Madison
He waited until I was settled before pulling away from the curb, the car gliding forward with that expensive smoothness only German engineering could achieve.
I set the bags at my feet, staring straight ahead. The interior smelled like leather and that cologne. That same cologne that used to cling to my clothes after nights in his penthouse.
“Where to?” he asked.
I rattled off my address, keeping my voice flat. Professional. Like he was a stranger giving me a ride, not the man who’d once known every inch of my body.
“Nice neighborhood,” he observed after a moment.
“It suits me.”
“Better than Manhattan?”
“Much better.”
Silence fell between us, heavy and awkward. I watched the familiar streets pass by, each turn bringing me closer to home and further from this conversation.
“Who was he?” Alexander asked suddenly. “The man at the café.”
My jaw tightened. “I already told you. None of your business.”
“Christopher, you said. How long have you been dating?”
“Why do you care?”
“Professional curiosity.”
I laughed, sharp and humorless. “Sure, because stalking your ex–employees is typical corporate practice.”
“I’m not stalking you.”
“No? Then what do you call showing up at my café two days in a row, following me to the grocery store, and now interrogating me about my personal life?”
He pulled up to a stop sign, turning to look at me. “I call it trying to understand why you left without a word.”
“I didn’t leave without a word. I submitted my resignation through proper channels.”
“While I was away announcing my engagement. Very convenient timing.
11
“You got engaged,” I shot back. “What did you expect me to do? Stay and watch you play happy couple with Katherine?”
His knuckles whitened on the steering wheel. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Then what was it like? Please, enlighten me.”
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“Katherine and I had history. Her company needed support. The engagement made business sense.”
“Business sense.” I turned to face him fully. “Do you hear yourself? You got engaged for business reasons while I was…” I stopped, catching myself before I said too much.
“While you were what?”
“Nothing. Turn left here.”
He made the turn, jaw tight. “You never gave me a chance to explain.” 1
“Explain what? That I meant nothing? That I was convenient until something better came along?” I grabbed the bags at my feet. “Trust me, Alexander, I got the message.”
“That’s not what happened.”
“Then what did happen? You announced your engagement to the entire world while I found out through a tabloid.”
“I planned to tell you.”
“When? After the wedding?”
He had no answer for that.
We pulled up to my house, the familiar sight of my home somehow looking both welcoming and dangerous. I needed to get away from him. From the way his cologne made me dizzy. From the way my traitorous heart still stuttered when he looked at me.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said quickly, already reaching for the door handle.
“Madison.”
I paused, hand frozen on the handle. Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him. Don’t-
I looked at him.
His eyes held something I couldn’t quite name. Regret? Longing? Or maybe just the same stubborn determination that had built his empire.
“This isn’t over,” he said quietly.
“Yes, it is.” I grabbed my groceries and practically threw myself out of the car. “Goodbye, Mr. Knight.”
I didn’t wait for his response. Didn’t look back as I hurried up the walkway to my front door.
I slipped inside, closed it firmly behind me, and leaned against it, breathing hard.
Through the window beside the door, I watched Alexander’s car remain stationary for another long moment. Then, without a word, without a goodbye, he pulled away.
“Madison?” Hazel’s voice drifted from the living room. “That you?”
I set the groceries on the floor and pressed my forehead against the cool wood of the door. “Yeah.”
275
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“Everything okay? You sound weird.”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound fine. You sound like you just ran a marathon or committed a crime. Please tell me you didn’t actually throw something at a customer.”
I turned to face her. “Alexander drove me home.”
Hazel’s eyes went wide.b“Wait. What? He drove you home? In his car? Together? Alone?”
“Yes.”
She jumped up, practically vibrating with excitement. “Did you finally become one? Did he express his love to you? Tell me everything. Every. Single. Detail.”
“Nothing like that,” I said flatly, picking up the grocery bags from where I’d abandoned them by the door. “He’s here for work.”
Hazel followed me into the kitchen. “Work? In Connecticut? Madison, come on. We both know he didn’t drive all the way here for work.”
I set the bags on the counter. “That’s what he said.”
“And you believe him?” She leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “Alexander Knight, CEO of Knight Industries, personally handling some random Connecticut project? The man who has an entire department dedicated to site assessments?”
“It’s a legitimate development project near Hartford.” I started unpacking groceries, needing something to do with my hands.
“He came for you, Mads. Obviously.”
“Well, I told him to leave. Multiple times.” I shoved the milk into the fridge. “So it doesn’t matter why he’s here.
11
Hazel watched me with those too–perceptive eyes. “But he didn’t leave.”
“Not yet.” I grabbed another bag, pulling out pasta boxes with unnecessary aggression. “But he will. Eventually.
“Will he?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I focused on organizing the pantry, lining up cans with obsessive precision.
“Madison,” Hazel said gently. “Talk to me.”
“I don’t want to talk about him.” The words came out sharper than intended. “I can’t. Not right now.”
“Okay. Okay. I get it.” She glanced at her phone. “I have to take this call anyway. Work emergency. But we’re not done with this conversation.”
“Yes, we are.”
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“We’re really not.” She picked up her phone and headed toward the guest room. “Take your time. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone in the kitchen with my chaotic thoughts and half–umpacked groceries.
I finished putting everything away on autopilot, my mind replaying every moment with Alexander. The way he’d looked at me. The way my heart had stuttered when I saw him. The way five years had melted away in seconds.
Why was he here? Really?
And why now? After all this time, why show up like nothing had happened?
He should just marry Katherine and leave me alone. Let me move on. Let me date Christopher or find someone else. Someone who wouldn’t shatter me into pieces.
Christopher.
The thought hit me like lightning.
I’d told Alexander I was dating Christopher. What if he asked Christopher about it? What if he ran into him at the café?
“Shit,” I muttered, pulling out my phone.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
