I finished the speech on autopilot, my voice steady, my eyes drifting back to that face in the last row more often than I wanted. The applause was warm and long. I thanked the room, stepped down, and let Charlotte hug me before I even reached my seat."You okay?" Noah murmured, his hand finding mine. He had followed my eyeline the way he always did, and his jaw had already gone tight. "Is that who I think it is?""It is.""I'll handle it.""No." I squeezed his hand. "I'll talk to him. But you can stand where you can see me.""Jasmine.""I'm asking you to be near, not in between." I held his gaze. "You taught me that difference."Something in his face gave, reluctantly. "Ten feet," he said. "Not one more."Ryan was waiting in the lobby when I came out, alone by a window, hat in his hands like a man at a funeral. His hair had gone fully white. He was thinner than I remembered, and the easy charm that used to fill every room he entered had been worn down to something quieter. He straight
Last Updated : 2026-09-28
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