"Natalia, you should stop coming here. I don't want things to get complicated with Sofia."
Adam's tone was calm, almost measured, but beneath it his chest tightened. The last thing he wanted was to give Sofia even a shadow of doubt. He had promised himself—promised her—that he wouldn't allow the past to poison what they were building.
Natalia's eyes softened, a flicker of sadness pulling at her features. "I didn't come here to make a scene, Adam." Her voice was quiet, fragile. "I just want to be your friend again."
Something inside him faltered at that. Friend. Once, that had been true. Before the whirlwind, before the mistakes, before her betrayal. His jaw tightened, but his eyes betrayed a faint softness she still knew how to catch.
