Chapter 1

"Come on, Sara. You can't stay mad at Ethan forever. The second he heard you were back, he dropped everything at the lab and came straight here. He clearly still loves you."

"Ethan even kept your old lab locked up all these years. He had it cleaned regularly and never let anyone else set foot inside. Look how devoted he is to you. He's willing to put the past behind him and take you back. You shouldn't let a man like him slip away."

I glanced around at my former colleagues. They were all talking over one another, urging me to get back together with Ethan Grimsley. It was obvious they were more interested in watching the drama unfold.

Then I looked at Ethan, who was standing in front of me, asking to get back together.

None of this made any sense.

Had everyone somehow developed collective amnesia and forgotten how Ethan had falsely accused me eight years ago?

What baffled me even more was Ethan himself. He had actually asked me to marry him. I'd always assumed he would marry Michelle Lindberg, someone he knew from grad school, not long after I left.

Apparently, they had never gotten together.

But that had nothing to do with me anymore. I had a new family now. Even if I didn't, Ethan had disappointed me far too deeply for me to ever go back to him.

I gave him a cool glance, taking in the hope written all over his face, then offered him a polite but distant smile.

"Mr. Grimsley, I'm flattered you still remember what we had, but marriage is out of the question. It's been so many years. I'd almost forgotten about you."

The room erupted.

Ethan stared at me in shock. After a long moment, he finally said hoarsely, "No way."

Everyone around him looked just as stunned. After whispering among themselves, they all came to the same conclusion that I was only turning Ethan down because I was still mad at him.

Just then, Michelle finally showed up. She gave Ethan a reassuring pat on the back before turning to me with a smile.

"Sara, I know you're still upset about what happened back then, but work is work, and your relationship with Ethan is separate. You shouldn't mix the two."

I almost laughed.

Ethan had said the same thing to me eight years ago.

Back then, after graduate school, he and I applied for jobs at the same R&D company. I came out on top in the interviews, while he missed the cutoff by a single point.

He was crushed, and I hated seeing him like that. So I told the company that if they wouldn't hire Ethan, I wouldn't take the job either.

They didn't want to lose me to a competitor, and Ethan had only fallen short by one point. After some consideration, they made an exception and hired us both.

I joined the R&D department, while Ethan was assigned to compliance, where he was responsible for monitoring the labs for any violations. That technically put him in a position of authority over me.