The sun poured through the cream-colored curtains, warming Ava’s face as she slowly opened her eyes.

For a moment, she didn’t remember where she was.

Then everything rushed back.

The party. Ethan and Lily. The way her heart shattered. Her fight with Damien. The dinner. His apron. The pasta.

And then…

“I’m sorry I made you cry.”

His voice echoed in her head like a dream.

Ava blinked up at the ceiling. The quiet of the room felt too heavy as if it held its breath alongside her.

Did he really say that? she thought.

She turned on her side, her fingers brushing the sheets. They were wrinkled with traces...