The silence in the apartment was unbearable.
Amara stood by the window, her arms crossed tightly against her chest, while Adrian sat on the couch, staring at the phone he had turned face down. The name still pulsed in his mind like a wound that refused to close.
Finally, he spoke. "You deserve to know."
Amara turned, her voice quiet but sharp. "Then tell me. Who is she?"
Adrian's throat worked, his jaw tense. "Isabella… was the woman I once thought I'd spend my life with."
The words struck like a blade.
Amara's breath caught, her chest tightening. "You loved her?"
His eyes lifted to hers—guilt, pain, and something harder flickering in them. "Yes. I did. But she left. She wanted things I couldn't give. And when she walked away, she didn't just take herself—she took pieces of me I thought I'd never get back."
Amara's heart twisted. She wanted to feel compassion, but the sharp edge of jealousy cut through her. Adrian had loved before—deeply, wholly. How could she compete with a ghost?
"And now she's calling," Amara whispered.
Adrian raked a hand through his hair, frustration clear. "She always had a way of coming back when I started to heal. But this time… I don't want her. I don't need her. Amara, I need you to believe me."
Amara wanted to. God, she wanted to. But fear clawed at her chest. She had only just begun to trust him, only just chosen to risk her heart again. The thought of being second-best—or worse, a temporary replacement—made her blood run cold.
"Why now?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Why is she here now, Adrian, when I'm finally… when I've finally let you in?"
His expression broke, raw and desperate. He crossed the room, taking her hands in his. "Because life has a cruel sense of timing. But listen to me, Amara. Isabella may be part of my past, but you… you're my future. Don't let her ghost steal what we have before it's even begun."
Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Then prove it. Prove to me that I'm not just someone to fill the silence she left behind."
Adrian cupped her face, his voice shaking. "I'll prove it every day if I have to. Just—don't push me away now. Don't let her win."
For a long moment, Amara searched his eyes, desperate for the truth. And in his gaze, she saw no lies—only a man terrified of losing her.
Her defenses wavered, but the fear didn't vanish. The shadow of Isabella lingered, a reminder that love was never free of scars.
Still, Amara whispered, "Don't break me, Adrian. I don't know if I can survive it this time."
He pulled her into his arms, holding her like she was everything. "I won't. I swear, Amara, I won't."
But even as he made the vow, the phone buzzed again—Isabella's name flashing like a storm waiting to break.