I thought the day Lana married Declan would've been one of the hardest days in my life, but watching the person you're in love with breaking down because of their relationship was no comparison.

It hurt because if she was in love with me; I'll never make her feel that way. Four years passed since I acquainted myself with Declan, yet I couldn't understand any of his actions. For a second, I had hoped he would never cause her to break down again, but here we were.

Lana was hurt.

And I needed to pick up the pieces.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, teary, hurt. There's a mountain of pain in them and I wanted to punch Declan to mars for doing this to her. She's barely uttered a word for the past hours as we sat in her father's restaurant. I texted Catalina and Meadow since I had my final shift tonight, and didn't want Lana moping on her own.

Since it was a weekday, the restaurant wasn't as busy as usual. However, besides the slow business, Mr. Hart came at my vegetable slices multiple times during the shift. My mind was plagued with Lana's broken state; cooking was the least of my worries. All I wanted was to be next to her, make her laugh, smile, talk, literally anything besides staring at the wall.

Quickly, I glimpsed at the clock to see our shift coming to a close. I wondered if Freddie was already prepping the food for tomorrow. I didn't want to stay an extra two hours at work when I had a flight to catch earlier in the morning. Pulling my chef hat off, I marched over to the door leading to the front bar.

"Lana," Mr. Hart said, "Aren't you supposed to be at home? It's time to make dinner for your husband."

Lana sighed heavily. "It's fine. Declan isn't coming home. There's nothing for me to do."

"Lana. . ." he exhaled, the sound of his knife clashed against the wooden surface. "Big-mouth Ambrose told me what happened."

My cheeks turned bright pink. It's awkward listening in on a conversation only to hear yourself being mentioned. Besides, I told Mr. Hart in confidence, since I knew he would badger Lana with questions if he remained in the dark.

"I'm not telling you not to fight, but a man's workplace is a battlefield. You went to his office and picked a fight just because he's working hard and unable to come home? It's not like he's at a strip club." I cracked the door slightly, watching as Lana's gaze fell down to her lap. "That's no reason for a wife to demean her husband. It's pitiful."

My jaw clenched as I tried to diffuse the burning feeling in my chest.

"Stop thinking only of yourself and put yourself in his shoes instead," her father advised.

Accidentally, I slammed the door against the wall as I couldn't standby any longer and listened to Lana getting criticized for an issue that wasn't solely her fault. "Excuse me, Boss, but Lana is not the one to blame."

Freddie's hand gripped my shoulder. "Ambrose!"

"It's Declan's fault! You should have seen him." I gritted my teeth as I imagined his stupid, aggravating face. "I'm so disgusted by his actions and him."

My eyes widened in terror when Mr. Hart shifted his body in my direction with a knife in his hand. "Stay out of it! This is between a man and his wife."

"But Boss!" I protested.

"Shut up and go back to work!" Mr. Hart demanded.

"Come on, Ambrose." Freddie tilted his head towards the kitchen door.

"Of course, Boss, but. . ." My eyes dropped to the floor. "Try to understand Lana's feelings, too."

I forced a slight smile as I wandered towards the kitchen door. Upon entering, I stood against the door, wanting to know the remaining of the conversation between Lana and her father. Maybe I should whip up a quick snack to cheer her up.

"Declan must have his reasons. You should believe in him. If you don't, who will?"

Lana remained silent, and eventually, Catalina and Meadow began conversing about their new favorite tv show. My heart rate picked up as I heard the sounds of footsteps coming towards the door. At record-breaking speed, I dashed over the metal countertop and pretended like I was chopping vegetables when Boss came to check.

Once all the side work was complete, I focused on Lana's favorite blueberry pancakes. I tried assembling them into a heart, but it looked more contorted than I would've preferred. However, where my presentation lacked, I knew the flavors would have Lana swooning to the moon.

After decorating it with whipped cream, I ran over to the bar, hoping Lana hadn't gone home yet. A smile crept on my lips when I saw her sitting there until she lifted a hand to her face, feeling the moisture coating her flushed cheeks. She didn't know. And it felt like my heart might break in half as I watched her realize it.

"Lana, I made you a little snack." My heart fluttered as I handed the plate over to her.

A small smile appeared on her lips. "Ambrose. . . you really didn't have to do this."

"I certainly did. Captain Heartcakes never lets his residents have a bad day." I deepened my voice as I pretend to be the superhero.

"I'm so sorry Ambrose. I offered to help with packing and instead, I caused a big issue." Lana exhaled as she played with her fork. "You're leaving tomorrow and are still here at twelve in the morning."

One of her best qualities was how big of a heart she had. Even when she did nothing wrong, Lana would be there saying sorry and feeling guilty for something completely out of her hands. My actions were my own fault. In no way had she forced me to go chase down Declan. I did it because I was drowning in rage.

"Are you going to be okay tonight?" I asked, my eyebrows perking up.

Her eyes lit up for a second when the pancakes touched her tongue. "If I'm being honest, no. But maybe once Declan and I talk it out, everything will make sense. If I'm lonely, I'll cuddle Declan's rainbow unicorn."

Let me take care of you.

I wanted to say it, it's on the tip of my tongue, but I shoved the words back down. There's nothing lower than stealing another dude's girl when they were having problems. Maybe if this continued down the path it was going, I could make my move when she's single.

Still, I wanted to wrap her up in my arms, let her steal all the love and affection and emotion I had pouring out of me. It's hers. Always has been. Always would be.

"I could always keep you company." I playfully winked.

Lana lightly giggled warming my chest like a lovely spring day. "That's alright. I wouldn't want to keep you from your destiny."

"My destiny?"

"Yeah, the competition."

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't go."

Lana's mouth dropped. "What? Why?"

"Are you seriously asking that? You're the most important person in my life and it doesn't feel right leaving you in this awful state."

Lana chucked another bite into her mouth before connecting our hands together. Her delicate fingers clutched tightly onto mine, sending a phenomenon of tingles through my belly. "Ambrose, I understand your concern for me. I wholeheartedly appreciated you standing up for me in front of Declan and my dad, but. . .maybe they're right."

A crease formed on my forehead. "What do you mean?"

"You can't solve this issue no matter how bad you want to. Only Declan and I can fix it. I don't know what lies for us in the future, but I shouldn't have involved any of you guys in my marital problems. So please don't skip out on this opportunity because of me. I couldn't live with myself," Lana begged, her eyes morphing into those puppy dog ones that held a special place in my heart.

She always had me wrapped around her finger.

"Fine, I'll go."

"Yay!" Lana cheered.

"But!" I pointed my finger. "We have to facetime every day. Please don't keep me in the dark and let me know everything that's going on. I'm always here to support you, unconditionally." I stroked her silky hair. "Don't forget that."

"I could never."

Just like that fucking hope spewed through every pore of my body and I thought maybe in a few months I'll have a chance with her again.

As I looked out the window of the car, I glanced at the lit-up city the cab drove through. For my first time in Paris, I was in awe of the city's beauty. The flight from JFK to Roissy Airport was long and even though we departed NYC when the sun shone, I arrived pretty late in Paris.

I basically missed an entire day on this airplane.

I was awake for far too long and wanted nothing more than to get into bed and sleep. I let out a yawn and rested my head on the window. The scenery of the city was something completely different from New York and I wanted to admire it more, but my eyes struggled to stay open.

I shut my eyes and got comfortable against the window. The car ride was smooth and there was soft classical music playing in the background.

Not long after, the car pulled up outside a magnificent building that was extensive, high, and very elegant. The exterior itself told me what an opulent place this was. The building was made of stone and brick, with tall columns and intricate sculpting on the structure that gave it a very regal feel.

The building was illuminated with golden hues and when I stepped out of the vehicle; I took in the grandeur of the hotel.

"Woah it's like I'm royalty," I murmured under my breath.

To relieve the jitters in my gut, I fidgeted with my jacket zipper with the hope that when I entered inside, everything would be alright.

Two gentlemen smartly dressed in very immaculate and fashionable uniforms welcomed me as soon as we were out of the car.

"Hello, Ambrose Bright," the unknown man read from his cue card. "I'm going to show you around the place you're going to call home for a few months, then I'll escort you over to your room."

"Sound great," I replied, watching as the bell hoppers placed my suitcase on the side.

I was in awe when I entered the vast foyer, which truly was like walking into a palace with the regal feel and look. Almost everything was made of marble and rich tones of soft creme and gold felt as if I walked into a Disney Princess movie. Don't judge me; Lana, Catalina, and Meadow always picked those movies during our movie night.

A large, golden chandelier decked the center of the room and hung below what appeared to be a hand-painted ceiling, decorated by golden skirting. A grand staircase led up to the second floor, and the golden-hued pendant lights that hung from the ceiling complemented the black metal railings and marble columns. Contemporary art adorned the high walls at intervals and a colossal statue of an eighteenth-century woman I didn't recognize stood in the corner of the staircase.

"How are you liking the tour so far?" He asked.

"It's like I'm a long-lost Prince who just returned home," I mumbled as I took in the intricate details of the farm country setting in the painting. Subtle hues of green, blue, white, and soft browns made the picture stand out.

Across from it was another painting of a little village girl dressed in Victorian-era clothing as she petted a fluffy lamb.

"Let's hit the best part. Your hotel room," the man stated, looking through his agenda, "Ahh room two hundred and twenty-three appears like you're the last contestant joining us so far."

Mr. Bowtie let us to an elevator door and gestured for me to go in first. I shifted awkwardly as I entered the confined space. I've had many sleepless nights where I dreamt of myself getting crushed by the elevator's walls.

Hopefully, that wasn't on the agenda today.

When the doors opened, I released the breath I didn't know I was holding and followed Mr. Bowtie down the corridor to a set of tall, white double doors. He opened the doors and allowed me to enter the jaw-dropping breathtaking suite. I didn't hear the door shut behind or acknowledge his presence because of how taken I was by the pure luxury of the room.

The color scheme was grey and white, with pure white marble floors with navy blue drapes that adorned the outskirts of the room. The suite felt like a royal chamber from the eighteenth century, but the best modern amenities gave it a twenty-first-century touch.

Bespoke furniture adorned every living space of the room, from the luxurious and elite living room area to the pristine kitchen space. A large mirror that took up the entire wall of the hallway that led up to the suite's single bedroom reflected the light from an adjacent glass window that framed the perfect view of the Paris skyline.

All I knew was little boy Ambrose wasn't in Kansas anymore.

As I stood in the living room space, my eyes fell on the white grand piano and a bar area. The fact that I owned this room for the next few months was insane! It was Mr. Bowtie's cue to leave because I was desperate to break in my new bed.

"Ahh, Edwin it's you." A curly-haired fellow wandered out from one of the bedrooms with his headphones resting on his neck.

"Hello, Wesley. I would like to introduce you to your new roomie, Ambrose Bright." He glanced down at his Rolex. "I have another meeting to attend to but don't be shy and get to know each other or the next few months will be very awkward."

Edwin's rich brand shoes clicked against the marble floors as he exited, leaving us in a stuffy, awkward room. At first glance, Wesley had a gawky appearance with his black round lenses covering half his face, his ivory cheeks were tainted pink as the silence grew longer. Oddly, he reminded me of Sai from Naruto but without the crop top.

"You look exactly like Sai and it's really creepy," I blurted.

He chuckled. "I'll take that as a comment since he ended up with Ino."

"Sai picked a great one, but I always had a thing for Tsudene," I responded.

"I'll marry Temari in a second if she was real." Wesley laughed, turning his cellphone in my direction showcasing the skimpy fan-edit of Temari. "So, where are you from? I'm from Albuquerque."

"Somewhere boring called New York."

"Really?" His eyes lit up. "I've always wanted to visit down there. Hopefully, if I make it to the final round, then I can finally see the big apple."

"What do you specialize in?" I asked.

"Bakery. It might be a disadvantage since I expect most of the challenges to be savory foods, but I was good enough to get accepted. Just being able to win the prize was a miracle," Wesley reminisced, his tone full of excitement.

A guilt pang resided in my chest; it was heavy like a bulletproof vest. Dozens of contestants genuinely wanted to win the title more than the prizes. From his statement, I could tell he spent days and nights dreaming about making it to the ending. The guilt came from knowing my true intentions, that I only agreed to please Lana.

Most things I do these days go back to her.

But I felt like a shitty person taking this chance from someone else.

"The prize is fucking insane!" I commented.

"What's your expertise?"

"Umm," I scratched the nape of my neck. "When I was a teenager, I focused on all different kinds of cuisines and scales, but as I grew older, I mostly focused on home comfort food."

"Do you know how to make a mean ramen? Because I'm starving and that's the only thing we have?" Wesley asked, patting his small stomach.

"We've been friends for two minutes and I'm already your personal chef." I laughed, earning a concerned expression from his face. "Relax, bro. It's a joke and I do indeed make a killer ramen."

"Great! Afterward, we can play on my Xbox."

I smiled cheekily. "You know what. . . I think we're going to be great friends."

Hey guys!!! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter! We about to reach the really good chapters so I hope you guys aren't bored 💜❤️

Love ya and can't wait to read your comments!