Elara did not remember walking away from the hallway. She only remembered the sound of her own heartbeat and Ryan’s words repeating in her head with cruel clarity. We never finalized it. By the time she reached her office, her hands were shaking. She shut the door and leaned against it, trying to breathe through the surge of emotions she did not want to name. Anger came first. Hot. Immediate. Then confusion. Then something worse. Hope. She hated that last one. A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. She knew it was him without asking. “Go away, Ryan.” Silence. Then, gently, “We need to talk.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t want to.” “I know.” Another pause. “But we have to.” She opened the door. He stood there exactly as she expected—calm on the outside, bracing on the inside. She stepped aside to let him in. “You have five minutes,” she said. He didn’t sit. Neither did she. The space between them felt like a courtroom. “You should have told me,” she began. “You should have told me year
Last Updated : 2026-05-07 Read more