Chapter 7

The midday sun was blinding as Alyssa stepped out of the sleek black car in front of the towering construction project owned by her company. The air vibrated with the sound of machinery, clanging metal, and workers’ shouts — a busy symphony of the city’s relentless pulse. The wind carried the sharp scent of concrete dust, clinging to her skin and the tailored work dress she wore.

“Make sure the north section follows the latest revised design,” she said firmly to one of the site managers.

Alyssa’s gaze stayed fixed on the tablet in her hand, scanning through blueprints. Her expression was sharp, composed, commanding — a far cry from the broken woman who had once cried on her doorstep. But beneath those calm eyes, a faint pulse of the past still beat — quiet, but never gone.

Amid the noise and motion, a tall figure approached her from behind. Ethan.

He wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his black jacket slung casually over his shoulder. The moment he stopped beside her, the workers nearby immediately lowered their heads respectfully.

“You haven’t had anything to drink since this morning,” he said softly, offering her a chilled bottle of water.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow, slightly caught off guard by the gesture. “I’m fine. We’re at the site, Ethan. I don’t want to look spoiled in front of the team.”

“Who cares about that? I just don’t want you passing out under this heat.”

His tone was calm, yet firm — the kind of voice that left no room for argument.

A few people exchanged glances nearby. Curious stares. Whispered conversations. Alyssa tried to ignore them, but something inside her stirred — an emotion she thought she’d buried long ago, shifting beneath the surface.

She finally took the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took a small sip. “Thank you,” she murmured quietly.

Ethan smiled faintly. “You know, you can ask for help sometimes. You don’t have to carry everything alone.”

The words were simple — but they hit her harder than she expected. Because once, someone else had said the same thing to her… right before shattering her trust.

She looked at Ethan briefly, then turned away. “I’m used to being alone,” she said flatly, as if drawing a line between them.

But that line was beginning to blur. Ethan was always there — during meetings, during site inspections, even during lunch breaks. He never pushed too far, yet he never really stepped away either.

Later that afternoon, as the sun tilted westward and the workers took their break, the two of them stood on the second-floor balcony of the unfinished building. From there, the city stretched before them — glass towers reflecting the golden hues of the setting sun.

Ethan leaned against the railing, gazing out. “You know,” he began quietly, “I used to think I’d lost you forever.”

Alyssa didn’t respond. She knew his words carried more than nostalgia — there was sincerity there, and something deeper… pain, perhaps.

“I don’t want to talk about the past,” she said finally. “What matters now is keeping this project on track.”

Ethan turned to her, his voice gentle but steady. “You always hide behind work. As if that’s the only place where you feel safe.”

Her body stiffened. She wanted to deny it — but she couldn’t. Because he was right.

Work had become her armor, her only way to keep herself from falling apart.

“You don’t understand, Ethan,” she whispered. “When someone breaks your trust, you stop believing in anyone — even yourself.”

Ethan didn’t say anything. He simply took a small step closer. The distance between them shrank, and Alyssa could feel the warmth of his presence mixing with the soft evening breeze.

“I’m not here to force you,” he said quietly. “I just want you to know that I’ll stay. Not to replace anyone… but to make sure you’re not alone anymore.”

Silence fell. Only the sound of wind — and Alyssa’s heartbeat — filled the space between them.

She looked up at him: those sincere eyes, that calm smile, that gaze that asked for nothing yet spoke of everything.

For a fleeting moment, the walls she had spent years building began to crack.

But before she could say anything, voices drifted up from below. Workers talking in hushed tones — not hushed enough.

“They look pretty close, don’t they?”

“Boss Ethan seems more interested in Ms. Alyssa than the project.”

“Guess it’s not just a professional thing, huh?”

Alyssa felt her face flush with anger. She took a deep breath and stepped back, trying to steady herself.

“I don’t want rumors like that spreading,” she said coldly. “It could ruin our reputation.”

Ethan’s expression didn’t change. His voice remained calm. “Let them talk. They only see a small part of the truth.”

Alyssa turned to him sharply. “And what’s the truth, Ethan?”

He gave a small, almost wistful smile — but said nothing. He only looked at her in that same quiet, disarming way that made her heart beat faster than it should.

The day ended with a strange tension hanging between them. Alyssa sat in the car, watching as Ethan reviewed the project data on his tablet. His hand brushed hers briefly — a small, professional gesture, yet it felt far too personal.

As the car drove away from the site, her thoughts spun wildly. She told herself it was nothing — just a moment of kindness, a fleeting attention she had mistaken for something more. Ethan was just being considerate, nothing else.

But the memory of his eyes — warm, steady, and filled with something unspoken — kept replaying in her mind.

And deep down, Alyssa knew something inside her had shifted.

A feeling she thought had long died… was slowly coming back to life.

But along with it came fear — the fear of trusting again, of being hurt again…

And more than that — the fear that this time, her heart might take her somewhere she could no longer control.

Alyssa turned her gaze toward the red-streaked sky outside the window.

“Not again,” she whispered to herself. “I won’t fall again.”