Lexi's POV
Lexi sat in the sleek black town car, her fingers delicately twisting the diamond bracelet on her wrist. She had asked the driver to stop outside Ethan's office building. She wasn't supposed to be here—he thought she was at the spa—but something had tugged at her all morning, a growing unease she couldn't shake.
Her eyes lifted to the glass facade. Through the window, she saw them.
Ethan and Emily.
Lexi watched as Ethan leaned slightly forward, speaking to Emily with an intensity Lexi hadn't seen in a long time—not even when they were newly married. Emily's arms were crossed, her face flushed, her posture defiant. Ethan's jaw was tight, his hand gripping the edge of the table.
Lexi swallowed hard.
She had heard the name Emily from the project brief. She had known Emily would be working on the expansion project. But she hadn't expected… this.
There's history, Lexi realized, her stomach tightening.
Ethan's POV (later, at home)
Ethan sat in the living room, scrolling through emails on his tablet, when Lexi entered. She was dressed in a flowing silk robe, her hair loose, a faint scent of jasmine trailing behind her.
"Ethan," she said softly.
He looked up, startled. "Lexi. I thought you were staying out late."
She moved closer, perching gracefully on the armrest beside him. "I wanted to be home early tonight."
Ethan set the tablet aside. "Is something wrong?"
Lexi traced a finger along the seam of the cushion, her lips pursed. "I stopped by your office today."
He stiffened. "You did?"
"I saw you," she murmured, her voice light but her eyes sharp. "With Emily."
Lexi's POV
He flinched slightly. Just a flicker—but enough.
Lexi's heart pounded. She forced a small, elegant smile. "You didn't tell me she was an old friend."
Ethan ran a hand through his hair. "It's not relevant to the project."
Lexi tilted her head, studying him. "But it's relevant to us, isn't it?"
He exhaled slowly, leaning back against the sofa. "Lexi… she's just part of the team. We have history, yes, but that was a long time ago."
Ethan's POV
He saw the glimmer of doubt in Lexi's eyes, the way she tried to mask it with charm. He hated these conversations—the push and pull, the way she always sensed what he tried to bury.
He should reassure her. He should wrap his arms around her, tell her she was the only one. But the truth stuck in his throat.
"I need this project to succeed," Ethan said quietly. "That's all that matters."
Lexi placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I just don't want to lose you, Ethan."
He closed his eyes briefly. You never really had me, he wanted to say—but didn't.
Lexi's POV (later, in the bedroom)
Lexi sat alone at her vanity, brushing her long hair, her thoughts swirling.
Emily.
She was beautiful, confident, smart. Lexi had sensed the pull between them even from across the room.
Lexi's fingers tightened around the hairbrush.
She wasn't about to let some small-town girl threaten what she had fought to build—the marriage, the security, the name. Ethan belonged to her, no matter what ghost from his past walked through the door.
But as she looked at her own reflection, Lexi's smile faltered. For the first time in a long time, she wasn't sure if love—or even beauty—would be enough.
Ethan's POV (alone, on the balcony)
Ethan stepped out onto the darkened balcony, hands shoved into his pockets. The city skyline glittered before him, sharp and cold.
His chest tightened. Every moment spent with Emily today had been like reopening an old wound. He was supposed to have moved on. He was supposed to be married, settled, focused.
But when Emily looked at him with that fierce, wounded gaze, all his carefully laid plans seemed to crumble.
Behind him, the soft sounds of Lexi moving through the apartment reached his ears.
He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.
This can't fall apart. Not now.
But deep down, he knew the cracks were already spreading.