ey'

when the doorbell rang again. My stomach tightened. I wasn't expecting

door... and m

ri

ident, hands in his pockets, eyes soft with feigned regret

ped in guilt I didn't buy f

d, like betrayal didn't wrinkle a man's face. Same crisp shirt

alk about," I said fla

d, like I was the on

said. "Celeste...didn

You threw away three years for a

clearly," he said.

ny and selfis

fted on his feet, th

"You look... you look like

mmed the doo

r, just enough to let every

You lost that right the moment you st

care ab

favor, never c

d like I s

floor, like a man searching fo

it me, I was not the

c," I said quietly.

door gently

time, I d

e Next Day*

el's

old gleam in his eyes. The meeting had gone smoothly. Reports were on track. Profi

someone had t

er shareholders. "We are all impressed with the company's growth

w lifted lazi

feel more confident when their CEO appears... settled. Stable. A wife. O

passed arou

aware my relationship status was

chuckled nervously, but H

has started to speculate, and frankly, some of our m

ngers steepled beneath

justing his black suit jacket with pract

knew better

cotch and let the silence settle. He didn't care f

iling window, the city skyline gl

rlfr

ian

shut the

oss his mind: Riley standing in his hotel room, furious, pr

blink when she t

iction notice. He saw th

erable. Corn

rf

otch in his glass, the

n't work, desp

sk, pulled out his phone

e said smoothly. "Longer.

Any speci

iled

verything I ne

, eyes glinting with some

doesn't kn