Chapter 104

Alex’s POV

The city felt too loud tonight and too alive.

The kind of night where the hum of traffic and the clatter of conversations didn’t fade, they dug into you.

I’d been pacing outside my office long after I should’ve gone home, trying to shake the restlessness that had been chewing at me all day.

Emily’s face had haunted every corner of my thoughts.

The look she gave me at the coffee shop, it was broken, frayed, like she was dangling over the edge and I’d pushed her instead of pulling her back.

I’d replayed it too many times, every flinch, every word, every silence between us.

So when I finally gave up on pretending to focus on anything else, I told myself I’d grab dinner.

A meal to clear my head. I didn’t expect to walk into the restaurant and see her.

Not just her… them.

Emily, sitting across from Jace.

Her smile, God, her smile.

It wasn’t forced, it wasn’t the half-hearted one she gave me when she