The past has a way of showing up when you least expect it. Tonight, it crashes into me like a storm—fast and impossible to ignore.
I step onto the sidewalk, my heart still racing from an important meeting. Business. Connections. My future. That's what I should be thinking about. But then, in the glow of a neon sign, I see him.
Jack.
My breath catches. A ghost from a past I tried to erase. He stands by the entrance of a bar, hands in his pockets, wearing that same lazy smirk that once made me weak. My pulse jumps. He hasn't noticed me yet. Not fully. But then his eyes flicker with recognition, like a spark catching fire.
I turn away, ready to leave. But it's too late.
"Celeste?"
The name sounds strange coming from him. That's not who I was back then. I had a different name. A different life. One I left behind.
I force a polite smile, pretending not to know him. "I'm sorry, have we met?"
Jack frowns, studying my face. He steps closer, and I catch the scent of whiskey mixed with something too familiar.
"Come on, don't do this. I know you," he says, his voice smooth. "I never forget a face. Especially yours."
I laugh lightly, acting as if he's mistaken. "I think you've got the wrong person."
I turn to leave, but he touches my wrist, sending a shock through me. I pull away quickly. He lets go, but his eyes are sharp, searching for the truth.
"It's you," he says firmly.
My stomach tightens. The air feels heavy, full of memories I don't want. He remembers. Maybe not everything, but enough. And if Jack remembers, it won't be long before the past catches up with me.
I straighten my back and keep my voice calm. "I don't know who you think I am, but you're mistaken. Now, if you'll excuse me."
I walk away, my heels clicking on the pavement. But then his voice stops me cold.
"So you're really going to pretend? After everything?"
That word—everything—hits me hard. I take a slow breath, gripping my bag like it can hold me together.
I glance back. "There's nothing to pretend about."
For a moment, I see hurt in his eyes. Then it disappears, replaced by determination. He won't let this go. I know that look.
Damn it.
I step into the street and wave down a taxi, a little too forcefully. A car honks, tires screech, but a cab stops, and I jump inside, slamming the door shut.
"Drive."
"Where to?" the driver asks.
Anywhere but here.
"Just go."
As the car moves, the city lights blur outside. My hands tremble, and I press them against my lap. It doesn't help. Jack is back. And if he's back, that means my carefully built life is at risk.
Secrets I buried are too close to coming out.
I lean my head against the window, my reflection staring back. Who am I now? The girl I used to be or the woman I fought to become?
The cab turns a corner. I pull my phone from my bag, my fingers hovering over a number I swore never to call again. I shouldn't. I can handle this on my own.
But the past doesn't stay buried. Not when ghosts return.
And Jack? He's not the kind of man who walks away without answers.
I tighten my grip on the phone, torn between fear and something else.
One call could change everything.
But maybe… things are already changing.
I take a deep breath, the screen lighting up in my hand.
And then… I press dial.