Sophia’s POV

I stood in front of the mirror adjusting the collar of my blouse for the third time, heart beating a little faster than usual. The decision had been sitting in my chest all day, heavy and certain. I was finally going home back to Lucian’s mother’s house, back to the place that still held so many complicated memories. But this time I wasn’t going alone, and I wasn’t going as the girl who used to wait quietly for scraps of attention.

I turned to Max, who was leaning against the doorframe watching me with that soft, steady expression he always wore when he was focused only on me....