Raindrops slid down the umbrella's edge, obscuring Sophia's view. She adjusted the handle, trying to shift it toward Ethan.

His gaze had already swept toward the broken bridge.

The man named Kyle had vanished without a trace, as if he'd never existed.

Ethan wordlessly pulled Sophia closer, startled by the unfamiliar fear of losing her that pulsed through him.

By noon, they returned to Sullivan Manor.

They ate a hurried lunch.

Exhaustion weighed on Sophia as she entered the bedroom, three sleepless nights catching up to her.

Ethan followed, draping his jacket over a chair.

"Sleep in the guest room," she rasped. "I haven't showered in days."

He leaned in, inhaling near her hair. "You do smell."

Sophia flushed, covering her head.

"Don't care." With a quiet laugh, he tucked her under the covers and lay beside her. "The family's watching. Separate rooms would start gossip."

Memories of whispers from three years ago surfaced. She closed her eyes.

Sleep claimed her swiftly.

Flames roared through her dreams, smoke choking her lungs.

"Kyle!" She screamed, reaching for the boy trapped under a falling beam.

Ethan jolted awake at her cries.

He dabbed her tear-streaked face with a tissue.

Her burning skin beneath his fingertips made his chest tighten.

Silently, he held her closer, rubbing her back as usual.

But this time, something heavy lodged in his throat.

Shadows from his lashes darkened his already grim expression.

He'd abandoned everything to keep vigil with her, only to hear another man's name on her lips.

Again.

Three years of restraint snapped.

Slipping out of bed, he stepped into the night.

By the abandoned pond, Ethan lit a cigarette.

Smoke curled around him as he watched trees sway across the water.

His phone rang abruptly.

Isabella's call went ignored.

Then Victor Sullivan's number flashed.

"When are you returning?" The voice crackled with impatience.

"Tomorrow."

"Four days wasted on a woman who wants divorce? Who covers the company losses?"

"Deduct from my personal account."

"This isn't about money! Finalize the divorce immediately!"

A pause. Then, "No."

Back in the bedroom, Sophia woke to an empty space where Ethan should be.

She rushed outside, finding him by the pond.

Wind carried his words: "Sophia stayed through my darkest days. The divorce is off."

Warmth flooded her chest.

She ran to embrace him from behind, pressing her cheek to his spine.

Ethan ended the call and turned, folding her into his arms.

"I thought you left," she whispered hoarsely.

"I'd say goodbye." His fingers combed through her hair. "Come home with me tomorrow?"

She shook her head. "I need to stay through Grandma's seventh-day ceremony."

"Alright." He glanced at the cigarette littering the ground. "Just company issues. Handled."

"About the divorce?"

"No." He averted his eyes—then froze.

A familiar silhouette stood at the tree line.

Ethan's gaze turned glacial. He seized Sophia's chin and crushed his lips to hers.