2025-05-28 17:39:44
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CHAPTER 70
Ethan’s POV“So let me get this straight, you flew to Paris without a plan, just vibes? Ethan, my guy, you’re officially a sick loverboy.”Jordan’s voice crackled through my phone’s speaker, thick with laughter and laced with mockery.“Shut up,” I muttered, tugging the collar of my coat tighter against the Parisian drizzle. The cold air bit at my face as I paced the narrow balcony of my hotel room. “I didn’t fly halfway across the world because I’m in love.”“Oh really? Then what do you call it when a man shows up in the most romantic city on Earth for the woman he ghosted months ago? Because ‘business meeting’ sounds like the worst lie you’ve ever told.”I groaned and leaned against the wrought iron railing, watching cars weave along the wet streets below. “God, you’re insufferable.”“And you’re predictable. Admit it, Ethan. You missed her. You’re just pissed she’s probably not still crying into her wine over you.”I didn’t answer. Not because he was wrong, but because I didn’t want
CHAPTER 69
Ethan’s POV “Are you seriously doing this? Flying halfway across the world for a woman who probably isn’t even thinking about you?”I muttered the words under my breath, hating the way they hung in the stale airplane air like guilt soaked in regret. The hum of the jet engines filled my ears, drowning out my better judgment.The clouds parted slowly to reveal the glittering tapestry of the City of Lights. Paris sprawled beneath us like an untouchable dream, beautiful in a way that felt cruel. The skyline shimmered beneath the soft veil of rain, a surreal welcome that mocked my resolve. My heart beat a little too fast, not from altitude, but from memories I couldn’t bury.The pilot’s voice broke through the overhead speakers. I didn’t hear the words, just the tone. Calm. Routine. Nothing like what boiled under my skin. My fingers dug into the armrest with quiet desperation as I stared through the rain-speckled window.A flight attendant leaned toward me. “Monsieur, is everything alrigh
CHAPTER 68
Vanessa’s POV “You had one job. One simple job!” I hissed under my breath, each word slicing through clenched teeth as I glared at the bartender. He moved with maddening nonchalance, whisking away Ethan’s untouched drink like it was just another unfinished cocktail, not the centerpiece of a plan I had crafted with surgical precision. I watched the amber liquid disappear down the sink and felt something sharp twist behind my ribs.The bar’s dim lighting tried to cast everything in soft shadows, but nothing could dull the rage boiling inside me. My manicured nails dug into the cold, fragile stem of my wine glass, trembling with the effort it took to stay seated.That drink should have done it. A gentle push, not poison. Just enough to soften Ethan’s walls, to make him slow down, forget the things that made him hate me. But no—he hadn’t even touched it. Not a sip. He just sat there, spoke with those two idiots like nothing was different, and left.Left—without hesitation, without a back
CHAPTER 67
Ethan’s POV In the bathroom, steam rose quickly, curling against the glass like restless ghosts. I stepped under the stream of hot water, pressing my palms against the cool tiles, head bowed low as if the water might wash away the weight pressing against my spine.But it didn’t. If anything, it made it worse. The silence brought thoughts. Unwelcome ones. The kind that crept in from the corners when your defenses were down. "What if you went to Paris?" The thought sliced through me without warning. I blinked into the rising steam, water beating against the back of my neck. "No," I muttered. "Hell no." But there it was, planted like a stubborn seed. A ridiculous idea, born from a cocktail of regret and whatever this was swirling in my chest. "Go to Paris. Apologize. Set things right." I turned off the water with a grunt, grabbing a towel and rubbing at my face like I could smudge the idea out of existence.“What would that even make us?” I said to the empty room. “Lovers? Is tha
CHAPTER 66
Ethan’s POV “You ever get tired of sulking into your drink like some washed-up noir detective?” Martin jabbed, smirking as he nursed his beer.I scoffed. “You ever get tired of projecting your midlife crisis onto my choice of bar ambiance?”“Tense much?” he shot back. “Or is it because someone’s still haunted by the ghost of relationships past?”“You’re one more jab away from wearing your drink, Martin.”He laughed, leaned back in his chair. “Touché.”That’s when my phone buzzed on the table, slicing clean through our back-and-forth like a blade. I checked the screen—Jordan.I picked up. “Yeah?”“Ethan!” Jordan’s voice was electric, buzzing with an urgency that put my nerves on alert. “You’re not gonna believe what I found. It’s about Olivia.”Her name hit like a punch to the ribs. My spine stiffened. The glass I held suddenly felt like it weighed ten pounds.“Hold on,” I said, rising from my seat. “Give me a sec.”I tossed a few bills onto the table. “Tell your dad the beer was grea
CHAPTER 65
Ethan’s POV I should’ve gone straight to the car. I should’ve left then and there, but something held me. I looked back at the building, at the flickering light in the upstairs window, at the shadow of kids moving behind the curtains.A place like this saved me. Now I save it. It gave me deep comfort knowing that. That had to give me enough peace over everything else. I was halfway to my car when some noise stopped me. "Hey! Leave him alone!" The sharp voice shattered the early evening peace like glass underfoot. I spun around, heart knocking once in my chest. A boy, no more than eight, had thrown himself between two older boys and a much smaller one, his arms wide, his stance daring. "I said back off!" he yelled again, fire blazing in his tiny voice.The taller kids paused, sizing him up with sneers, before shrugging and stalking away like hyenas denied their prey. The small boy sniffled. The older one crouched beside him. "You okay, Temi?"Temi gave a shaky nod, wiping his f
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