I had ruined myself over him.
And to him, I was nothing more than a passing indulgence. A mistake.
The rest had been a blur.
Yelling. Crying.
Him standing, stepping close, his voice dropping low and dangerous.
“You should really think carefully about what you say next,” he’d murmured, brushing his fingers against my wrist. “You don’t want to do something you’ll regret.”
A threat.
One I hadn’t fully understood until I’d shown up to work the next day, only to find my name scrubbed from the schedule.
My employee access revoked.
My entire career at Belle and Rye erased overnight.
I had tried to fight it. Tried to push back. But Owain Bond was powerful. Respected. Untouchable. And I was nothing.
No one else in the industry would touch me after that.
Not when Owain had made it clear that I wasn’t worth hiring.
My references? Useless. My reputation? Ruined.
I had lasted another month in the city, burning through the last of my savings, skipping meals to pay rent, staring at my phone and willing it to ring with a job offer that never came.
And then I had packed my bags and fled back to Medford.
Back to the one place I swore I’d never return to.
And now, now, months later, here he was.
Back in my inbox like a bad dream.
Sadie. We need to talk.
I stared at the screen, my whole body tight, my breath shallow.
My hands were shaking. My whole damn body was.
“S?” Kai’s voice was soft, careful. I could feel them watching me.
Three sets of eyes filled with concern.
My stomach twisted tighter. I needed to get out of here before they started asking questions I wasn’t ready to answer.
“I…” I cleared it, forcing a weak smile. “I think I…”
I pressed a hand to my stomach as nausea hit me hard and sudden.
Samuel’s expression sharpened in an instant. “Sadie, you okay?”
“You look like you’re about to pass out,” Adam added, his eyes scanning my face with concern.
“I don’t feel great,” I admitted, trying to laugh it off. “Maybe just… overdid it today.”