“So this is what heartbreak feels like…” he whispered hoarsely, his voice breaking. “It hurts… this much?”
Slowly, his hand slipped from his chest back onto the steering wheel.
“Is this…” His voice was barely audible. “Is this her husband? The new man she married?”
His body locked in place.
He couldn’t move. Couldn’t open the door. Couldn’t even step out to confirm it. He sat frozen, rigid, staring straight ahead as if his body refused to obey him.
It had taken him so long to find her again.
And now that he finally had…
She was hugging another man right in front of him.
He kept staring, breath shallow, chest burning, unmoving.
Mia eventually pulled back from Harold’s hug and took a small step away.
“How about we have dinner together?” Harold said brightly. “Then I’ll drop you home. By the way—where are you staying now?”
“Oh, I’m just—” Mia began, but the words caught in her throat and died there.
Her gaze drifted past Harold without meaning to—and froze.
A car sat parked in the distance, half-hidden in the shadows beneath a flickering streetlight. The engine was off, the windows dark.
But she could see him.
James.
He sat in the driver’s seat, one arm resting against the door, his posture unnervingly still. His eyes were locked on her—unblinking, sharp, as if he had been watching her the entire time.
Her body stiffened instantly.
Her spine went rigid.
Her fingers curled into fists at her sides.
Panic surged up her chest, squeezing her lungs.
She snapped her gaze back to Harold, heart hammering. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—drag him into this. She didn’t want James anywhere near him.
“Harold…” she said quickly, forcing her lips into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Her voice sounded too light, too rushed. “How about you go home for now?”
She gestured vaguely behind her, words tumbling out faster. “I need to go somewhere. Something important came up. I’ll call you later, okay? Then we can have dinner.”
“I’ll drop you,” Harold said immediately.
He stepped closer, already reaching for the car door handle, concern written all over his face. “I’ll take you wherever you need to go. Don’t worry about me—I don’t have anything else tonight anyway.”
“No,” Mia said sharply.
She caught herself and softened her tone, though the panic still bled through. “It’s not necessary. I’m fine, Harold. Really. Please… how about you leave first?”
Harold frowned, clearly confused. His eyes searched her face, as if trying to understand what had changed in the last few seconds. After a pause, he nodded slowly.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”
