She sighed softly, glancing down at the floor like she already knew she’d been caught.
“Okay,” she admitted reluctantly. “Maybe not fine.”
I took her hand and led her back to the table so we could sit.
“What happened?” I asked.
For a moment, she didn’t answer. Her fingers tightened around her cup, and she stared down at it like the coffee somehow held the answer. “I found out something today.”
I waited. Her voice dropped slightly. “Grayson is getting married.”
The words hit me like a punch to the chest. For a second, I couldn’t even react. Grayson. Her former best friend. The only man Elena had ever loved.
I felt my throat tighten immediately. Tears threatened to escape before I could stop them, because I knew how much he meant to her. I knew how long she had carried those feelings.
“Elena…” I whispered.
She gave a small, sad smile.
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine.”
“It is,” she insisted quietly.
I reached across the table and pulled her into another hug before the tears in my own eyes could betray me. She clung to me for a moment, and I felt her take a slow breath against my shoulder.
“He rejected me years ago,” she murmured softly. “So this shouldn’t even surprise me.”
My chest ached hearing her say it so plainly. “Elena—”
She pulled back quickly and wiped under her eyes before anything could actually fall. “Please don’t make a big deal out of it."
“Am I at least allowed to hate him a little?”
She let out a quiet laugh. “That part I won’t stop you from.”
32- callahan
The second I stepped into the house, something felt… off.
I loosened my tie as I closed the door behind me.
It had been one of those days—hours blurring into endless meetings, emails, and stubborn problems. My shoulders ached, and all I wanted was a shower and the sight of my wife curled up somewhere in the house.
Preferably waiting for me.
Maria appeared from the hallway just as I slipped my jacket off.
I paused.
She was still here.
That alone was unusual, considering how late it was.
“Maria,” I greeted.
“Mr. Sterling.”
