Chapter 1: Snow and Second Thoughts
The morning Lynette left Montana, the sky was washed in pale silver. Snow drifted lazily across the quiet streets she had known her whole life. Valentine’s Day had arrived softly — but her heart was anything but calm.
She was nervous. Excited. Hopeful.
Larry had no idea she was coming.
For three years, they had made long distance work between Montana and Seattle. They met at a summer music festival — one spontaneous conversation that turned into something real. Since then, their love had survived time zones, flight delays, video calls that froze mid-sentence, and late-night promises.
Especially promises.
But lately, something felt off.
Two weeks earlier, Larry’s voice on the phone had sounded distant.
“Work’s just busy,” he had said. “Don’t read into it.”
But she did read into it.
The shorter texts. The missed calls. The subtle shift in energy.
So she made a decision.
She booked a flight.
She imagined knocking on his door with chocolate-covered strawberries in one hand and a small wrapped gift in the other — the vintage watch he once admired online. She imagined his shock. His smile. His arms lifting her off the ground.
She imagined love winning.
She didn’t imagine heartbreak.
Chapter 2: Seattle in Gray
Seattle greeted her with misty rain and heavy clouds — so different from Montana’s clean, dry cold. She stepped out of the taxi and stared at Larry’s apartment building.
Brick walls. Small balconies. Ivy climbing stubbornly up one side.
Her pulse quickened.
She texted him.
“Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️ What are you doing?”
No reply.
She told herself he was probably setting something up.
Instead of taking the elevator, she chose the stairs. It felt romantic. Like something out of a movie.
At the top of the landing, she noticed his apartment door slightly open.
Soft music drifted out.
Candles.
Her heart fluttered.
“He’s planning something,” she whispered to herself.
And she stepped inside.
Chapter 3: The Moment Everything Broke
The first thing she saw was candlelight flickering across the walls.
The second was wine glasses on the table.
The third was Bethany.
Bethany — in a fitted red dress, standing close.
Too close.
And Larry…
Larry was kissing her.
Not confusion. Not a quick mistake.
A kiss that had familiarity in it.
The strawberries slipped from Lynette’s hands. The container hit the floor. Chocolate rolled across the hardwood like scattered proof of something she didn’t want to believe.
The music stopped.
Larry turned around slowly.
His face drained of color.
“Lynette?”
Her name sounded unfamiliar coming from him.
Bethany stepped back, eyes sharp but silent.
The air felt tight.
“Surprise,” Lynette said, though her voice barely carried.
Chapter 4: Truth Without Mercy
Silence filled the room.
“What are you doing here?” Larry asked.
She stared at him. “I came to see you.”
“You didn’t say you were coming—”
“That was the point.”
Bethany crossed her arms. “Larry told me you two were basically done.”
The sentence landed like ice in her chest.
“Done?” Lynette repeated.
Larry dragged his hand through his hair. “It’s complicated.”
“No,” she said quietly. “It’s not.”
She looked around — the candles, the carefully arranged table, the romantic setup.
This wasn’t confusion.
This was planned.
For Valentine’s Day.
“For how long?” she asked.
Larry stayed silent.
Bethany didn’t.
“Since Christmas.”
Christmas.
While Lynette had mailed him a scrapbook of their memories.
The room tilted, but she refused to fall apart in front of them.
Chapter 5: Choosing Dignity
For a brief second, she wanted to scream. To cry. To demand answers.
Instead, something steadier took over.
Calm.
She placed the small watch box on the counter.
“I hope it was worth it,” she said softly.
Larry stepped toward her. “We were drifting. You felt it too.”
Drifting doesn’t mean betrayal.
Distance doesn’t mean permission.
She looked at Bethany, not with rage — but with clarity.
“You can have him.”
And in that moment, she realized something unexpected.
The surprise wasn’t for Larry.
It was for her.
She had crossed state lines for love.
Now she would cross emotional lines for self-respect.
Chapter 6: A Different Kind of Valentine
Outside, the rain felt colder — but it felt real.
She walked toward the waterfront without thinking. Ferries moved slowly across the gray water. Couples passed, wrapped in scarves and affection.
Her phone buzzed.
Larry.
She declined.
It buzzed again.
She turned it off.
Instead, she called her best friend back in Montana.
“I guess I’m single,” she said, forcing a shaky laugh.
There was a pause.
Then: “His loss.”
For the first time that day, Lynette smiled.
The day hadn’t ended.
It had shifted.
Chapter 7: Flying Home Stronger
On the flight back to Montana, Lynette didn’t cry.
She stared out the window as Seattle disappeared beneath the clouds.
Love hadn’t made her foolish.
It had made her brave.
And brave women survive heartbreak.
As the plane climbed higher, something surprising grew beneath the pain.
Relief.
Because sometimes catching someone in a lie isn’t the worst part.
Sometimes it’s the moment you finally see clearly.
And beneath Montana’s wide, open skies — a new chapter was already waiting for her.
One built not on promises.
But on strength.