Ethan hated the way Jace stiffened.
One second, they were fine—walking home from the gallery, fingers laced together, the city humming low around them. Jace was smiling, flushed with the success of the show. Ethan had finally settled, the jealousy simmering to something softer, something safe.
And then—
Jace saw him.
Ethan felt the exact second everything changed.
Jace’s whole body went still, fingers twitching in Ethan’s grip. His jaw tightened, his breath caught. And Ethan followed his gaze across the street, past the parked cars and streetlights, to the man leaning against a lamppost, smoking a cigarette.
Tall. Lean. Careless posture.
And looking directly at Jace.
Ethan didn’t have to ask.
This was him.
The ex. The mistake. The wound Jace still carried, stitched together with
