CHAPTER 277
KATYA POV
My chest tightened, the air suddenly harder to draw in. I stared at him, my mind racing even as my body stayed painfully still.
"I—" I started, then stopped.
I didn't have an answer ready. Not one that fit neatly into words. Not one that wouldn't unravel something I'd spent months carefully holding together.
"What?" I asked faintly.
"You," he clarified, stopping as well, facing me fully now. "You left. Back then. No explanation. No warning."
My throat tightened. I folded my arms loosely, more for something to do with my hands than for warmth. "Michael, that was a long time ago."
"I know," he said immediately. "I'm not saying it wasn't. But it didn't stop mattering."
I let out a small breath. "It mattered enough for you to bring it up now?" I tried to keep my tone light. I failed.
His gaze didn't waver. "It mattered enough that when I saw you again, I needed to know if I imagined it. Or if you really just disappeared."
