BILLIONAIRE’S HEART

Chapter 8

Tamara’s fingers trembled slightly as she took the dessert menu from the waiter, her mind still occupied with Justin’s words. The air felt thick, as if the space between them had been filled with a million unspoken thoughts. She couldn’t quite shake the way he looked at her—the longing, the hope—but also the silent accusation. It was as though he expected her to fix everything that had gone wrong between them, but how could she?

She couldn’t deny the nostalgia that had crept in when he spoke about their past. She had loved him once, truly. They had shared moments—intimate, quiet moments—that made her believe in a future with him. But that future felt like a lifetime ago. The woman she was now was different, stronger, more guarded.

Tamara glanced up at Justin, who was studying her carefully, the unease still etched on his face. The smile he had earlier was gone, replaced with a look of frustration and confusion. He wasn’t giving up, and it both comforted and unsettled her.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for all of this, Justin,” Tamara finally said, her voice quiet, barely above a whisper. She couldn’t keep pretending that everything was fine. “I’m still trying to figure out my life, my family. I can’t just—”

“Tamara,” Justin interrupted, his voice a little sharper than before. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. “I get it. I do. But you’re not alone anymore. You don’t have to keep pushing everyone away. Especially me. I’m here. I’ve always been here, and I always will be.”

Her heart fluttered with a mix of guilt and warmth. She wanted to believe him. She really did. But there was something inside her that refused to let go of the past—the mistakes, the unhealed wounds. She didn’t know if she could allow herself to be that vulnerable again. Not with him. Not with anyone.

“I’ve changed, Justin,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m not the same person I was when we were together. I can’t just go back to who I was, who we were. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”

He looked at her with a pained expression. “I know. But that doesn’t mean we can’t move forward, Tamara. You don’t have to forget the past, but we can make a new future. Together.”

Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, she thought about how easy it would be to say yes. To fall back into what was familiar. To allow herself to be swept up in the comfort of what they once had.

But she couldn’t.

Tamara felt the pull of responsibility—a responsibility to her family, to herself. She couldn’t afford to let her heart take over, not when everything she had worked for felt so precarious.

“I’m sorry, Justin,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “I think I need some time. Time to figure things out.”

Justin sat back in his chair, his expression hardening once again. The warmth was gone, replaced with something colder. “I can’t wait forever, Tamara.”

Her stomach tightened as his words hit her harder than she expected. She didn’t want to lose him, but she couldn’t keep pretending that she had everything under control. She wasn’t ready to jump into something that felt so… complicated. Not when her feelings were still so mixed.

“I know,” she whispered, her eyes dropping to the table. “I’m sorry.”

The silence between them was deafening. Justin didn’t speak for a moment, and she could feel the weight of his disappointment in the air. It was thick and suffocating.

Finally, he sighed, his voice softening once more. “If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.” His tone was final, and his words felt like a door closing between them.

Tamara nodded, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The waiter returned to collect their plates, his presence a welcome distraction. Tamara stood up, grabbing her purse and sliding it over her shoulder. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to face Lucas or anyone else, but she knew one thing for sure: she couldn’t keep living in the past. She had to move forward, even if it meant walking away from things she once held dear.

Later that evening…

Tamara stepped out of the restaurant into the cool night air, her mind spinning. She needed time—time to breathe, time to think, and time to clear the fog that seemed to cloud her judgment. She walked down the street, the familiar hum of the city surrounding her, but she felt disconnected from everything around her. The weight of the evening, of the choices she had to make, hung heavily on her shoulders.

Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced down at the screen. It was a message from Lucas.

“We need to talk.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t avoid it any longer. The conversation she had been dreading was about to happen.

She took a deep breath, feeling a rush of nerves in her stomach. What had she gotten herself into?

But there was no turning back now.