I fell in love with my ex girlfriend

The first time Ethan Vale saw Lina Hart again, she was standing beneath the old maple tree at the center of Westbridge University. And she was laughing. That was what unsettled him the most. Not the way her hair fell in soft waves down her back. Not the sunlight catching the curve of her cheek. Not even the fact that she looked more beautiful than she had two years ago. It was the laugh. Because when he left her, she hadn’t been laughing. She had been crying. Westbridge University buzzed with first-week excitement. Luxury cars lined the front gates. Students in crisp uniforms and designer sneakers walked in clusters, flashing polite smiles and calculating glances. The campus was divided in invisible lines—old money, new money, scholarship students, and those who existed only to orbit the rich. Ethan stood at the top of the stone steps, hands in his pockets, dark blazer tailored to perfection. The heir of Vale Group didn’t need an introduction here. People moved aside when he walked. Professors greeted him first. Rumors followed him like perfume. He was used to being watched. But right now, he wasn’t aware of anyone else. Only her. Lina stood below, holding a file of documents to her chest. She wore a simple cream blouse and a navy skirt. No designer label. No flashy jewelry. Just quiet elegance. And strength. Two years ago, she had looked fragile when he shattered her heart. Now she looked unbreakable. “Ethan,” a soft voice interrupted. He didn’t look away from Lina. “Yes?” Sophia Laurent stepped beside him, her heels clicking lightly against stone. She was flawless—blonde hair styled to perfection, diamond studs glinting in the sunlight. The daughter of Laurent Holdings. The girl his father had chosen for him. His future fiancée. “You’re staring,” Sophia said lightly, though her eyes were sharp. “Is she that interesting?” He didn’t answer. Below, Lina turned slightly—and their eyes met. The world shifted. For a second, the noise of the campus faded. No laughter. No footsteps. No whispers. Just them. Her expression changed instantly. The laughter died. Her back straightened. And the warmth in her eyes turned to ice. She looked away first. That hurt more than it should have. “Ah,” Sophia murmured. “The ex.” Ethan’s jaw tightened. He remembered everything too clearly. The night he ended it. The rain. The shaking in her voice. The way she kept asking, Why? And the way he refused to answer. Because he couldn’t. Because if he had told her the truth, his father would have destroyed her family. Simple. Cruel. Effective. Below, Lina began walking toward the administration building. Without thinking, Ethan moved. “Where are you going?” Sophia asked. “To class.” “That’s not your building.” He didn’t stop. Behind him, Sophia’s smile faded. Lina felt him before she heard him. That heavy, controlled presence. She refused to turn around. Not again. Not after everything. Her palms were slightly damp as she walked across the courtyard. She told herself she was calm. She told herself he meant nothing. But her heartbeat betrayed her. Two years. Two years of rebuilding herself. Two years of pretending she didn’t still dream about him sometimes. “Lina.” Her name. Low. Familiar. Dangerous. She stopped. Slowly, she turned. Ethan stood a few feet away. Close enough to see the faint scar near his eyebrow she used to trace with her fingertip. Close enough to smell the same cologne he had always worn. He looked different. Colder. Sharper. But his eyes… His eyes still held storms. “What do you want?” she asked evenly. Straight to the point. He almost smiled. “You transferred,” he said. “Yes.” “You didn’t tell me.” Her laugh was soft and disbelieving. “Why would I?” A flicker of something passed through his expression. Regret? Pain? She didn’t care. “You look well,” he said. “And you look like you haven’t changed at all.” That one landed. Students were starting to slow down nearby. Watching. Whispering. Everyone knew who Ethan Vale was. And everyone would soon know who she was. Again. “I never stopped—” he began. “Don’t,” she cut in sharply. The word was quiet, but it carried years of hurt. “You don’t get to talk to me like nothing happened.” He stepped closer. She held her ground. “Lina,” he said, voice lower now, more urgent. “I didn’t leave you because I wanted to.” Her breath hitched. That was new. He had never said that before. “Then why?” she demanded. “Why did you humiliate me? Why did you pretend I meant nothing?” Because my father threatened to ruin your family. Because they cut your mother’s hospital funding the same week I ended it. Because loving you was the only thing in my life that wasn’t controlled. But he couldn’t say that. Not here. Not yet. “Things were complicated,” he said instead. Her eyes darkened. “That’s not an answer.” “No,” he admitted. “It’s not.” For a moment, they simply looked at each other. The air between them thick with everything unsaid. Then— A sleek black car pulled into the courtyard. Not just any car. A Laurent executive vehicle. The driver stepped out and opened the back door. A tall, imposing man emerged. Silver-haired. Impeccably dressed. Ruthless. Mr. Laurent. Sophia’s father. And the man currently negotiating a merger with Ethan’s father. His eyes swept the courtyard and landed directly on Ethan. Then shifted to Lina. His expression cooled. Interesting. Very interesting. Behind him, Sophia stepped out gracefully from another car, smiling brightly as she linked her arm through Ethan’s. Possessive. Calculated. “Darling,” she said sweetly, loud enough for nearby students to hear. “Father was just asking about our engagement dinner next week.” Engagement. The word sliced through Lina like glass. Her gaze snapped to Ethan. He didn’t deny it. Didn’t confirm it either. But the silence was loud enough. Sophia smiled at Lina. “You must be the scholarship student everyone is talking about.” Lina’s fingers tightened around her file. Mr. Laurent’s voice was smooth as silk. “Westbridge welcomes talent from all backgrounds. As long as they know their place.” The insult was subtle. Intentional. Ethan’s jaw flexed. “Enough,” he said quietly. But Lina had already stepped back. Her pride rising like armor. “Congratulations,” she said calmly to Ethan. “I hope this time, you don’t run.” And with that, she walked away. He didn’t follow. He couldn’t. Not with Mr. Laurent watching. Not with Sophia’s nails digging into his sleeve. Not with the weight of his father’s expectations crushing his spine. But as Lina disappeared into the building, one thought burned in his chest: This isn’t over. Because he had just seen something in Mr. Laurent’s eyes. Recognition. Calculation. And the beginning of a threat. And if the Laurents had taken interest in Lina Hart— Then she was already in danger.