Chapter 1. Back to Wolfe.
Manhattan, New York
Five years later
Ava Sinclair had learned to build walls—both in architecture and around her heart.
Her heels clicked against the marble floor of Wolfe Tower's soaring lobby, echoing like thunder in her ears. She shouldn't have come. She shouldn't have taken this project.
But five years of hiding was long enough.
The receptionist looked up, smile faltering for just a second as she registered Ava's name. "Ms. Sinclair, Mr. Wolfe will see you now."
Ava's pulse thudded. She nodded, steeling herself. She was here on business, nothing more.
The elevator doors slid open. Floor sixty-four. Executive suite. The walls were still cold steel and glass—like Damien's eyes the night she walked away.
She stepped inside.
And there he was.
Damien Wolfe stood behind his desk, tall, commanding, devastating in a black three-piece suit. The years had carved sharper lines into his face, but those stormy gray eyes were exactly the same—piercing and unreadable.
His gaze landed on her like a hammer.
"Hello, Ava."
Her throat tightened. "Hello, Damien."
Silence pulsed between them. He looked her up and down, slowly, like she was a puzzle he couldn't solve. Or a ghost he didn't believe was real.
"You're the architect," he said flatly.
"You're the client," she shot back.
His jaw flexed. "You left without a word."
"You let me go without one," she whispered.
His eyes narrowed. "You've got guts coming back here."
Ava met his stare, calm but trembling inside. "I'm not here for you. I'm here to do a job."
"And you thought I wouldn't recognize the woman I married?"
She flinched. The word hung between them like broken glass: married.
The child waiting for her at home—Damien's child—would be the next shattering blow.
But not yet.
For now, Ava smiled professionally and extended a folder. "Let's discuss the renovation proposal."
Damien didn't take the folder.
He stepped around the desk, stopping inches from her. His voice dropped, colder than winter.
"Why did you leave, Ava?"
She met his gaze, refusing to flinch. "You'll get your answers. Just not today."
As she turned away, Damien's voice followed her.
"You think I won't find out?"
Ava stopped in the doorway, eyes shadowed with the secret she still carried.
"I think you're not ready for the truth."