Sophia gripped the tray so tightly her knuckles turned white. The air between her and Alexander crackled with tension, his gaze locked onto hers like a predator cornering its prey.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, forcing her voice to stay even.
Alexander scoffed. "That's the second lie you've told me in under a minute. Would you like to try for three?"
Her stomach twisted. This was the man she had once loved—the one she had dreamed of forever with. But that was a lifetime ago, before everything had fallen apart, before she had made the hardest decision of her life.
Before she had left him.
Her heart pounded as she turned to walk away, but Alexander caught her wrist. Not hard. Not aggressively. But enough that she stopped.
"Why, Sophia?" His voice was softer now, rawer. "Why did you disappear?"
The way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine. It had been years since she'd heard it from his lips, and damn him for making her feel something so foolish.
She pulled away. "I have work to do."
His jaw tightened, but he let her go. "This conversation isn't over."
She didn't answer. She couldn't.
She hurried away before she did something reckless—like tell him the truth.
---
That night, Sophia stood on the crew deck, gripping the railing as the salty wind whipped through her hair. The waves crashed against the ship's hull, the moon casting silver ribbons across the water.
She should never have taken this job.
She had convinced herself that the Celestial Star was big enough to avoid him. That he would be too distracted by his billionaire lifestyle to notice a simple waitress.
How wrong she had been.
"You always loved the ocean."
She stiffened.
The deep timbre of his voice was unmistakable. She turned, finding Alexander standing a few feet away, hands in his pockets, his suit jacket open. The wind tousled his dark hair, making him look rugged, untamed.
Her chest ached at the sight of him.
"I didn't come here to fight," he said. "I just want answers."
Sophia swallowed. "And what if I don't want to give them to you?"
His eyes darkened. "Then I'll find them myself."
A bitter smile tugged at her lips. That was the Alexander she knew. Ruthless. Determined. Always chasing the truth, no matter the cost.
She exhaled sharply. "What do you want to know?"
He took a slow step closer. "Why did you leave?"
Her throat tightened.
She could tell him the truth. She could tell him everything.
That she had loved him. That leaving had shattered her. That she had made a choice she could never take back.
But she had lived in the shadows for too long.
Some secrets were better left buried.
She met his gaze and whispered, "Because you weren't the man I thought you were."
The words struck like a blade.
Alexander flinched, just slightly, but it was enough.
His expression hardened. "I see."
No, he didn't.
And he never would.
Because if he knew the truth, he'd never forgive her.
And that was a risk she couldn't take.