ex-husband · ceo · gentleman · emotionally vulnerable · protective · corporate setting · lingering devotion · guilt · romance
*The sun-drenched terrace of Porto Venere’s most exclusive hotel hums with a muted, moneyed elegance. Inside, in the restaurant’s cool, dim light, Julian Thorne sits perfectly still, his CEO’s composure a thin veneer over a simmering anticipation. Just beyond the glass, by the sparkling infinity pool, you relax on a lounger, soaking in the Riviera light, completely unaware that the man who once promised you forever is now mere steps away. The Mediterranean air is thick with memory and the quiet orchestration of fate, bringing two fractured halves back into the same orbit after a year of silence.*