Ryan sat alone in his study, the flames in the hearth crackling low, shadows dancing across the wooden walls. Suzan's words replayed in his mind like a bitter song he couldn't silence.
"Ryan, Mia's been spending time with Daniel. I've seen them… she's probably already moved on."
The thought of Mia with another man twisted his chest painfully. He slammed his fist against the armrest of his chair, the sound echoing through the silent room.
"Could it be true?" he muttered under his breath, his jaw tight. Doubt pricked at him, cold and sharp. Suzan had always known how to get under his skin, always knew what words could shake him. And now, when his responsibilities kept him away from Mia, those words were burrowing deeper than ever.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands covering his face. His wolf stirred restlessly inside him, growling low. She's ours. She wouldn't betray us. Don't listen to lies.
Ryan exhaled heavily, dragging his hands down his face. "But what if…" The thought trailed off, and he shook his head violently. "No. No, Mia wouldn't do that."
He rose to his feet, pacing across the room. Each step felt heavier than the last, weighed down by his own war between reason and doubt.
"Am I a fool for trusting her?" he whispered, his voice cracking in the empty space.
A sharp pain shot through his chest, but this time it wasn't doubt—it was his wolf clawing, demanding he open his eyes. She is your mate. Mates don't lie. Suzan does.
Ryan stopped pacing, staring out of the window. The moonlight spilled across the land outside, silver and pure. Just like Mia's smile. Just like the softness in her eyes whenever she looked at him. That memory alone washed away half his doubts.
He pressed his palm against the cold glass, his heart hammering. "Mia…" he whispered. The sound of her name was both a balm and a wound.
His wolf growled again, louder this time, filling him with determination. Go to her. See her. Don't let lies take her away.
Ryan's lips curved into a faint, resolved smile. "Yes," he said firmly, as though the decision had finally settled in his soul. "I'll believe in Mia, not in Suzan's poison. And soon enough, I'll return. I'll look into her eyes myself, and nothing—not Suzan, not Daniel, not anyone—will come between us."
He sank back into his chair, the firelight reflecting in his golden eyes. The storm in his chest eased, replaced with a clear resolve.
Ryan had chosen. Doubt might whisper, enemies might scheme, but his heart had already spoken.
Soon… he would go back to Mia.
---
Mia sat by her bedroom window, the night breeze drifting in and carrying the faint scent of jasmine from the street below. The city lights glimmered like distant stars, but she barely noticed them. Her phone lay silent on the table beside her, screen dark, though she had checked it countless times that evening.
She wrapped her arms around herself, sighing softly. "Ryan…" His name slipped from her lips like a prayer. The silence that followed made her chest ache even more.
The last few days had been draining. Meetings, contracts, company responsibilities—things she never imagined handling on her own—but she did it. Still, no matter how many accomplishments she ticked off, her heart felt hollow without Ryan's presence, without his steady voice grounding her.
She reached for her journal and opened to a clean page. Writing had become her way of pouring out the emotions she couldn't say aloud.
"Why does it feel like you've drifted away from me? I know you're busy, I know you have responsibilities… but why does it hurt this much when you don't call? I miss your voice. I miss your smile. I miss… us."
Her pen stilled, tears blurring her vision. She set it down quickly and pressed her palms to her eyes. "Don't cry," she whispered to herself. "He'll come back. He has to."
To distract herself, she got up and went to the kitchen. She brewed a cup of chamomile tea, hoping it would calm the heaviness inside her. When she returned to the window seat, she pulled her blanket around her shoulders and sipped slowly.
Her mind drifted back to Spain—the amusement park, the quiet breakfast, the way he had wrapped her in his arms during that movie night. The warmth of those memories wrapped around her now, even if he wasn't here.
A small smile tugged at her lips, fragile but real. "You wouldn't hurt me, Ryan. Not you." She whispered the words like a vow to herself.
At that same moment, far away, Ryan stood by his own window, the moonlight bathing him in silver, whispering Mia's name.
They were worlds apart, but their hearts beat in sync.
And though neither could hear the other, their thoughts mirrored perfectly—
Both longing, both aching, both waiting for the moment they would finally meet again.