Chapter 3
Five years ago, her eyes had been soft and cautious, always trying to please, like a pet awaiting its owner's approval. Now, her gaze was flat, emotionless, as if she viewed everything through a pane of glass.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a new message from Liam Goodman: [What time does your flight land? I'll come pick you up.]
Nina's lips curved into a faint smile as she typed back: [Tomorrow at 3 PM, but you really don't need to make a special trip. Bella's already arranged a car for me.]
Liam texted: [I want to see you the moment you arrive.]
Nina paused for two seconds, staring at his message.
Five years ago, if someone had said that to her, she probably would have felt her heart racing, her mind spinning with wild thoughts all day. Now, she only calmly replied with a simple "Okay."
It wasn't that she felt nothing; she simply refused to let her heart beat wildly for anyone again.
That fire had burned away not only her skin, but every last fantasy she ever had about love.
The boarding announcement came over the speakers. Nina put her phone away and headed for the gate.
Eleven hours later, she'd be back in Crestwood, the city she'd sworn she'd never return to, but in the end, life had other plans for her.
*****
At Crestwood International Airport, Terminal 3, the plane touched down right on time at 3:10 PM.
Nina unlocked her phone, and a flood of messages poured in. She scrolled through the flood of messages. Most of them were work-related. Then she came across one from an unknown number.
It read: [Ms. Sterling, this is Hugh Frost from the Frost Group. I heard you're back in the country. Would you do me the honor of having coffee with me?]
Nina's finger paused on the screen.
Hugh Frost. She hadn't thought about that name in five years.
She stared at the message, a faint smile tugging at her lips. It wasn't anger, sadness, or even sarcasm, only a trace of amusement.
Nina wondered how Hugh had found out she was back.
She guessed word had probably got around the industry. After all, she was now a partner at an internationally renowned architecture firm, with two major awards to her name.
She'd returned this time to compete for the design of a landmark project. In this circle, nothing stayecd hidden for long.
But Hugh was asking her for coffee? Nina deleted the message and continued to scroll.
Liam texted: [I'm at Exit B, wearing a gray suit.]
Nina replied with an "OK" emoji, put her phone away, and headed for the exit.
At Exit B, Liam stood head and shoulders above the crowd.
He was 6'1", with a quiet elegance about him, dressed in a perfectly tailored gray suit and holding a bouquet of white lisianthus.
When he spotted Nina, Liam smiled and walked over, handing her the flowers. "Welcome back."
Nina took the flowers and leaned in to smell them. "Why flowers?"
"First time picking you up at the airport. Gotta make it feel special," Liam said, naturally grabbing her suitcase. "The car's outside. Let's get you home so you can rest. Any dinner requests?"
"I'm good with anything. You decide."
"Then I'll cook. Got plenty of stuff at home."
Nina gave him a look. "You sure? Last time you cooked, I spent the whole night in the bathroom."
Liam's smile stayed steady. "That was a fluke. This time, I swear, it's totally safe."
Nina couldn't help but laugh.
Over the past five years, she'd learned a lot. One lesson stood out: people who truly cared about one didn't make one guess what they were thinking, nor did they expect one to tiptoe around, desperate for their approval.
They would tell one to one's face that they missed one, they cared about one, and they'd do anything for one. Just like Liam.
As they walked side by side, passing the VIP entrance, Nina caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye.
She instinctively glanced over.
It was a man in his early thirties, dressed in a deep blue suit, standing there as if waiting for someone.
It was Hugh.
He looked slimmer than he had five years ago, with a hint of exhaustion and gloom in his gaze, but he was still impossibly handsome.
He didn't look her way, his attention fixed on his phone, brows slightly furrowed like he was waiting for an important call.
Nina withdrew her gaze without breaking her stride, continuing out.
"What's wrong?" Liam caught her zoning out for a second.
"It's nothing," Nina said. "Just saw someone who reminded me of someone from my past."
"Someone from your past? Do you want to say hi?"
"Nah." Nina smiled, her tone as calm as if she were talking about the weather. "He's not anyone important."