Two months had passed since the wedding that never happened.
The city had moved on — but for Lila, every morning was still a delicate balance between progress and pain. The sting of betrayal no longer consumed her, but it lingered like a faint bruise under the skin.
Her freelance design work was gaining attention, and she was finally being recognized for her talent rather than her heartbreak. Her portfolio had landed her a meeting with Aurora Media, one of the top creative firms in the city. This opportunity could change everything.
That morning, she stood before the tall glass building, heart pounding, adjusting the collar of her cream blazer. She took a deep breath and stepped inside, her heels clicking on the marble floor.
When the elevator doors slid open on the 18th floor, she came face to face with the last person she ever expected to see.
Ethan Voss.
Time seemed to freeze. He looked older, more haunted, his usual confidence dimmed by something unspoken. Their eyes locked, and for a moment, neither spoke. The air between them thickened with tension — pain, anger, longing, and the ghost of what could have been.
"Lila…" he said quietly, his voice rough around the edges.
Her breath caught, but she straightened her spine. "Mr. Voss."
Formality was her armor now.
"I didn't know you worked with Aurora," he said, almost apologetically. "They're our new partners on a project."
Her pulse quickened. Of course. Fate would throw us into the same room again.
"That's business," she replied coolly. "Let's keep it that way."
But as the day went on and she found herself in a conference room across from him, it became clear that keeping things professional would be harder than she thought. His gaze lingered — not arrogant, but regretful. Every time he spoke, she felt the tension between who he had been and who he was now.
During a break, he approached her by the window overlooking the skyline. "I owe you an explanation," he said softly.
She laughed, bitterly. "You owe me a wedding. An explanation doesn't even come close."
Ethan flinched. "There were reasons, Lila. Things you don't know."
"Then maybe you should have trusted me enough to tell me," she said, voice trembling with both pain and strength. "You broke something that can't be fixed with words."
For a long moment, silence hung between them — full of everything they couldn't say. Then she turned and walked away, her heels echoing like finality.
But as the elevator doors closed, her reflection caught a glimpse of Ethan standing alone — and for the first time, she saw not the man who abandoned her, but one who looked utterly lost.