{Lisa’s POV}

When I returned home, the lights of the estate seemed harsher than usual, maybe due to the fact I had been crying for hours.

As I rounded the corner. Approaching the front door, I saw the one person I wanted to avoid.

Ronan was already waiting for me at the door, his shoulders stiff, his expression unreadable even as I got closer. For a second, I wanted to throw myself into his arms, confess everything, beg him to save me from the mess I had walked into. Instead, I lifted the shopping bags in my hands with a smile I did not feel.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said,...