THE LOVE YOU DESTROYED

THE MAN I LET GO

The garden looked exactly as I remembered it.

The cobblestone path wound between rosebushes heavy with blooms, their fragrance curling through the warm summer air. Somewhere in the distance, a fountain trickled, the sound soft and steady — the same sound I’d once listened to while dreaming of a life I never got to live.

I was here because Ryan insisted on “a peaceful walk before dinner.”

But as we rounded the hedge, my heart stuttered for an entirely different reason.

Nathaniel.

He stood by the fountain, sunlight catching in his dark hair, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked the same — strong, composed, his eyes sharp and observant — yet somehow different, too. There was a shadow of worry on his face as he glanced over a folded letter in his hand.

In my past life, I had let him walk away without ever telling him how much I needed him. I had convinced myself that Ryan was the safe choice. The right choice.

And it had killed me.

This time, I swore, things would be different.

Ryan’s voice sliced into my thoughts.

“Ah, Nathaniel. There you are.” His tone was smooth, but I heard the faint undercurrent of tension. He never liked Nathaniel — perhaps because Nathaniel was one of the few people he couldn’t manipulate.

Nathaniel’s gaze lifted from the letter, landing on me.

For a moment, he didn’t move. I saw the faint widening of his eyes, the subtle catch of breath — almost too quick to notice. But I noticed.

“Elena,” he said finally, his voice calm but low.

Hearing my name on his lips again after all this time sent a rush of emotion through me.

I smiled, careful to make it warm but not too familiar. “It’s been a long time, Nathaniel.”

Ryan slipped an arm loosely around my waist. “Elena’s back in town for good,” he said casually, though his grip was just tight enough to be possessive. “We were just talking about the future.”

Nathaniel’s gaze dropped briefly to Ryan’s hand at my waist, then returned to my face. There was something unreadable in his expression — something that made my chest ache.

“That’s… good to hear,” he said. But his tone was flat, guarded.

I wanted to tell him everything — about the night I died, the betrayal, the second chance. I wanted to grab his hand and promise him I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

But I couldn’t. Not yet.

Ryan was watching too closely.

Instead, I let my smile linger. “Perhaps you could join us for dinner,” I suggested lightly. “It’s been too long since we’ve all talked.”

Ryan’s arm stiffened, but Nathaniel’s gaze didn’t waver. He studied me for a moment, as if trying to read the words I wasn’t saying.

Finally, he nodded. “I’ll be there.”

As we walked away, Ryan’s hand still at my waist, I could feel Nathaniel’s eyes on my back.

And I thought, with a mix of hope and fear:

This time, I will not let you go.