"Star baby."
I heard Adrian's voice before I even saw him. He stepped forward with a ridiculously huge bouquet in his arms, and a second later his arms were around me before I could move.
Maybe before I would have leaned into that embrace. I would have melted into it, turned into putty, let myself believe it was love. I would have forgotten what I was so hurt about and convinced myself that everything would be fine again.
But this time all I could think about was how these arms belonged to someone who had lied to me, cheated on me, and hurt me more deeply than anyone ever had. Someone who never showed an ounce of remorse. My body reacted before my mind did. I pushed him away.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. I was surprised my mouth even worked. I had spent days imagining how this moment would go, convinced I would fall apart the instant I saw him. I had dreaded it. I hoped the next time we met would be across a table with our lawyers present.
