Chapter Three: The Man Who Came Home

I hardly slept.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the faded photograph.

His smile.

The way he used to look at me, as though I was the only person in the world,I had spent four years trying to bury those memories beneath the life I'd chosen, yet a single picture was enough to bring it all rushing back.

By morning, I returned the wooden box to the bottom drawer and turned the key.

Some memories were safer in the dark.

Blackthorne Global was unusually lively when I arrived.

Employees who normally walked through the lobby with quiet professionalism were huddled in small groups, whispering excitedly.

"He's finally back."

"I heard he doubled the international profits."

"They say he turned down three Fortune 500 companies just to come home."

I frowned, stepping into the elevator,whoever they were talking about had certainly captured the building's attention.

The moment I reached the executive lobby, I saw Cassian standing near the stage, talking with several board members. Unlike the staff, he didn't look excited.

He looked tense.

His jaw was set, his eyes darting toward the entrance as if he was waiting for a storm he couldn't control.

When he noticed me, he broke away and walked over.

"You made it."

"I wasn't sure I was expected."

"You are." His voice softened, though it felt practiced. "You're my wife and you belong here."

The words should have comforted me. Instead, they only reminded me how rarely he said them anymore.

A staff member approached, interrupting us. "Mr. Blackthorne, the board is ready."

Cassian gave a brief nod, then turned back to me. "The Executive President of our international division arrives this morning. Father wanted both of us present whenever an important member of the family returned."

Returned?

I searched his face. "I don't think I've met him."

"You haven't. He spent years overseas." There was something unreadable in Cassian's expression before it disappeared behind his usual calm mask.

Before I could ask anything else, a sudden hush swept across the lobby.

The whispering stopped instantly,even the photographers lowered their cameras in anticipation. I followed everyone's gaze toward the private elevator.

The doors slid open.

A tall man stepped out, wearing a perfectly tailored charcoal suit,there was nothing flashy about him, yet every step carried a quiet, commanding confidence that drew every eye in the room.

Executives moved aside without being asked. Board members greeted him with visible deference.

For a moment, I just watched. Then he lifted his head.

Our eyes met.

Everything around me vanished…the voices, the cameras, the applause. All of it faded beneath the deafening roar of my own pulse.

No,It couldn't be.

His footsteps slowed,the composed expression he’d worn since entering the lobby cracked, replaced by stunned disbelief.

My fingers went numb.

The file I was holding slipped from my hands, papers scattering across the polished marble floor.

Neither of us moved.

His lips parted, a breathless syllable escaping them. "Lia..."

The nickname wrapped around my heart like an old ache,my throat tightened. For years, I had imagined hearing that voice again….in anger, in apology, in dreams.

Never like this.

"Kael..." I whispered.

The world stopped. For one impossible second, the years between us evaporated,I wasn't standing inside Blackthorne Global anymore. I was twenty-two again, laughing beneath the summer sun while he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, promising he would come back for me.

I had believed every word.

Then reality crashed back down.

I wasn't that girl anymore,I was Aurelia Blackthorne and someone else's wife.

Kael's gaze slowly dropped to the diamond ring on my left hand.

Something flickered in his eyes….shock,denial. Then a deep, unmistakable pain.Just as quickly, the shutters went down,he hid it all behind the flawless mask of an executive.

The moment was interrupted as applause echoed through the lobby once more, Board members stepped forward, crowding him.

"Welcome home, Mr. Blackthorne."

"Congratulations on a successful quarter overseas."

Kael greeted each of them with calm professionalism, but his eyes found me one last time,only for a second. Then he deliberately looked away, as though looking too long would cost him everything.

"Aurelia?"

Cassian’s voice pulled me back from the ledge. I turned to him, praying he couldn't hear the frantic pounding of my heart.

"You dropped these." Cassian bent to gather the scattered documents, handing them back to me.

"Thank you." My voice sounded like it belonged to a stranger.

Before I could steady myself, Cassian rested a hand firmly against my lower back. "Come with me."

I forced my trembling legs to move,each step toward Kael felt heavier than the last,by the time we reached him, he had regained every ounce of his composure.

His expression was polite, controlled, and completely blank,as if he hadn't just seen the woman he once loved.

"Congratulations on your return," Cassian said, extending a hand.

Kael took it. "It's good to be back."

The two brothers held each other's gaze,there was no warmth between them….only years of quiet rivalry hidden beneath practiced corporate smiles.

Then Cassian turned to me. "I don't think you've met." He smiled faintly, tightening his grip on my waist. "This is my wife... Aurelia."

For a fraction of a second, Kael forgot to breathe,his eyes locked onto mine before he mastered himself.

He offered his hand with perfect courtesy.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Blackthorne."

The title struck harder than any blow,I stared at his hand,the same hand that had once intertwined with mine, promising never to let go.

Slowly, I placed my fingers in his.

His grip was warm, steady, and entirely appropriate,yet the brief touch sent a terrifying jolt of memory straight through me.

He released me almost immediately.

Neither of us spoke and neither of us dared to,some truths were too dangerous to acknowledge, especially with my husband standing only inches away.