bChapter /bb212 /b

    It was Saturday, and Mia happily took her son to the park as she had promised.

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    Aiden had been looking forward to this all week, and the way his little hands pped together when she told him they were finally going made her heart swell.

    Ethan had even joined them, which made Aiden’s excitement double.

    After an entire frustrating, stressful week, Mia needed this more than anything.

    +33

    She needed to breathe fresh air, feel the sun on her skin, and most of all, see her son’sughter light up the

    world around her.

    She sat on the park bench, watching Aiden dash across the grass with pure joy painted across his face.

    Aiden wanted to get on every ride. He wanted to y every single game, run down every slide, swing as high as his tiny legs could push him. It was tiring for Mia, her body worn out from chasing after him, her legs heavy from following him from one ride to the next.

    Still…she would pay anything to freeze this very moment, to capture her son’s joy and hold it forever.

    Sheughed softly as he tugged her hand. And yet, even in this perfect moment, her eyes betrayed her.

    She couldn’t stop herself from ncing at the happy family ying on the other side of the park.

    A father pushing his daughter on the swing. A mother holding her baby close,ughing as the father leaned in to kiss her cheek. The sight should have been sweet. It should have been harmless. But for Mia, it was a sharp reminder, a reminder she didn’t want, a reminder she tried to bury every day.

    These days, everything reminded her of Alex.

    It wasn’t fair. She had been fine all these years. Fine in her own way. She had been surviving, building a quiet life with Aiden, keeping her heart guarded and her past locked away.

    ano

    She had taught herself not to look back, She had told herself Alex ckwell belonged to another lifetime, another version of her that no longer existed.

    But now… now it felt impossible to escape.

    Ever since she saw him again, ever since fate decided to y this cruel trick, Mia couldn’t go a second without battling the thoughts of him.

    He was everywhere, in the way Aiden’s hair curled, in the sharpness of her son’s jawline, in the sound of his littleugh that sometimes carried the same rhythm as Alex’s.

    He invaded every single thought. Every damn time.

    11:53 Sat, 23 Aug

    +33)

    And the worst part was that she hated herself for it. She hated that she let him creep into her head when she had worked so hard to close that chapter.

    She told herself it was only because he was close again. That was it. It had to be.

    It was the fault of being so close to him.

    Yes. That had to be the reason.

    Mia sat back down on the bench, her heart heavy even as her lips curved into a smile for Aiden’s sake.

    She tried to focus on the way he wasughing with another little boy near the sandbox, the way his small hands dug into the dirt to build some kind of castle that was already crumbling.

    God. What was she supposed to do?

    Her fears grew louder with every passing day, whispering doubts into her heart.

    She is feeling too much, Alex’s presence has stirred everything she worked so hard to bury?

    She wrapped her arms around herself, staring at her son as though the answers were written on his face.

    For years, she had thought she could outrun it. She had thought nothing would ever make their paths cross

    again.

    Alex ckwell was supposed to remain in her past, in the shadows of her memories where she shoved him

    away.

    She had promised herself–sworn on her own heart–that she would never let Aiden meet him, never let her

    son even know his name.

    She wanted to protect him. Protect his innocence. Protect his little heart from the same pain she once knew.

    But things are different now.

    n × ×

    Because Alex ckwell was here. In the same town. Breathing the same air.

    And her son… her son had started asking too many questions

    The words had be too frequent, too sharp.

    It was as if Aiden knew something. As if some small part of him could feel it in his bones, that his father was

    near.

    Mia sighed, her chest tight as she forced herself to look away from the happy looking couple.

    11:53 Sat, 23 Aug

    Ethan dropped onto the wooden bench beside Mia.

    “That was Mr. Felix,” Ethan said tly, his tone carrying a little bit of amusement.

    Mia’s stomach dropped instantly, her heart skipping in that same way it always did when that man’s name came up. She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them again, staring at her brother with

    disbelief.

    “Please don’t tell me he called because of me?” she asked, her voice thin and heavy with frustration.

    Ethan chuckled, shaking his head slowly.

    “He did. As a matter of fact-” Ethan paused, studying her face for a reaction before finishing…. “he’sing here.”

    Mia blinked at him, not sure if she heard him right.

    “What?” she let out with a tired sigh, her shoulders sagging as if all the strength drained out of her. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

    Ethan couldn’t hold back hisughter. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, clearly entertained.

    “You think this is funny?” Mia shot back, narrowing her eyes at him.

    Ethan raised both his hands in mock defense, grinning like a boy who had just gotten away with something.

    “Did you invite him?” she asked, her voice sharp, giving her brother the kind of using re

    Ethan shook his head,ughing again.

    “I didn’t. He called me. He asked about you. I told him where we are, and he said he’sing.”

    Mia pressed her lips together, her annoyance mixing with dread. “Coming to do what?” she demanded, her

    voice low but shaking.

    Ethan tilted his head and shrugged like it wasn’t that serious. “What’s the big deal? Maybe he was bored at home.” He smirked, his eyes gleaming with amusement at her misery.

    Mia rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. She turned away from him.

    “You know very well what he wants, Ethan. Don’t y dumb with me.” Her voice was sharper now, her

    wordsced with irritation. “You better tell him I’m not interested.”

    Ethan leaned back, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. “You’re going to have to tell him yourself.”

    Mia let out an exhausted groan and rolled her eyes again, this time so hard she thought they might get

    stuck.