Chapter Text
Alex Levy’s cabin in Maine was nestled deep in the woods, far from the noise and chaos of New York City. It was everything she needed after the breakup with Paul—quiet, peaceful, a world away from the reminders of him and the mess he’d made of UBA. But even here, with all the trees and fresh air, she couldn’t escape her thoughts. Months had passed, and still, Paul lingered in the back of her mind, like a bad habit she couldn’t kick.
Her days had fallen into a routine. Wake up, drink tea on the porch while Benny, her dog, ran around the yard chasing squirrels. Then she’d chop wood - it kept her busy - kept her hands occupied. After that, she’d write. Her first book had done well—hell, it was a best-seller—but the pressure to follow it up was creeping in, and this cabin felt like the perfect place to force the words out.
Sometimes she’d call Bradley, check in on how things were going. Their conversations were nice, light even, but Alex always felt that slight disconnect when she hung up the phone. She missed being there, in NYC, in the thick of things.
Maine was a great distraction, but it wasn’t enough. Sure, she had her little rituals. In the evenings, she’d pour herself a glass of wine—okay, maybe two—and sit on the porch, wrapped in an old sweater, watching the sun set over the mountain tops. It was beautiful, but she always felt that ache, that nagging loneliness she’d been trying to avoid. There was no one here to share it with.
No one but Benny.
She’d tried not to think about Paul. After what he’d done—snooping around UBA, betraying her trust—it should’ve been easy to write him off. But it wasn’t. She hated how much she still thought about him, how her heart still clenched when she remembered the good moments. How it was impossible to be in her old apartment in the city, the one where they’d spent so much time together, without feeling like every wall (mainly the bedroom) was whispering his name.
That’s why she’d come here. To Maine. To escape. But of course, she couldn’t escape her own head.
Laura had visited once or twice. Tried to get her out of her funk. The last time she came, she even tried to drag Alex out to a local bar, saying she needed to meet new people, do something that didn’t involve her sitting alone in a cabin. Alex had rolled her eyes and said she was fine, but Laura had seen right through her. She always did.
“Fine, my ass,” Laura had muttered as she sipped her wine, giving Alex a pointed look over the rim of her glass.
Still, Alex had turned down the offer. The idea of socializing—of being around people, pretending like everything was okay—felt exhausting. So instead, she stayed in the cabin, chopping wood, drinking tea, writing. Trying to ignore the constant, low hum of loneliness that buzzed in the background of her days.
She knew she’d have to go back to New York soon. The merger was wrapping up, and they had some big premiere planned, a huge rebranding event for the network. She’d get to put her heels back on, slap on her professional face, and step back into the spotlight. A part of her couldn’t wait to get back, to dive into work again. But another part… well, another part was dreading it. Because going back meant facing everything.
There were days when she’d sit by the fireplace with a cup of tea and wonder how Paul was doing. She shouldn’t have cared, but she did. What was he up to? Did he miss her at all? Or had he already moved on, like he moved on from everything?
She shook her head, annoyed with herself. She wasn’t supposed to be thinking about him. Not here. Not in Maine. This was her time, her space to get over it. To move on. But of course, moving on wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped.
The cabin had started to feel like both a refuge and a prison. It gave her space to breathe, to think, but it also reminded her of how empty things felt without someone to share it with. She had Benny, sure, but dogs couldn’t fill the kind of void Paul had left.
She sighed as Benny barked at something in the distance. It was peaceful here. Too peaceful. Soon, she’d have to return to the chaos of the city. But for now, she sipped her tea, listened to the quiet, and tried to convince herself that she was better off without him.
-
Alex had the axe in her hands, the cold air biting at her cheeks as she chopped wood in the front yard. It was routine by now, the one thing that kept her from spiraling into a constant cycle of overthinking.
With each swing, she felt a little bit of tension release. Benny barked from somewhere off to the side, probably chasing after a squirrel or something equally pointless. She wiped the sweat from her brow, about to swing again when she heard it—a car.
"What the fuck?" she muttered to herself, squinting at the long driveway as the sound grew louder.
It was déjà vu. The last time she’d been holed up in this cabin, Cory had pulled up out of nowhere, begging her to come back to UBA. That entire mess had led to everything that happened with Paul. And look where that got her—chopping wood in the middle of fucking Maine, hiding out from the world.
She set the axe down and crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes as the car came into view. "If it’s Cory again," she grumbled under her breath. But as the door opened, and a familiar figure stepped out, her heart dropped.
Paul.
"You’ve got to be fucking kidding me," Alex breathed, watching as Paul stood there looking as charming as ever. He was wearing that same damn smirk that made her want to punch him and kiss him at the same time.
Paul glanced around, all casual like he hadn’t just driven hours into the middle of nowhere. “Alex,” he called out with that familiar cocky tone. “What the fuck are you doing in Maine?”
“What the fuck am I doing in Maine? What the fuck are you doing in Maine?” she spat back, gripping the axe handle a little tighter.
“I live here,” she added, pointing vaguely to the cabin behind her. “This is my place. You know, far away from people? People like you?”
Paul stuffed his hands in his coat pockets, taking a few steps closer but stopping just out of arm’s reach. Probably a smart move considering she still had the axe in reach. “Yeah, well... I’m about to live here too.”
Alex’s mouth fell open slightly. She had to have misheard. “Excuse me?”
Paul, the unflappable bastard, just shrugged like it was no big deal. “I just bought the house next door. We’re gonna be neighbors.”
Alex just stared at him, eyes wide, completely floored. "Neighbors?" she repeated, as if saying it out loud would make it make more sense. “You’re buying the fucking house next to mine?”
“Relax, it’s on the other side of the lake,” Paul said, casually waving a hand like that explained everything. “It's not like I’m moving into your guest room.”
“Paul, this lake is basically a giant fishbowl. You’ll be able to see into my house,” Alex snapped, growing more frustrated by the second. She couldn’t wrap her head around it. “What... what made you think this was a good idea? Of all the places, Paul. Maine? Really?”
He raised an eyebrow at her, that smirk never leaving his face. “What? It’s peaceful, great scenery. Figured it’d be a nice place to set up camp for a while.”
“You have an entire life in Texas, and you pick Maine?!” Alex was fuming now, but part of it was just how rattled she felt. Paul being here, invading her last bit of escape? It felt too... intense.
“Alex, it’s not like I’m building a duplex attached to your house. It’s way on the other side,” he insisted, but the way he said it so nonchalantly made her want to scream.
“I don’t give a shit if it’s across the damn state!” she snapped, throwing the axe down into the snow with more force than necessary. “I can’t have you showing up here, buying up the place next door, acting like it’s not a big deal.”
Paul raised both his hands in mock surrender. “It’s a big lake, Alex.”
She let out a frustrated groan, reaching down and grabbing the axe again. She hoisted it up, then, with one swift movement, chucked it down into the snow at her feet. “Goddammit, Paul.” She turned on her heel and stormed back toward the house, every step stomping into the snow.
“Alex, come on! I’m not going to be spying on you from across the lake!” Paul called after her, but she didn’t even turn around. The door slammed behind her as she disappeared into the cabin.
Paul stood there for a minute, looking around at the quiet, frozen landscape, the echo of the slammed door still hanging in the air. He let out a sigh, muttering to himself, “Well, nice to see you too, I guess.”
-
Inside, Alex leaned back against the door, breathing hard. What the hell just happened? She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart race. She peeked out the window, trying to see if Paul was leaving, and sure enough, she heard the sound of his car pulling out of her driveway. Thank God.
She let out a frustrated groan, muttering under her breath, “What the fuck?”
Still trying to process what had just happened, she stomped her way into the kitchen, her boots leaving little clumps of snow on the floor. She headed straight for the bottle of vodka she kept stashed in the cabinet.
Grabbing a glass, she poured herself a solid amount and knocked it back in one go. The burn of the alcohol didn’t do much to ease the frustration bubbling up inside her. She poured another.
Of all the places in the world, why the hell would Paul come to Maine? And not just to visit—no, no, he had to go ahead and buy the house next to hers. She paced back and forth across the kitchen, clutching the glass tightly. "Unbelievable," she muttered to herself, running a hand through her hair.
She took another sip, this one slower, as she leaned against the counter, staring out the window. The snow outside looked so peaceful, so calm—everything her life was not at the moment. And now, with Paul back in the mix, it was about to get a hell of a lot more complicated. She could feel it.
Alex stared at the glass, swirling the clear liquid inside. Every part of her was still buzzing, still on edge from seeing him. Of all places, why would he come to Maine? Why couldn’t he just stay in his little beach house in The Hamptons and let her deal with getting over him in peace?
This was supposed to be her safe place, her escape from all of that—from him. And now he was going to be just down the road. Well, across the lake, whatever. Same damn thing. She shook her head, feeling her blood pressure rise again just thinking about it.
Alex let out a long breath, staring at the empty glass in her hand. She didn’t know whether to be flattered, furious, or both. Probably both. Definitely both.
-
Alex sat at her small wooden desk, staring at the blinking cursor on the screen. She was supposed to be working on her next book, but her mind had other plans. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t focus. Paul Marks was living across the damn lake. Her hands hovered over the keyboard for a second before she let out an exasperated sigh and pulled her glasses off.
She looked out the window, squinting into the snowy landscape. The sun was starting to set, casting long shadows over the frozen lake. And she knew. She knew he was just there, across the lake. Too close. Why did he have to buy a house here? What was he thinking? Her jaw tightened as the frustration built up in her chest.
“This is so fucking stupid,” she muttered, pushing herself up from her desk. She wandered into the kitchen, still rubbing the back of her neck in a vain attempt to release some tension. The house was too quiet, too still. Benny was lying down, chewing on a toy, totally unbothered by the fact that Paul had just thrown her world into chaos.
She reached for the vodka bottle on the counter, grabbed a glass, and poured a generous amount. In one swift motion, she threw it back, the liquid burning as it went down. She barely winced. She set the glass down with a thud, gripping the edge of the counter as she leaned over it, trying to gather her thoughts.
She glanced out the window again, narrowing her eyes at the vast white expanse of snow that separated her from him. He was probably sitting there, smug as ever, thinking this was all some sort of joke. Maybe he thought she'd just roll with it.
Well, she wasn’t going to roll with anything.
Alex squared her shoulders, standing up straight. "You know what? Fuck this." She was done playing nice. If he thought he could just show up in her peaceful escape and act like it was no big deal, then he had another thing coming. She needed to clear this up. She wasn’t going to let him settle in without hearing from her first.
With renewed determination, she stormed to her bedroom. She grabbed a thick sweater and pulled it over her head, the fabric catching in her hair for a moment before she yanked it down. Then came the jacket, the boots, and a beanie to fight off the chill. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her as she grabbed her keys, glancing at Benny, who looked up for a second before deciding to stay put.
"Stay here, Benny," she muttered.
She slammed the door behind her as she stepped out into the cold air. The snow crunched beneath her boots as she marched across her yard and down to the edge of the frozen lake. Her breath came out in little puffs of white as she crossed the ice, each step bringing her closer to Paul’s stupid, arrogant face. She could feel her heart racing, but it wasn’t from the cold.
As she reached the other side, she spotted the house. Of course, it was beautiful and obnoxious, just like him. Perfectly set up to be some luxurious hideaway. What was he even doing here? Did he really think this was the kind of place he’d want to live? In the middle of nowhere?
She stomped up the driveway, her boots crunching loudly in the snow. Her annoyance flared up again as she neared the house. She could see his car parked in the driveway, and she cursed under her breath. Good, he’s home. She wasn’t about to let him off the hook. She walked right up to the front door and knocked hard, her knuckles hitting the wood with a thud.
Alex stood there, arms crossed, her breath visible in the freezing air as she waited.