Chapter 1:Shadow Of The Past

The scent of fresh coffee and vanilla muffins drifted through the tiny café, but Ava barely noticed. She sat tucked into the corner booth, her laptop open, a pile of bills to the side, and her son Liam happily coloring on a placemat beside her.

She glanced at the screen again—another rejection. “Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, we’ve decided to go in another direction.”

Ava sighed, rubbing her temples. Freelance work wasn’t paying like it used to, and her savings were running thinner by the day. Still, she managed. She always had. For five years, it had just been her and Liam, and that was how she liked it.

Until yesterday.

Until he returned.

She didn’t need the news anchor’s voice to recognize him—Dominic Monroe. The man who had once broken her heart and unknowingly left her with a piece of himself.

Ava had stared in disbelief at the television screen in the café’s corner.

“Dominic Monroe, CEO of Monroe Industries, has officially returned to New York after five years abroad. The tech mogul, known for his mysterious disappearance following a boardroom scandal, has reappeared stronger than ever.”

Just seeing his name again had made her throat dry. Her fingers had instinctively gone to the delicate silver locket she always wore—inside was a photo of Liam, and a piece of a memory she’d tried to bury.

She forced herself back to the present, to the café, to the warmth of Liam’s giggle beside her.

“Mommy, look! I drew a rocket ship!” he said, thrusting the paper up with pride. Ava smiled, brushing a curl from his forehead. His eyes—Dominic’s eyes—looked up at her with such innocence.

“Wow, that’s amazing, sweetheart,” she said. “You're going to fly to the moon one day.”

“Only if you come with me!” Liam grinned.

Her heart squeezed. She'd done everything she could to protect him from the world—and from the truth.

“Always,” she whispered.

Just then, the café door chimed. She didn’t look up at first, but something—some pull—made her turn.

Tall. Sharp suit. Dark hair. The air shifted.

Ava’s blood ran cold.

Dominic Monroe stood just a few feet away, speaking to the barista, his profile unmistakable. Her breath caught in her throat.

It couldn’t be. Not here. Not now.

Her instinct screamed: Get out. But her body stayed rooted, eyes wide, fingers trembling.

He hadn’t seen her. Yet.

She looked at Liam, obliviously humming to himself and coloring again. He can’t see him… Not like this. Not here.

“Liam,” she said, keeping her voice calm, “let’s go, baby. We’ll take our muffins to the park.”

“But Mommy—”

“No buts.” Her voice cracked slightly. She gathered their things, shoving her laptop into the bag, heart pounding like a drum.

As she rose, Liam’s crayon rolled off the table.

“Oops!” he chirped and darted after it.

And bumped right into a pair of expensive leather shoes.

Dominic looked down.

Ava froze.

His eyes—so familiar, so piercing—met Liam’s first, then flicked up to hers.

Recognition didn’t flash across his face. Not yet. But something shifted. He blinked. Took in the child. Then her.

“Ava?”

Her name hit like thunder.

“Dominic,” she said, barely breathing.

His brows furrowed. “I… didn’t expect—”

She stepped between him and Liam. “We were just leaving.”

But he kept staring at the boy.

“How old is he?”

She hesitated. “Five.”

The silence crackled.

Dominic’s eyes narrowed, just slightly. “He looks…”

“Goodbye, Dominic.”

Before he could say more, she took Liam’s hand and rushed out of the café into the cool air, her heart thudding like a warning bell.

Back in the safety of her apartment, Ava locked the door and sank to the floor, her hands shaking.

She’d spent five years avoiding this moment. Five years building a life for her son far from the chaos of Dominic Monroe’s world. And now, the past had found her.

Liam sat on the couch, humming, playing with his crayons like nothing had happened.

But Ava’s world had just shifted on its axis.

She knew him. Dominic wasn’t a man who let questions go unanswered. And once he saw a puzzle, he didn’t rest until he solved it.

She hadn’t told him the truth five years ago. Hadn’t even said goodbye.

Now he was back. And he’d seen the boy with his eyes, his hair, and his spirit.

It’s only a matter of time, she thought.