Avaâs POVThe morning after our fight, my chest still ached. I kept replaying everything I said to Logan. My anger had been sharp, my words laced with venom, and though I told myself he deserved it, a part of me knew I hadnât just cut him,Iâd shattered something that was barely holding on.He looked⌠broken when he stormed away. But I was hurting too, wasnât I?The bakery buzzed around me, I refused to go to the office. Flour streaked my apron, and the smell of cinnamon and caramel clung to my skin. None of it reached me.He left me.But now I knew he was trying to come back.Was I just too angry to let him?A bell rang overhead. My heart leapt automatically, expecting it to be him again. But it was Levi ,his younger brother.He offered me a small smile, hands in his jeans pockets. âGot a second?âI nodded and wiped my hands before pulling off my apron. âSure. Whatâs up?ââLunch?â he offered.I hesitated, but something about his eyes which were calmer than Loganâs, but just as intens
Logan's povDays passed, and I kept trying. Small texts, short calls, even dropping by the bakery to catch her during a break. Every attempt met cold walls or silence. But I knew beneath the frost, she was melting slowly.One evening, I found her closing up the bakery late. She was exhausted but determined. I stepped inside, my heart pounding. Maybe this might be my chance.I shouldâve walked away when I saw the storm brewing in her eyes.But I didnât. I couldnât ,I wanted a chance, just one chance to show her that I had a reason for everything that happened..âAvaâŚââYou need to leave,â she snapped, her voice like a blade I didnât see coming.I flinched, stepping back like her words were a physical blow.âI just wanted to see if you were okay.âShe laughed, a short, bitter sound that didnât belong to the girl I once knew.âYou wanted? Funny. Where were all these wants when I cried myself to sleep every night you disappeared?âMy throat tightened. âI was...ââGone,â she cut in coldly.
Logan's POVThe elevator dinged, as I stepped out into the sleek, glass walled office that had become my battlefield these past few weeks. I wasnât expecting to see Nate here of all people leaning casually against Avaâs desk, flashing that same stupid grin I remembered from two years ago. Fork Boy.What the fuck was he doing here?!He hadnât changed much. Still smug, still thinking he's too familiar with Ava. And she was smiling. That same reserved smile she used to give me before Iâd pull her into my arms and kiss it away. Now it was his to earn, apparently.Something dark twisted in my chest.I walked forward slowly, each step measured. Nate noticed me first, his eyes narrowing with recognition.âLogan,â he said, casually, like we were friends. Like he didnât know how badly I wanted to deck him.I ignored the greeting and looked straight at Ava. Her smile dropped. She stood straighter, defensive already. Good. Maybe she could feel what was coming.âYouâre a client now?â I asked Na
Avaâs POVLoganâs voice broke the heavy silence. âAva, wait⌠we need to talk.âMy hands trembled slightly, and I took a small step back, my heart racing in a way that wasnât excitement or happiness. It was fear,confusion,pain I hadnât fully allowed myself to feel until now.âNo,â I whispered, shaking my head. âThereâs nothing to say.âHe frowned, his usual calm and commanding presence flickering with vulnerability I hadnât expected. âI didnât mean to disappear on you. I had my reasonsâIâŚâI cut him off, voice barely steady but firm. âTwo years, Logan. You left without a word, without even saying goodbye properly. You donât get to just show up and expect everything to be okay.âHis jaw tightened, and I saw the conflict in his eyes. âI wanted to protect you.ââProtect me?â I laughed bitterly. âBy vanishing? By leaving me in the dark while everything fell apart?âTears pricked at my eyes, but I blinked them away. I wasnât ready to break down here, not now.Logan took a step forward, his
âŁAvaâs POVâŁI woke up with that same tight feeling in my chest, the one that never really went away. By the time I reached the bakery, the shelves were already filled with pastries neatly arranged, warm, and familiar. I kept my hands busy, moving trays and wiping counters, hoping the routine would quiet the thoughts in my mind that refused to let go.I wiped down the counter again, trying to focus on the task rather than the gnawing silence inside me.So much time had passed, but it still felt like I was waiting for something or someone that might never come.I pushed the thought away and forced a smile when a customer approached the counter. âGood morning! What can I get for you today?âAfter serving the few regulars who drifted in, the shop settled into a silence. I took a deep breath and glanced out the window at the sleepy street beyond. The city was still waking up, but for me, every day felt like a slow journey to the unknown .Just then, the familiar jingle of the doorbell m
âŁAva POV⣠(Two Years Later)The city I lived in now was nothing like Westbridge. It didnât have the same old buildings or that annoying sounds in the library steps. It was busier, colder, and the sky was almost always cloudy , a perfect match for how Iâd felt for the last two years.I stood in the cafĂŠ I now worked at, wiping down a table as rain tapped against the windowpane. Another rainy day,another quiet shift ,another memory of him.Logan Carter.Some days, I still expected him to walk through the door with that same cocky grin, messed-up hair, a dumb joke ready on his lips. But he never did. He never would.He was gone.Not officially because there was never a death certificate,no headlines,no funeral. Just... gone. Like he vanished with the wind the night the Carter empire fell.I only know about his father's death,but I haven't heard from him or Levi ever since they disappeared.My fingers tightened around the rag.âStill thinking about him?â Charlotteâs voice pulled me back.