CHAPTER ONE
Cecily saw him before she felt anything. That was what scared her most. He was seated by the window, the soft yellow light of the restaurant casting shadows along his jaw, familiar in a way that made her stomach dip. One arm rested on the table, relaxed, like he belonged there. Like he had always belonged anywhere he chose to stand. For a moment, she simply stared. Seven years disappeared. Not in a dramatic way. Not like the movies. There was no rush of tears or gasping breath. Just a quiet stillness, as if her body had paused to confirm what her eyes were telling her, It was him. Ethan.
Across from him sat a woman. She leaned forward slightly as she spoke, her expression open, comfortable. The kind of comfort that came from time, from shared routines and shared mornings. A thin ring caught the light as she lifted her hand.
A wife. Cecily's fingers tightened around the strap of her purse. So this was how she found out. She hadn't planned to be here. The restaurant was just somewhere she passed while walking, trying to stretch the last evening before her flight into something meaningful. Or maybe she was just stalling, afraid of how final tomorrow would feel. She told herself she didn't care. That she had built a life elsewhere. That the document in her bag mattered more than whatever this was. Still, her chest ached. She shifted her weight, preparing to turn away. She didn't owe him anything. Not her time. Not her presence. Not even acknowledgment. Whatever history they shared had ended long before tonight.
She took one step back, then he looked up. It happened so suddenly it felt intentional, like the universe had leaned in and whispered her name in his ear. Ethan froze,the smile he'd been wearing slipped away, replaced by something raw and unguarded. Shock, first. Then disbelief. Then a look Cecily remembered too well,the one he got when something mattered more than he wanted it to. Their eyes locked.
Her breath caught before she could stop it. For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. The restaurant noise faded into something distant and muffled, like they were underwater. Cecily became painfully aware of how exposed she felt standing there, how visible her heart suddenly was.
Ethan stood up. The chair scraped loudly against the floor, drawing a few curious glances from nearby tables. The woman across from him looked startled, her brows knitting together as she followed his gaze.
"Cecily," he said. Her name sounded different in his voice. Lower. Careful. Like he was afraid it might break if he said it too loudly.
She swallowed.
"Hi," she replied, surprised by how normal she sounded. No tremor. No accusation. Just a word people used every day. The woman's eyes moved between them.
"Do you know her?" Ethan didn't look away from Cecily.
"Yes." something about that, the certainty in his voice, made her chest tighten. She forced a small smile, polite and distant. The kind you gave strangers you'd once loved deeply.
"I'm sorry," she said, nodding toward the table. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
She turned to leave, every instinct screaming at her to walk faster, to escape before the cracks showed.
"Cecily," Ethan said again, softer this time. She paused. Just for a second. She hated herself for it.
"Yes?" she asked, turning back. He looked like he didn't know where to start. Like the words he'd rehearsed for years had all vanished at once. His eyes flicked briefly to the woman beside him, then back to Cecily.
"You're… here," he said. It wasn't able question.
"Yes," Cecily replied. "Just visiting."
Something unreadable crossed his face. "How long?"
"Not long," she said. Because that was the truth. "I leave tomorrow."
The woman's posture stiffened slightly. Cecily noticed it now,the way she sat straighter, the way her lips pressed together as if she were trying to understand a story she hadn't been told.
Ethan's jaw tightened. "Tomorrow.
Cecily nodded. "I needed to pick up a document. For work."
"Work," he repeated.
Like the word carried weight. "It's important," she added, unsure why she felt the need to explain herself to him of all people. He glanced at the chair across from him. "Would you—"
"No," she said gently, cutting him off. Not unkind, just firm. "I should go." she could feel it now the tremble beneath her calm. The questions pressing against her ribs. Why he hadn't reached out. Why he'd let her leave. Why seeing him like this still hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Ethan hesitated, then nodded. "Okay." silence stretched between them.
The woman cleared her throat. "I'll give you a moment," she said, standing. She offered Cecily a polite smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes, and picked up her bag. Ethan watched her walk away, guilt flickering across his face before he turned back to Cecily. "I didn't expect this," he said quietly. "Neither did I." Another pause.
"You look… good," he added, unsure. "So do you," Cecily replied, and hated that it was true.
His gaze lingered on her face, like he was trying to memorize it all over again.
"You left without saying goodbye." Her chest tightened. There it was. The first cut. "I didn't think you wanted me to stay," she said.
"That's not—" He stopped himself, exhaling slowly. "We shouldn't do this here." She nodded. "Probably not." A waiter passed by, glancing between them awkwardly.
"I should go," Cecily said again. This time, she meant it. Ethan looked at her like he wanted to argue. Like he wanted to say everything at once. Instead, he said,
"Can I see you before you leave?" Tomorrow loomed between them. She hesitated, then nodded once.
"Maybe." It wasn't a promise,But it wasn't a no. As she walked away, her hands were shaking. She didn't look back. She didn't trust herself to. Behind her, Ethan stood frozen, staring at the space she'd occupied, realizing too late that some endings didn't stay buried they waited,and tomorrow might be too late.