2

It couldn’t be.

After all these years… why now?

Why me?

Memories flooded back—the heat of his touch, the fire in his eyes, the way he made me feel like the center of the universe, only to disappear without a trace.

The man who turned my world upside down, who left me hollow and confused, was getting married.

And he had invited me.

My fingers tightened around the paper.

Anger mixed with confusion as I reread his name, over and over, hoping it would somehow make sense.

What kind of twisted game was this?

I glanced up at the clock.

Juan would be home soon.

My fiancé, my steady rock, the man who treated me with kindness, respect, and love.

A safe haven in my once-chaotic life.

He was everything Vito wasn’t—stable, predictable, dependable.

So why, when I read Vito’s name, did my pulse race in a way Juan had never made it?

Why was my heart beating so fast it hurt?

The invitation slipped from my hand, falling onto the counter.

I stared at it, trying to make sense of the situation.

Why would Vito invite me to his wedding?

We hadn’t spoken in years, not since the night he disappeared from my life without a word.

No explanation.

No goodbye.

Just… gone.

I spent months trying to forget him, trying to erase the memory of his touch, his kiss, the way his voice made me weak.

And just when I thought I had moved on, here he was again, invading my life with just one piece of paper.

A part of me wanted to rip the invitation to shreds, to throw it in the trash and pretend it didn’t exist.

But another part of me—one I wasn’t proud of—wanted to know why.

Why now?

Why invite me after all this time?

I was lost in thought when I heard Juan’s key in the lock.

The door opened, and his familiar scent of cologne and fresh air filled the room.

I quickly shoved the invitation into the drawer, out of sight, my heart pounding as if I had been caught doing something wrong.

"Hey, babe," he greeted me with a smile, walking over to kiss my cheek. "Everything okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

I forced a smile, shaking my head.

"Just... tired, I guess. Long day at work."

He didn’t seem to notice my unease, wrapping his arms around me from behind as I continued making coffee.

His warmth was comforting, grounding, but in the back of my mind, all I could think about was that envelope hidden in the drawer.

The weight of it felt like it was pulling me under.

As Juan chatted about his day, I tried to focus on him, on the life we had built together.

But my thoughts kept drifting back to Vito.

How could they not?

The man had haunted me for years, even when I thought I had finally moved on.

When Juan’s voice cut through my thoughts, I realized I hadn’t been listening.

"... thinking we should take a trip soon. Maybe somewhere warm? You’ve been working so hard, Salma. You deserve a break."

I nodded, forcing myself to be present.

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

He smiled, oblivious to the storm raging inside me, and I felt a pang of guilt.

Juan had been nothing but good to me, and here I was, distracted by a ghost from my past.

But it wasn’t just any ghost—it was Vito Moretti.

Later that night, after Juan had fallen asleep beside me, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, my mind still racing.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this invitation than just a casual gesture.

Vito was playing some kind of game, but I didn’t know the rules.

I didn’t even know if I wanted to play.

But one thing was clear—I had to go to that wedding.

I had to see him again, to figure out why, after all these years, he had decided to pull me back into his orbit.

And maybe, deep down, I had to admit to myself that part of me wanted to see him.

To feel that spark, that dangerous thrill, one more time.