"I don't want anything to do with my past, Adam, and I know you know that because I told you before, so many times," Henry finally cracks, his voice low but carrying an edge of finality.
He no longer tries to mask his exhaustion with cold composure. There is no point pretending he will never have to face these words, not when he knows deep down that sooner or later, he would.
His tone sharpens as he lays it out clearly. "Right now I'm married, happily married. I have a son. And the last thing I want is complications. I don't want anyone to see us around each other again and start whispering again, thinking that there's still something going on between us."
"I know all that," Adam cuts him off quickly, his voice steady but laced with something he cannot quite conceal. "And as I told you... this is only business, I promise."
The words Henry throws at him slice deep,
