Sebastian stood at the window of his office long after Victoria’s perfume had faded from the room. His jaw was tight, fists clenched in the pockets of his tailored slacks, his reflection staring back at him from the glass—sharp suit, exhausted eyes.
He hadn’t wanted to see her.
He hadn’t planned on letting her in.
But somehow, Victoria Langford had always had a way of slipping into spaces uninvited and lingering like smoke.
He could still hear her voice.
“She walked away from you once. She’ll do it again.”
The words scratched at something raw inside him. Something he’d been trying to bury for months.
Because the truth?
He was tired of pretending.
Tired of hiding behind professionalism and polite restraint.
Tired of fighting this war inside himself while co-parenting with the only
