Evelyn glanced at the magnificent invitation that lay before her, the gold-embossed lettering catching the light. It said, "Bennett Enterprises Charity Gala," which brought back memories of the life she had left behind.
The delicate touch of the card between her fingertips sent a thrill down her spine. She hadn't heard from Alexander in years, not since their relationship fell apart.
Her gaze skimmed the rest of the sentences, which were full of promises about the evening, the visitors, and the high society who would be there. After everything that had happened, she didn't belong in that world anymore.
She didn't know why she had gotten this invitation. Maybe it was a mistake or a cruel reminder of things she couldn't change. But she couldn't help but feel the attraction. Alexander was part of this world. He was the heart of Bennett Enterprises, a man whose determination had taken him to the top.
Their past was tumultuous, plagued with love and betrayal, and as much as she told herself she had moved on, she constantly wondered what it would be like to see him again. But it wasn't why she felt unsure. It wasn't out of curiosity. It was about the wounds that hadn't totally healed.
The memory of the quiet fights and how he looked at her when he found out the truth. She had never gotten over how things ended. She held her finger over the "RSVP" button.
She wanted to click "No" and send the invitation back to where it came from, but a voice inside her begged her to go, face him, and see if there was anything left to save. Evelyn took a big breath.
She had been without him for a long time, hadn't she?
She didn't have to bring up past wounds. But as her finger moved, she felt the unmistakable tug of temptation. One glance at the name on the invitation, and she was back there, back in his world, trapped by the history she thought she had buried.
The party was going strong. The beautiful ballroom sparkled with crystal chandeliers, and the pleasant buzz of discussion filled the area. Evelyn looked around at the crowd and felt out of place in the middle of all the glitz.
She didn't expect to feel out of place, but there it was, crushing down on her chest like it had always been there. She wasn't sure how she had gotten up here, standing at the edge of the room, attempting to blend into the richness.
She told herself it was only curiosity, that she was merely passing through a moment of weakness. But when she heard a familiar voice in the distance, it froze her in her tracks. She turned her head quickly to see where the sound was coming from, and there he was: Alexander Bennett.
He stood across the room, his big, broad form demanding notice even among the wealthiest of guests. His suit was sleek and clean, and it fit him as if it had been created just for him. His dark hair, which was a little messy but always looked great, accentuated his strong jawline.
His piercing eyes looked across the room with their customary assurance. Evelyn's heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. It felt like time had stopped for a second, the air between them getting thicker, and their shared past coming back to them in full color.
He was still the same, the one who had once swept her off her feet and the one who had shattered her world apart. The moment extended on, but just for a second. His eyes narrowed ever so little, and just as swiftly as they'd linked, they broke. He switched his attention back to the crowd, as if she weren't there, and his eyes tightened.
Evelyn stood there, her heart racing. She couldn't move or breathe.
Was he trying to stay away from her?
Or was this the cold, detached Alexander she had come to know after everything had broken apart between them?
She could feel the tension between them, and for the first time since she got to the gala, she recognized how little had changed. He still had the power to make her feel like she didn't belong.
When Evelyn saw him again, her heart was still beating. Alexander's presence hung over the gala like a shadow that covered everything. As she stood there, the walls of the ballroom seemed to move closer, making her unsure of whether to go up to them or back away. Her head told her to flee, but her feet took her closer to where he was. She wasn't sure what made her move. Maybe it was how strong his attraction was or how tense the air was.
But when she got to him, she still couldn't read his face. "Evelyn," he murmured, his voice pinched, as if pronouncing her name had cost him something. He didn't grin, didn't convey any of the warmth that had once been so naturally part of him.
His look was cold and calculating, and she could feel the years of distance between them like a wall.
"I didn't expect to see you here," he said, his eyes scanning her as if she were an unusual visitor at a gathering he had no interest in.
His words were polite yet distant, cutting through the tension like a sword. "I didn't think I'd be here either," she said, and her voice didn't show any signs of anxiety. She could tell he wasn't really listening.
His eyes narrowed a little as they moved to something or someone else behind her before returning to her. "I thought you were gone from this world." She stiffened at his words.
They were a reminder of the past, of the promises made and the promises violated. There had been a moment when they had been inseparable, when the notion of a future together had seemed obvious.
But now that she was standing in front of him, the distance between them seemed impossible to cross. "I didn't leave anything," Evelyn murmured, pushing herself to meet his gaze. "I moved on."
There was a gap, a period when she could almost feel his mind changing as he hesitated about whether or not to speak more. He opened his lips to say something, but then he stopped.
Instead, he moved closer, closing the space between them. His voice sank, his words cutting like ice. "What are you doing here, Evelyn?"
The question hovered between them, laden with mistrust and something far more dangerous, regret, perhaps. Or:
She couldn't tell. But whatever it was, it hurt. Alexander's hand on her arm led her past the crowd of people, and the music and laughing faded away. He touched her firmly, and his fingers were chilly on her skin as he pulled her away from the big ballroom and into a dark part of the gala.
The calm made it seem like the subtle murmur of talk was far away. Now it was just the two of them. Evelyn could feel the heat coming off of him, but there was no warmth in his presence, only the keen edge of rage that clung to him like a second skin. She didn't fight as he pushed her further into the quiet space, away from prying eyes.
Her breath caught in her chest, but she wouldn't allow the old terror to come back. He let go of her arm as they were out of sight, but he didn't step back. His dark eyes, as fierce as ever, latched onto hers, the weight of his gaze bearing down on her like a vice.
He said again, in a low growl, "What are you doing here?"
He no longer looked serene in public; instead, he looked darker and more raw. You could feel his anger, and it crackled between them like static electricity.
"I told you. "I didn't expect to be here," Evelyn said, her voice firm even though she was having a storm inside.
She could tell what was going to happen by the way his jaw tensed and his fists clenched at his sides. "You've always had a way of showing up at the worst times, haven't you?" His remarks were caustic, piercing.
"Do you know what you've done?" Evelyn flinched, but she didn't look away. She had endured the brunt of his accusations before, but this time it felt different.
It felt like the end of everything they had buried: all the lies and betrayals, all the anguish they had never spoken about. "I didn't have a choice," she said softly, and her voice broke for a moment before she got it back. "You made sure of that, Alexander." He moved closer, and his breath was hot against her cheek.
Being so close made her heart race and her chest tighten as old feelings came rushing back. She could smell his scent and feel the heat of his body next to hers, but it wasn't the comforting proximity she used to experience. This was a stranger, a man she didn't know anymore.
He wasn't the one she had fallen in love with. His eyes clouded. "You ruined everything, Evelyn. All of it. You think you can just walk back into my life now? She trembled her hands, but she made fists and stood her ground. "You never gave me a choice." She said the words, but they came out quieter than she wanted them to.
They hung in the air like a heavy weight. It was so tense between them that it felt like they were going to die. For a long period, neither of them spoke, the stillness stretching between them like an unseen gap. Alexander stepped back, his face showing that he was quite angry.
Evelyn's heart hammered in her chest as she watched him, unsure if he was about to lash out or escape. His eyes, which used to be warm, were now cold and calculating. It felt like the man she had known was gone and had been replaced by someone else, someone tougher and more vicious.
He took a big breath, and his wide chest rose and fell at a calm, steady pace. When he spoke again, his voice was low and scary. "You want to make this right?" he questioned, his voice full of challenge. "Then you have two choices."
Evelyn gulped and tried to stop her hands from shaking. "I don't want anything from you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
But there was a biting edge to it now, a defiance she didn't know she still had. He didn't pay attention to her and kept looking at her. "You can go." Disappear. Leave me and everything we've worked for behind. Don't ever come back.
That's the first choice. Simple. Clean."
His voice was so icy that it made her stomach plummet.
The thought of leaving, never seeing him again, and cutting all links should have made her feel better, but it didn't. The weight of the past still clung to her, and the thought of walking away, of leaving behind all the questions, all the unsolved pain, it felt like giving up.
"And the second choice?" She asked, her voice strained and full of fear and curiosity. He moved even closer, so near that there was only an inch between them, and his eyes were fixed on hers. "You stay. You come back to my universe. You take your spot by my side, like you used to.
But you should know that being here is a threat to everything I've worked for. Every Single Thing." Evelyn's breath seized in her throat.
She could see the danger in his eyes now, as well as the vicious ambition that had always been there, hidden deep within. He wasn't given a second opportunity. He was trying to show his power. A game where she had no control, where her choices would never be her own.
Her chest clenched, and for a second, everything inside her shouted to run, to get away from him before he could drag her back into the horror they had built together. "Leave," he whispered in a quiet voice that was full of threat, "or stay and deal with the consequences."
Evelyn stood there, unable to move because of what he said. Her mind was racing. She was at a loss for what to do. She didn't know if she could face him again or the world that had previously taken over her life.
But she knew one thing: if she stayed, she would have to deal with everything she had attempted to ignore. And if she left, she might never see him again.