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The heavy rain pounded against the windows, a relentless reminder of the storm raging outside. Inside, Elena stood at the edge of the living room, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if the cold could keep the memories away. She had heard the knock at the door, but she didn’t move. She wasn’t sure if she could.

“Elena.”

The sound of her name broke through her thoughts, soft but insistent. She turned, and there he was—Liam, standing in the doorway, drenched from the downpour. His eyes were dark, filled with something she couldn’t name, and his lips parted like he had so much to say but didn’t know where to start.

“I didn’t think you’d show up,” Elena said quietly, her voice trembling despite her efforts to sound steady. She didn’t want him here. Not now, not after everything.

Liam took a step forward, his eyes never leaving hers. “I had to. I couldn’t leave things like this between us.”

The words stung more than they should have, but she held her ground. “Things ended between us, Liam. You made sure of that.”

He flinched, as if the words were a slap. “I know I did,” he said, his voice tight. “I was stupid. I pushed you away when I should’ve fought for you. And I... I didn’t trust you when you needed me to.”

Elena’s heart twisted at the raw sincerity in his voice, but she couldn’t let him in that easily. “Why now, after all this time? After everything that’s happened?”

“I don’t have an answer for that,” he admitted. “All I know is that I can’t keep pretending I don’t care about you. I never stopped caring.”

The silence between them was thick, a chasm neither of them knew how to cross. The world outside continued to rage, but in that moment, it was just the two of them. Elena’s pulse raced, her mind torn between wanting to believe him and fearing the hurt that would come if she let him back in.

“I don’t know if I can trust you again, Liam,” she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

He stepped closer, reaching out like he was about to touch her but hesitated. “Then give me a chance to prove I’m worth trusting.”

Elena’s breath caught, her chest tightening as something inside her wavered. For a moment, she could almost believe him. But the scars ran too deep.

“I need time,” she said, finally looking away. “I need time to figure out if I can even forgive you.”

Liam stood still, his expression a mixture of regret and understanding. “I’ll wait. As long as it takes.”

And for the first time in a long time, Elena wondered if maybe—just maybe—she could let the past go and start again.

Table of In the quiet

Table of contents

Volume 1