The park was quiet just the hush of wind through trees and the crunch of late autumn leaves beneath her boots.
Mara stood near the fountain, coat wrapped tight around her, scarf loose around her neck. Her fingers played with the edge of it, trying to calm the storm inside her.
She heard him before she saw him. Footsteps. Familiar.
Ethan.
He walked toward her slowly, almost cautiously, like he was afraid she might vanish if he moved too fast. His eyes were heavy—not from lack of sleep, but from the weight of everything unsaid between them.
He stopped a few feet away. Close enough to feel, far enough not to press.
"Surprise to see you here," he said, voice hoarse.
"Yeah, same," Stef replied honestly.
"I wasn't sure I deserved it."
Silence.
Then she looked up at him and he looked wrecked. His eyes were glassy, rimmed red. His shoulders were slumped in that way that only comes after you've carried regret for too long.
"I remember now," he said quietly. "Everything."
