LOGINBLURB Ariana goes to a bar to forget her heartbreak. That is where she meets Greg, a mysterious, handsome stranger. Unexpected consequences arise from one night of passion and connection. On the day she runs into him again, will Ariana have the courage to face her past and her mixed feelings about Greg? Will that one-night stand lead to a much wanted second chance at love?
View MoreCHAPTER EIGHT The next few weeks moved with unexpected grace. Work was steady, the Bluezone project was gaining momentum, and Ariana found herself waking up with more ease and less dread. The weight she’d been carrying for years had begun to lift, slowly but surely. And Greg? Greg had become a constant. He didn’t push. He didn’t pry. He simply showed up. With coffee. With encouragement. With genuine, quiet affection that didn’t demand anything in return. Their dinners turned into walks, which turned into long phone calls at night. Sometimes they didn’t even talk—just shared silence, laughter, and stories about the most mundane things. Ariana found herself looking forward to those moments more than she’d ever admit out loud. Still, there was a wall inside her she hadn’t fully torn down. A part of her that remained guarded, cautious. She wanted to believe in Greg. She wanted to believe she could be happy again. But something about peace made her suspicious. Like it was
The week passed in a blur. Meetings. Deadlines. Quick lunches at her desk. Ariana kept herself busy, partly out of necessity, partly as a distraction. It was easier to stay in control when her schedule allowed no space for thinking. But the nights were harder. At night, the silence crept in like fog under a door—soft, quiet, and impossible to ignore. Her apartment felt too still, her bed too big. She would lie awake, replaying the moment Ryan stepped into her office, over and over again. His face. His voice. The nerve of him to act like time hadn’t changed anything. She didn’t cry anymore. Not because she wasn’t hurt—but because the sadness had become a dull ache, like an old injury that flares up only when it rains. ⸻ Friday morning came too quickly, and with it, the final stages of the Bluezone proposal. Ariana had barely stepped out of the elevator when she noticed Greg waiting near the entrance to her floor, holding two coffees. “For you,” he said, handing her the cup witho
CHAPTER SEVENThe week passed in a blur. Meetings. Deadlines. Quick lunches at her desk. Ariana kept herself busy, partly out of necessity, partly as a distraction. It was easier to stay in control when her schedule allowed no space for thinking.But the nights were harder.At night, the silence crept in like fog under a door—soft, quiet, and impossible to ignore. Her apartment felt too still, her bed too big. She would lie awake, replaying the moment Ryan stepped into her office, over and over again. His face. His voice. The nerve of him to act like time hadn’t changed anything.She didn’t cry anymore. Not because she wasn’t hurt—but because the sadness had become a dull ache, like an old injury that flares up only when it rains.⸻Friday morning came too quickly, and with it, the final stages of the Bluezone proposal. Ariana had barely stepped out of the elevator when she noticed Greg waiting near the entrance to her floor, holding two coffees.“For you,” he said, handing her the cu
CHAPTER SIXAriana let out a long, tired breath as the door clicked shut behind Ryan. It was as if the air had been sucked from the room, and only now, with him gone, could she breathe again. Her chest ached, her throat tight with unspoken rage and heartbreak. She had spent so long burying those memories, convincing herself she had moved on. But the moment she saw him again, it all came rushing back—like a tidal wave she hadn’t been prepared for.Greg leaned against the edge of her desk, his expression unreadable. “So… that was Ryan?”Ariana nodded, her eyes fixed on the floor. “Unfortunately.”Greg said nothing for a moment. The silence between them wasn’t awkward—it was tense, thick with unsaid things. Finally, he spoke. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. That didn’t look easy.”“It wasn’t.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.She walked to the window, arms crossed tightly over her chest, watching the traffic move along the street below. The city was alive and bustling, indiff


















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