Across town, Ethan stared at the phone in his hand, at the message he had just sent to a number that was etched in his memory for nine years.
You're welcome. Try eat something and rest. We'll talk about the way forward when I come see you this evening.
Ethan.
Seeing her name in his contacts again had made something in his chest tighten, sharp and familiar.
What the hell was he going to say to her?
Too much had happened. Too many things left unsaid.
He leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes, and there she was in highschool, fire in her eyes, chin tilted up in defiance every time he teased her. She had hated him, and he had loved it. Loved the way she never let him win without a fight. Loved how she could strip him down with a single pointed remark, never caring that he was Ethan Ashford, the boy with the perfect clothes and the perfect grades, heir to an empire.
She used to call him rich boy. And yes, he was rich. But she had never cared about that, and that was what made her different.
Clara Torres had been a storm and she had gotten under his skin in ways no one else ever had. He had known things weren't easy for her. He had known about the foster homes, the constant moving and the younger sister she was taking care of. And still, she never let it break her. She chased every goal with a hunger that matched his own, and when they alternated as top of the class, it had only made him fall harder.
And then, that night.
God, that night.
It had been more than he expected, more than he had dared to hope for. He had thought it could be the start of something beautiful. Yes, they were from different worlds, but for the first time, that hadn't mattered. He had felt like he found someone who saw him, not the fortune, not the name, and not the future he was born into.
And then she was gone. No calls. No explanation. Just a note.
He had stayed away because she had made him believe she wanted him to. But the truth was, he had never stopped thinking about her. Not once. He had buried himself in work, rebuilt the family company and turned it into the top Architectural firm in the country. And still, every time he saw her name in a headline, his chest ached.
That night had meant something to him. It always had.
And whether she knew it or not, their lives had been intertwined ever since.
Ethan opened his eyes, setting his jaw. Enough hiding. Enough pretending that staying away was noble.
They needed to confront the past, together.