*Ethan's POV — Flashback (One Year Ago)*
The first time I met Miracle, she was all gloss and grit.
A force. A flirt. And too smart for her own good.
She came into my lounge one night, sat at the bar like she owned it, and told me I looked like someone who didn't like to waste time.
She was right.
For a while, it worked.
Fast dinners, fast kisses, even faster silences.
She liked the version of me that didn't ask too many questions.
And I liked the way she made the room spin — until it didn't anymore.
She always wanted control.
Of me. Of everyone.
It ended the night she asked me for money — to help fund a dream she claimed was ours: *the salon*.
But she didn't want a partner. She wanted a puppet.
I gave her the money anyway. Told her to keep it.
And I walked.
She begged. Then cursed.
Then disappeared.
Until she didn't.
Until I walked into that salon a few months later and saw Loveth.
Quiet strength. Honest eyes. Nothing like Miracle.
And I felt something I hadn't in a long time — peace.
Of course, Miracle couldn't stand that.
And now?
I know she's not done.
And Loveth?
She's caught in a storm that started long before she ever touched a pair of shears.
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