Prologue
Six years ago
Valeria
I used to believe in forever.
That some people were meant to stay. That promises, once whispered in the dark, actually meant something. That when someone said, “I’ll never leave you,” they meant it.
But Aiden Cruz taught me that words are just air—and air is something that disappears when you need it most.
We were seventeen, wild with dreams and heartbeats we thought were invincible. He was my best friend. My anchor. My secret first love. The boy who made me feel like maybe, just maybe, I was worth something in a world that kept trying to prove otherwise.
Then one day… he vanished.
No goodbye. No explanation. Just a single message on my phone: “I’m sorry. I have to go.”
That was it.
I waited for him to come back.
He never did.
So I moved on. Or at least, I pretended to.
I buried the girl who believed in forever and replaced her with someone stronger, colder. Someone who didn’t cry over unanswered messages or break at the mention of his name.
Until today.
Until the door of that conference room opened...
And he walked in.
Tailored suit. Sharp jaw. That same storm in his eyes.
But he wasn’t my Aiden anymore.
He was Aiden Cruz, CEO of CruzTech. Ruthless. Powerful. And the last man I ever wanted to see again.
He looked at me like he felt nothing.
I looked at him like I felt everything.
And just like that, the past I buried came clawing its way back.
But I won’t let it destroy me this time.
Because I’m not that girl anymore.
And he doesn’t get to break me twice.