Chloe tightened her grip on Carter's hand instinctively, feeling the small weight of his presence press against her back. He was hiding—feeling something unspoken, something unreadable.
And she knew why.
Because the man standing before her wasn't someone you ignored.
Kian Ashford.
The same man who once held pieces of her heart too tightly.
The same man she had walked away from, believing they weren't compatible, believing they brought out the worst in each other.
The same man she had begged—begged—to let her go.
And yet—six years later, here he was.
Tall. Imposing.
The kind of presence that demanded acknowledgment, that refused to blend into the background.
And when his gaze held hers?
Everything hit.
Not just recognition—reminders.
The way he used to know her better than anyone.
The way they had once been inseparable, tangled in ambition, passion, fire—too much, too intense, too everything.
The way they had—ultimately—crashed.
And yet—here he was.
Here, standing before her as if time itself had folded to bring them back together.
Chloe inhaled slowly.
She wasn't going to flinch.
She wasn't going to retreat.
She wasn't going to let history dictate the present.
She met his gaze head-on.