The soft click of the door echoed through Holly’s lodge room, but it felt deafening in the silence that followed Lucas’s departure. She stood frozen in place, her hand still gripping the edge of the desk, as if letting go would somehow send her spiraling into the emotional chaos he’d left behind.
She had told him no. Rejected his plea for another chance. Slammed the door—figuratively, at least—on everything he represented. So why did she still feel as though a piece of her past had slipped back into the room, uninvited, lingering like smoke in the air?
Her breath came in shallow bursts, and she forced herself to take a deep one, steadying the tremble in her chest. Lucas was gone. That chapter of her life was closed. And yet, as much as she tried to convince herself of that, his words
