CHAPTER 2 — Three Years Later
327 Words
The black SUV rolled into town like a quiet storm.
Three years had passed.
Three years of silence.
Three years of growth.
Three years of becoming someone unrecognizable.
Ava stepped out onto the pavement, heels clicking softly as she adjusted her sunglasses. The town looked exactly the same — same bakery, same gas station, same gossiping neighbors.
But she wasn’t the same.
Gone was the hopeful girl in a silver dress.
In her place stood a woman with tailored confidence, sharp posture, and calm eyes that gave nothing away.
The city had changed her.
Or maybe heartbreak had.
Her phone buzzed.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” her friend Madison asked through the speaker.
“I’m not here for him,” Ava replied evenly. “I’m here to finalize the property deal.”
That was the truth.
Mostly.
The restaurant doors chimed when she stepped inside.
The familiar scent of garlic and fresh bread hit her instantly. It was Liam’s family’s place — small-town famous.
She didn’t expect him to be there.
She definitely didn’t expect him to freeze mid-conversation when he saw her.
“Ava?” he breathed.
The way he said her name was different now. Slower. Careful.
She removed her sunglasses and offered a polite smile.
“I’m sorry,” she said smoothly. “Do I know you?”
It wasn’t cruel.
It was controlled.
And it hit him harder than anything she could’ve said.
He stepped closer. “It’s Liam.”
She tilted her head slightly, as if searching her memory.
“Oh. Right.”
The dismissal was subtle.
But devastating.
He looked at her like she was a ghost — or maybe like he had just realized something he should have known years ago.
“You look… different,” he said.
“People grow,” she replied.
And then she walked past him like he wasn’t the center of her universe anymore.
Because he wasn’t.
Not even close.
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