All Chapters of A Love That Lingers : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Emma didn’t remember the elevator ride down. Or the lobby. Or the doorman politely holding the door as she stepped into the waiting black car. She sat in the back seat, hands folded tightly in her lap, staring straight ahead like her brain had frozen. Jake Reed. The boy she once loved. The man she’d spent ten years trying not to think about. The man who now looked at her like a stranger who had stolen something from him. And maybe she had. The driver said nothing, and Emma was grateful. The silence wrapped around her like a cloak, thick and necessary. The city blurred past the window, but her mind stayed frozen in that penthouse. His voice. His face. The way her name sounded when he said it. She didn’t think he’d ever forgive her. She didn’t expect him to. But she also didn’t expect… this. “Some ghosts don’t go away until you let them walk through the door.” His words looped in her head like a slow moving storm. She closed her eyes and leaned back, forcing herself t

Emma was halfway through sketching a new layout for the lake house living room when her phone lit up beside her.Noah Hart1 New Message> You alive up there? Or did the tech king lock you in a smart closet?A breathy laugh escaped her before she realized she hadn’t smiled all day.She typed quickly.> Still alive. Working.Also, the smart closets are nicer than my apartment.His reply came within seconds.> Knew it. You need a break. Call me.Emma hesitated, glancing toward the large windows. The sun was sinking over the lake, casting golden light across the hardwood floor of the studio.She wanted to hear his voice.Needed it, actually.She hit the call button.“Hey,” Noah said, his tone soft and familiar. “Thought maybe he buried you under a marble kitchen island.”“Not yet,” she said. “But I’ll keep a flashlight on me, just in case.”“Good plan. So… how bad is it?”Emma leaned back in her chair. “It’s… a lot.”“Talk to me.”“He’s colder than I expected,” she admitted. “Detached. S

Emma hadn’t spoken a word during the ride back to the lake house.Not after the fundraiser. Not after Vanessa. Not after Jake’s vague, unreadable expression that lingered in her memory like smoke.The silence between them had taken shape thick, dense, almost solid.Jake hadn’t tried to break it. She wasn’t sure if that was restraint or indifference.By the time they pulled into the driveway, the moon was high and the sky blackened with summer stars. Emma got out without waiting for the driver to open her door. She headed straight for the guest house, heels crunching the gravel path.Jake called after her, “Emma.”She stopped but didn’t turn around.“Don’t let Vanessa get in your head,” he said. His voice was calm. Controlled. That infuriating, unreadable tone.“She didn’t,” she replied, still facing away. “You did.”And she walked inside without looking back.She didn’t sleep that night.Instead, she stood in the middle of the design studio with a throw blanket around her shoulders, s

Vanessa Rhodes always knew how to command a room.Even when the room was empty.She stood in Jake’s executive office in Manhattan, her reflection caught in the floor-to-ceiling windows. Below her, the city buzzed with indifference. Cold, glittering just like her mood.She adjusted the platinum bracelet on her wrist and turned as the door opened behind her.Jake entered, unannounced, coat still draped over one arm.“You’re early,” she said, voice light but edged.“So are you,” Jake replied.They stared at each other for a beat too long. Then Vanessa smiled a sharp, polished smile she’d perfected over years of making men underestimate her.“I was just reviewing press drafts for the next quarter. You’re making headlines again. Bringing your ex back into the spotlight? Bold move.”Jake didn’t flinch. “You were at the gala. You already knew.”“Yes, but I didn’t know she’d be staying.” Vanessa walked past him and leaned casually on the desk. “Must be quite the reunion.”Jake’s voice cooled.

Emma stood before the tall mirror in the guest room, the soft glow of dawn falling over her reflection. Her eyes were clearer now, sharpened by truths she could no longer ignore. The weight she’d carried for ten years had finally begun to lift, but beneath it remained something raw. Something still unfinished. The memories hadn’t faded they had simply waited, just like she had.Downstairs, Jake waited with two mugs of coffee. The silence between them wasn’t cold today it was thoughtful. Quiet before a storm. He looked at her as she descended the staircase, and for a moment, she saw the boy he used to be. The one who had loved her without hesitation. And she saw the man he had become hardened, precise, relentless."We need to talk strategy," Jake said, handing her a cup."You mean revenge," she replied, raising an eyebrow.He shook his head. "Not revenge. Exposure. Vanessa and Daniel built their influence on manipulation. But that only works if they stay hidden."Emma took a slow sip,