The air around me suddenly felt too thick, too heavy. My mind scrambled to make sense of the sight in front of me. Chris. Here. On this beach. With my son.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to speak. “Chris…” His name felt foreign on my tongue, like something that belonged in another lifetime. “How—why are you here?”
Chris arched a brow, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. “Didn’t expect to run into you either.”
I stiffened, my gaze dropping to Nico, who was looking between us with innocent curiosity. He had no idea who this man was, no clue about the past I had buried so deep it felt like another person’s story.
“Where did you see him?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.
Chris smirked, slipping his hands into the pockets of his shorts. His gaze flickered over me, assessing, be
