MELISSA’S POV
The ride back to my apartment felt endless, the city lights blurring into streaks of white and amber against the tinted glass. My head leaned against the cool window, but there was no comfort in it. My mind was a carousel spinning too fast, pulling me from one thought to the next until I felt dizzy.
Louis.
The name itself made my chest tighten. It had been years since we’d broken things off—years since I told myself I’d moved on. After he left the country, it was easier to believe that. Out of sight, out of mind… or so I’d thought. But seeing him again, even briefly, entering Marco’s office had cracked something wide open inside me.
It didn’t make sense. Or maybe it did, and I was just the last to know. The thought alone made me feel foolish, like I was always standing at
