Chapter 3

Summer hadn’t slept a wink.

She sat at the edge of her bed, her knees pulled to her chest, her phone clutched tightly in her trembling hands. The text was still there—taunting, mocking, haunting her.

“Miss me?” — L.X.

Two words and a pair of initials had sent her spiraling into memories she tried so hard to bury. Her heart had been shattered before, but Lava Xovert had been the one to throw it off a cliff with a smile on his lips and ambition in his eyes.

She never thought she'd hear from him again.

After their ruined wedding—after the shame, the humiliation, and the trauma—she thought the universe had buried that chapter. She wanted it buried. But now it clawed its way back from the grave.

Lava was the kind of man who thrived on power. He didn’t just leave her; he broke her. And she had spent years trying to tape herself back together.

And now Thunder…

Thunder, who had done nothing but care for her without asking for anything in return, was slowly rebuilding something inside her. Something fragile. Something important.

But with one text, everything she had begun to feel cracked again.

The morning sun cast pale light into her room, but it didn’t warm her. She couldn’t even bring herself to respond to the message. What would she say?

Why now? What do you want? You’ve already taken everything.

Her fingers hovered over the screen.

Thunder texted her too—not with pressure or demands, just a simple:

“You okay?”

She stared at it.

No, she wasn’t.

But she replied anyway.

“Yeah. Just a rough night.”

She didn’t want to drag him into her chaos. Not yet.

A soft knock on her apartment door broke her thoughts. She froze, the phone still in her hands. It was too early for guests. Too early for anything.

A horrible thought hit her: Could it be him?

She tiptoed toward the door, heart hammering. Through the peephole, she saw Thunder.

A breath escaped her lips—relief and confusion mingled.

She opened the door. “Hey…”

Thunder was in a gray wool coat, his hair messy from the winter wind, his blue eyes locked on her. “Something’s wrong,” he said immediately. “You look like you haven’t slept.”

Summer swallowed. “I didn’t.”

“Talk to me.” His voice was low, serious, but still soft.

She stepped aside, letting him in. He walked into her apartment like he belonged—because he kind of did now. In quiet mornings and late-night talks, he had become her calm.

She sat down on the couch, her hands shaking slightly. “I got a message last night.”

Thunder raised an eyebrow, sitting across from her. “From who?”

She hesitated. Saying his name felt like inviting a storm.

“…Lava.”

Thunder stiffened, the shift in his demeanor subtle but real. His eyes darkened a bit, jaw tightening.

“I didn’t reply,” she said quickly. “I—I don’t even know what he wants.”

“What did he say?”

“Just two words. ‘Miss me?’”

Thunder didn’t speak for a long moment. His silence was different this time—not distant, but dangerous. Like he was trying to keep his emotions in check.

“Do you want to see him?” he finally asked.

The question caught her off-guard. “What? No. God, no.”

“But he’s in your head now,” Thunder said gently. “And that scares me.”

Summer let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Me too.”

“Do you want me to handle it?”

She blinked. “Handle it?”

Thunder leaned forward slightly. “I know people, Summer. Lava Xovert isn’t just some guy who broke your heart. He’s rich, powerful, connected. If he’s coming back into your life, it’s not by accident. He wants something.”

Summer looked at him—really looked. “You’ve done research on him, haven’t you?”

“I had to,” Thunder admitted. “You’ve mentioned him before… and I don’t take chances with people who’ve hurt you.”

That shouldn’t have comforted her.

But it did.

No one had ever wanted to protect her like that.

She whispered, “He left me for his career, for fame and money. And now I don’t know if he wants to apologize or just mess with me again.”

Thunder’s voice was steady. “Either way, I’m not letting him hurt you again.”

For the first time in years, Summer felt a tear slide down her cheek—not from pain, but from the unfamiliar sense of safety.

Thunder reached out and gently wiped it away with his thumb. “You don’t have to be scared of the past anymore. Not while I’m here.”

And there it was again—that soft pressure in her chest. That terrifying pull toward something real.

“I don’t want to feel like this,” she said, voice cracking. “I don’t want to depend on you. I’m scared you’ll leave too.”

Thunder took her hand.

“I’m not Lava, Summer.”

“I know. But it doesn’t stop the fear.”

His hand squeezed hers. “Then let me fight the fear with you.”

The silence stretched, but it wasn’t empty.

It was full of unsaid things. Of healing. Of love that was slowly forming like dawn breaking through clouds.

But outside the apartment, far from their fragile world, a black luxury car pulled into a hotel parking lot downtown. A man stepped out, wearing a tailored black suit and an expensive smile.

Lava Xovert.

He lit a cigarette, exhaled slowly, and pulled out his phone.

“She hasn’t replied yet?” he asked.

“No,” his assistant said. “But she’s still in the city. Shall I schedule a meeting?”

Lava smirked. “Not yet. Let her feel safe first. Then we’ll remind her what chaos really feels like.”

The wind blew hard, ruffling his coat. He looked up at the sky and grinned.

“Hello again, Summer Skyton.”

He took a final drag from his cigarette, flicked it to the pavement, and crushed it underfoot.

"Let’s see if the girl who survived me once… still knows how to survive me now."

He walked toward the revolving glass doors, his reflection split in every angle like the past he planned to shatter all over again.

War had never looked so calm.

And Summer had no idea—it had already begun.