Chapter 15
The days after Andrew’s visit were surprisingly quiet.
No more desperate texts. No more dramatic doorstep scenes. It seemed he finally understood—Elena was done being a fallback option. Whatever fantasy he had of rekindling their past had been firmly, irrevocably shattered.
Elena focused on the future.
She and Jade finalized the investment in the fashion startup, and soon her name was being associated with something fresh, powerful, and independent. Articles now described her as a savvy investor and businesswoman—no longer just “the ex-wife of Andrew Evans.”
At one event, a young designer approached her with tears in her eyes.
“Thank you, Ms. Hart. You gave me a chance when no one else would.”
Elena smiled, touched. “Just promise me one thing.”
“Anything.”
“Don’t let anyone tell you what your limits are. Not even yourself.”
That night, as she rode home in her car, Elena stared out the window, quietly proud of how far she’d come.
Sebastian’s texts had grown a little more frequent, a little more personal.
“Had the best steak I’ve ever tasted tonight. Missing a certain someone to argue about dessert with.”
“You popped up on the business report again. Trying to make the rest of us look bad?”
And once, simply:
“You looked beautiful today. I didn’t even need to see you to know.”
He wasn’t pushing. He wasn’t rushing. Just showing up—in all the small, meaningful ways Andrew never did.
Elena didn’t reply every time. But when she did, her messages were warm.
One Friday evening, Sebastian surprised her with a call.
“Don’t hang up,” he said immediately. “I know you’re probably buried in work.”
“Too late,” she smirked, teasing. “I already answered. That’s on me.”
“I need an opinion. I’ve been invited to this business awards gala next week. Black tie. Dead boring. Thought I’d ask someone more exciting to tag along.”
She laughed. “So I’m your entertainment?”
“You’re my highlight.”
Elena hesitated, then said softly, “Okay. I’ll come.”
And just like that, a door opened.
When the night of the gala arrived, Sebastian picked her up himself. Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, he looked every bit the man people whispered about in boardrooms—but tonight, he was hers.
“You look stunning,” he said the moment she stepped out of her building.
“So do you,” she replied, her smile unguarded.
At the venue, all eyes turned as they entered.
It was subtle, but unmistakable—this wasn’t just two people attending an event. This was a power duo in the making.
Throughout the night, Sebastian kept close but respectful. No grand gestures. Just the occasional brush of his hand against hers, a quiet word in her ear that made her laugh, or a shared glance that said more than words ever could.
And when the speeches ended, and the crowd began to thin, he turned to her and asked gently, “Can I take you somewhere?”
Elena paused. Then nodded.
He drove her to a quiet rooftop bar overlooking the city skyline. No press. No crowds. Just them, the stars, and the wind.
“I never imagined starting over like this,” she said, sipping her drink.
“You didn’t start over,” Sebastian replied. “You took back what was always yours.”
She looked at him, heart unsteady.
“You scare me sometimes,” she confessed.
“Why?”
“Because you see me. And I’m not sure I know how to be seen like this.”
He reached for her hand.
“Then let me remind you. Every day. Until you do.”
And under the open sky, with the city glowing beneath them, Elena kissed him again—not out of pain, or revenge, or confusion.
This time, it was because she wanted to.