“Yesterday, when we were talking about the conference you attended… you mentioned someone.”
I felt the floor beneath me shift slightly.
“You said you ran into someone unexpected.”
My silence answered for me. Giselle’s eyes widened just a fraction.
“Edwina,” she said carefully, “this Hayden…” The question hung between us for a moment. Then she finished it. “…is he that Hayden?”
The hallway noise faded behind her words. For a second I considered denying it. Pretending. Deflecting.
But Giselle had become one of the few people in my life who understood the weight of the past I carried without needing every detail. Lying to her now would only delay the truth.
“Yes,” I said.
Giselle blinked.
“The same one?”
“The same one.”
For a moment she said nothing. Then she ran a hand through her hair and let out a long breath.
“Well,” she muttered, “that sounds messy.”
I let out a soft, humorless laugh.
“You have no idea.”
Her eyes moved over my face again, more carefully this time.
“Does he know?” she asked.
The question settled heavily in the space between us. I shook my head.
“No.”
Giselle followed my gaze as it drifted briefly toward the window, where the afternoon light filtered into the room. For now, the secret remained mine. But the conviction taking root in my chest told me a truth I was not ready to admit aloud. If Hayden Stone had truly returned to my life, the truth would not stay hidden forever. Giselle did not speak immediately after my answer. She leaned against the counter beside me, her fingers loosely wrapped around a coffee cup while she watched my face with the careful attention of someone who understood that certain questions required patience before they were asked.
Eventually she said the one thing I had been hoping she would not.
“So… what are you planning to do now?”
I looked down at the surface of the table, tracing the faint grain of the wood with my eyes.
“I don’t know yet.”
“That’s not really an answer.”
“I know.”
Her voice softened slightly.
“Edwina… how long do you think you can keep this from him?”
The question settled uncomfortably in my chest.
“I’m not planning to tell him.”
