I set down the axe and walk around to the front of the cabin, Ghost appearing beside me like the protective shadow he is. The car stops in my clearing, and after a moment that feels like eternity, Chantay gets out.
She's wearing jeans and a sweater, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, looking more casual and beautiful than I remember. But her expression is guarded, uncertain.
"Hi," she says, standing beside her car like she might need to make a quick escape.
"Hi. You came."
"I came to see if any of it was real."
"All of it was real. The parts that mattered."
She studies my face, then looks around at the cabin, the mountains, the life I've built here. "Show me," she says finally. "Show me who Maxim Chen really is when he's not performing for anyone."
"Okay," I say, and for the first time in days, I allow myself to hope. "But I should warn you, Ghost is very particular about strangers, and Ranger will try to steal your food."
The corner of her mouth twitches in what might be the beginning of a smile. "I think I can handle that."
"We'll see."
9
CHANTAY
The next two hours are a revelation.
Maxim leads me through his real life with the same careful honesty he showed in his email. He shows me the high-tech office hidden behind rustic cabin walls, the investment portfolios that run themselves, the security system that protects his privacy. But he also shows me Ghost's favorite sunning spot, Ranger's collection of stolen socks, and the simple routines that make him happy.
"This is who I am," he says as we sit on his back deck, watching Ghost patrol his territory while Ranger sprawls between us. "Maxim Chen, billionaire tech founder who rescues broken animals and prefers mountains to boardrooms."
"Why didn't you just tell me this from the beginning?"
He's quiet for a long moment, absently scratching Ranger's ears. "Because every relationship I've ever had has been poisoned by money. People want access to my wealth, my connections, my success. They see dollar signs instead of a person."
"So, you decided I would too."
"I decided I couldn't risk finding out." His green eyes meet mine. "Chantay, you made me feel normal for the first time in years. You were interested in my thoughts, my stories, my animals. Not my net worth or what I could do for your career."
I understand now why he built those walls. But understanding doesn't erase the hurt of being lied to.
"I get why you were scared," I say finally. "But Maxim, I need you to understand something. When you lie to someone about who you are, you're not protecting the relationship. You're sabotaging it from the start."
"I know that now."
"Do you? Because trust isn't just about honesty in the big moments. It's about honesty in all the little moments too. It's about believing your partner can handle your truth, whatever that truth is."
He nods slowly. "I haven't had a lot of practice trusting people."
"Neither have I. But that's what makes it brave."
We sit in comfortable silence for a while, watching the mountains and feeling the weight of everything that's happened between us.
"Chantay?" he says finally.
"Yeah?"
"I love you. The real you, who challenges me and calls me on my bullshit and makes me want to be better than I am. I love that you came all the way to Nevada to see if this was worth fighting for."
My heart does that fluttery thing it's been doing since his first text message. "I love you too. But Maxim, if we're going to do this, if we're going to try to build something real together, it has to be built on complete honesty. No more managing my reactions or protecting me from complicated truths."
