If you're worried about the headlines, you don't have to," Tessa continued quickly. "Trey already handled the media. He made sure the situation wouldn't affect you."
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as the car continued down the quiet road.
I did not know whether that information was supposed to make me feel better or worse.
On one hand, it meant Trey cared enough to protect my reputation. He had stepped in and made sure the press would not drag my name through their gossip.
But at the same time, his words during the press conference had shattered something I had been holding onto for years.
A childish illusion I should have buried long ago.
The illusion that maybe, somehow, I was more to him than just the maid's daughter.
"Tess," I said after a moment, forcing my voice to stay steady, "just explain to your brother that I needed to go to the vegetable farm. He asked for organic ingredients, remember? I have to make sure everything is perfect for his wedding."
That excuse sounded reasonable enough.
At least it sounded better than admitting the truth.
That I simply did not have the courage to face him today.
There was a short pause on the other end of the line, and I already knew Tessa was not convinced.
"Amara," she said slowly, her tone turning suspicious, "I know you very well."
I sighed quietly but kept driving.
"You avoided talking about my brother for years," she continued. "You acted like he didn't even exist whenever I mentioned his name."
Her words made my chest tighten.
"And now suddenly you're working on his wedding?" she added. "Don't tell me this has nothing to do with him."
I said nothing.
"That's exactly what I thought," Tessa muttered. "You're avoiding him."
I pressed my lips together, my eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"You really need to go to his office, Amara," she insisted. "Trey asked for you personally. He said he wanted to see you before lunch."
Her words made my stomach twist nervously.
Trey wanted to see me. The thought alone made my heart beat faster.
But instead of turning the car around, I kept driving toward the farm. Because right now, facing Trey Alvarez felt much harder than facing an entire field of vegetables.
The call ended, and the silence inside the car suddenly felt heavier.
I sighed softly and placed my phone on the passenger seat.
I would just call Tessa later and explain that I could not make it to Trey's office today. Right now, I simply did not have the courage to face him.
Maybe tomorrow. For now, I just needed some space.
The road stretched peacefully in front of me as I continued driving toward the vegetable farm. The city slowly faded behind me, replaced by wide open fields and long stretches of green.
I rolled down the window slightly, letting the fresh air drift inside the car.
I had always loved visiting farms. There was something about the open land, the smell of soil and fresh plants, and the quiet rhythm of the countryside that gave me a kind of happiness I could never fully explain.
It felt peaceful and simple. Like the world slowed down for a while. The tension that had been sitting heavily in my chest since the press conference began to loosen just a little.
My favorite playlist played softly through the speakers, filling the car with familiar music. I tapped my fingers lightly against the steering wheel, letting the melody distract my thoughts.
For the first time that morning, I allowed myself to breathe. I glanced at the fields on both sides of the road, watching the endless rows of green crops stretching toward the horizon. Farmers moved slowly between the rows, tending to their plants under the warm sunlight.
It was beautiful and calming. I almost forgot everything that had happened the night before.
Then suddenly, everything happened too fast. Out of nowhere, a large truck appeared from the opposite lane. It was heavily loaded with wooden crates stacked high in the back, filled with vegetables.
At first I thought it would simply pass by like any other vehicle on the road. But something was wrong. The truck was moving strangely too fast. My heart jumped into my throat as I realized the truck was drifting into my lane.
My hands tightened around the steering wheel.
"What—?"
The truck was coming straight toward me. The loud screech of tires tore through the quiet road. The blaring horn. The sudden panic flooding my chest. I barely had time to react before the world exploded into chaos.
A deafening crash filled the air.
"Ahhh!"
My own scream tore from my throat as a violent impact shook the car. And then there was nothing but the echo of the explosion and the sound of metal twisting around me.