Chapter 242 - One Man’s Absence, Another’s Return

Vienna’s POV

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. The man in front of me looked both entirely different and heartbreakingly familiar.

His dark curls had grown longer, tied into a messy man bun. A neatly trimmed beard framed his sun-browned face.

He looked rougher now, like a seasoned traveler. But his amber eyes… those were unchanged. They still glowed with that mischievous warmth that had once undone me.

"W—what are you doing here?" I blurted, my voice far too shaky for my liking.

"Well…" His lips curved into that lopsided smirk I knew too well, "I was told the Kingsford Spring Festival is worth a visit. And—"

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing with teasing nostalgia—"you told me yourself once that traveling would do me good."

The memory of our last encounter in Paris hit me like a wave. Me, pushing him toward freedom. Him, looking at me like I was the anchor he didn’t want to cut loose.

"That," I managed, swallowing, "was advice for you to get over me. I didn’t exactly sugges