't touch

did.

corner of the restaurant, the dim lighti

white tablecloth. Slow, aching jazz drifted from the speakers overhead, soft and una

through the air, mixing with old memor

hate

on a time, it h

eared his throat, the words snag

ice was flat. "Don't sta

t being

about why you le

air getting knocke

maybe that would help him tread gently through wh

pression flat and unamused. "

ty behind his words. "The best I've got is... I spent so much time building an empire,

tened. "Too la

kno

elt thick and breakable, l

m. "Don't get it twisted, Ethan. This doesn't change anything.

o win," he said.

pkin in her lap until it wrinkled. "You trying now does

hed. She

saying a word. The birthdays you m

it now," h

how annivers

her silence. T

his was his one last chance. "Do you remember that night we danced in the ki

thrown. "You

ery single time I st

g came out. When she finally found her voice, it was

said, voice softer now. "Ju

es to the table. H

and hovering across the tabl

hurt her, like touching it would be the thing

aid softly, her eyes fixed on the t

n't even hesitate

her look

wasn't arroganc

admir

sp

g that hurts worse th

eath c

lly walked away?" she asked,

ecause I finally

little, but she blinked

me now," she said qu

kno

denly, chair

dn't hav

om his seat too, u

out, just enough to brush her wri

fr

es locke

he murmur of conversation, the way jazz still spun in

e he always wore, the one she used to bury he

" she w

u," he said. But his voic

dn't

neither of

etween th

you,"

ho you us

rom her wrist.

chase me now like I'm something new. I've alway

ooking

ack. Like bre

ven if her heart wasn

dn't

n't

watched

ho against the marbl

But to Zoe, it all felt distant and blurred, like s

eep the chill from sinking too deep. Not against th

ad sh

she let

d in, just a little, w

hone

ssage fr

verything. But I'm not g

tared

it

it. No repl

ike he might spot her somewhere in the skyline. Bu

key. Watched the city vibration

ht it did

weight of goodbye, an

stepped into her offic

eart

, lipstick

aw it. The flicker

gh n

tightly. "J

d

n walked into his boa

ed a brow. "You

el wo

prob

dn't cor

wasn't his w

he was trying to

might never

way to fight for

epped into her apa

was

eds o

g the room like they we

n

t nee

ning, her chest lifting and falling lik

hone

RTER is

dn't a

lock him

petals brushing against her knees, she let out