Chapter 40. Still Mine

ARDEN

I turned around and saw the only man I have ever loved standing before me. However, the safety I once felt in his presence had now been replaced by a twinge of fear, and the butterflies in my stomach that once soared with giddiness now felt more akin to dread.

“Arden,” he said my name in the same way he always had, yet his tone starkly contrasted with our last two encounters.

We were alone in this maze-like garden, and I instinctively took a step back. To my relief, he made no move to close the distance between us. “Where’s Sienna?” I finally asked, my voice taking on a slightly mocking tone that emerged unconsciously.

He sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his hair. “Sienna and I… we’re not together.”

My eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Oh, so it was just a one-night stand? You were merely messing around?”

He pressed his lips together, hesitating. “I just—”

Then he stepped forward, his gaze locked onto mine with a sincerity I nev