LOVING YOU AGAIN

CHAPTER ONE: The Past Never Stays Buried Maryann Collins had learned how to survive silence. It followed her everywhere—into crowded rooms, into quiet nights, into the spaces where memories lived. Silence was safer. Silence didn’t ask questions. It didn’t remind her of everything she had lost. She was reaching for the balcony door when she felt it. That sudden tightening in her chest. That unmistakable pull. Maryann froze. Slowly, she turned. And there he was. Nathaniel Blackwood stood near the railing, tall and unmistakable, dressed in a dark suit that fit him like power itself. The city lights behind him did nothing to soften the sharp lines of his face. If anything, they made him look more distant. More unreachable. Her breath caught. Years had passed. Years of running. Years of pretending she had healed. Yet in one heartbeat, the past had found her. Nathaniel lifted his gaze. Their eyes met. The world shrank. For a moment, neither of them moved. Neither spoke. The noise of the party faded into nothing as the weight of unspoken words settled heavily between them. He looked different. Colder. Harder. But beneath that calm exterior, Amara saw it—the same pain she had left behind. His jaw tightened. “So,” he said at last, his voice low and controlled, “you’re still good at disappearing.” Her fingers trembled at her side. Amara swallowed. This was the moment she had feared. The moment she had prepared for—yet never truly faced. “I didn’t know you’d be here,” she said softly. Nathaniel let out a quiet, humorless laugh. “Funny,” he replied. “I never stopped looking for you.” The silence returned—thicker this time. Amara knew then that walking away again would not save her. The past had finally caught up. And it wasn’t letting go. ______ CHAPTER TWO: Scars Beneath the Calm Maryann excused herself from the balcony with a polite smile that did not reach her eyes. Her legs felt weak as she walked back into the hall, the soft music and laughter washing over her like a distant echo. Every step felt heavier than the last, as though the past clung to her dress, dragging her backward. She had not planned for this. She had not prepared for him. In the quiet corner of the restroom, Maryann gripped the edge of the sink and stared at her reflection. The woman looking back at her appeared composed—neatly dressed, hair in place, lips steady. But her eyes told another story. They were filled with fear she thought she had buried years ago. “Get it together,” she whispered. Seeing Nathaniel again had ripped open wounds she had carefully stitched shut. She remembered the boy he used to be—the warmth in his smile, the way he said her name like it mattered. Walking away from him had nearly destroyed her. But staying would have destroyed her completely. Maryann splashed water on her face and straightened, forcing herself to breathe. She had survived worse than this. She would survive this too. Nathaniel watched her leave, his expression unreadable. The moment Maryann disappeared into the crowd, his hand tightened around the glass he was holding. The years had changed her—she looked stronger, calmer—but the sight of her had shaken him in ways he hadn’t expected. He had spent years convincing himself that he was over her. That lie shattered the instant their eyes met. She looked thinner. Older. Sadder. And still beautiful in a way that made his chest ache. Nathaniel turned back toward the city skyline, memories crashing through him with unforgiving force. The unanswered questions. The nights he waited for her call. The morning he woke up to discover she was gone—no goodbye, no explanation. Just silence. “I searched everywhere,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “And you were right here all along.” Anger simmered beneath his calm exterior, but beneath that anger was something far more dangerous—hope. Later that night, Maryann tried to leave quietly. She slipped her coat over her shoulders and headed toward the exit, praying she wouldn’t run into him again. Fate, however, had never been kind to her. “Running away again?” His voice stopped her cold. Maryann closed her eyes for a brief moment before turning around. Nathaniel stood a few steps away, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her heart race. “I’m just tired,” she said carefully. “You were always tired when things got hard,” he replied, not unkindly—but not gently either. The words stung because they carried truth. Maryann met his gaze, her voice barely above a whisper. “You don’t know what I was dealing with back then.” “Then tell me,” Nathaniel said, stepping closer. “Tell me why you left without a word. Tell me why I wasn’t enough for you to stay.” Her chest tightened painfully. This was the moment she had avoided for years. “I didn’t leave because I stopped loving you,” she said, tears threatening to spill. “I left because staying would have cost me my life.” Nathaniel froze. The raw fear in her eyes silenced him. For the first time, doubt crept into his anger. For the first time, he wondered if the story he had told himself all these years was wrong. Before he could ask another question, Maryann turned and walked away—this time not running, but retreating to protect the fragile walls she had built. Nathaniel watched her go, his heart pounding. Whatever she had been running from… It wasn’t him. And he was no longer willing to let the truth stay hidden.