Chloe’s heels clicked softly against the polished wooden floor as she stepped inside the house. It was familiar, almost painfully so, like walking into a dream she had already woken from once. The smell hadn’t changed—cedar and laundry soap, with a faint trace of his cologne that seemed soaked into the walls.

For a moment, she stood still in the wide hallway, clutching the box against her chest like a shield.

She remembered the day they bought it together. They had been laughing then, teasing each other over which model was better, her pretending she knew more than she did, him pretending not to notice.

Back then, the gift had been a promise, a secret between lovers. Now it was something else. A reminder? A goodbye she hadn’t known she was writing?

Her throat tightened, and she adjusted her grip on the box before it slipped. This was stupid, wasn’t it? Coming here. He might not even want to see her.

Sure, they’d said it was mutual, that they’d always respect each other, that their breakup was the “right thing.” But words were easy when spoken in a coffee shop, when the wounds were fresh but hidden under bandages of politeness. What if those words meant less now, months later? What if seeing her only reopened things best left closed?

Still, she had come. She wanted to see him. That truth sat quietly beneath her doubt, steady and insistent. She wanted to know how he was. She wanted him to see her.

Her reflection flickered in the gilded mirror hanging in the corridor. She almost didn’t recognize herself—her hair swept up carefully, makeup soft but deliberate, the strapless leather dress clinging in ways she both feared and hoped he would notice. Too much? Maybe. Or maybe exactly right.

Taking a breath that did little to steady her pulse, she made her way down the hall. Each step seemed louder, bolder, as if the house itself were announcing her arrival. She paused before the familiar door, knuckles hovering for a heartbeat too long.

Just knock. It’s his birthday. He’ll open the door. It’s fine.

Her hand rapped lightly, three quick knocks. Then, before she could change her mind, she turned the handle and pushed the door open.

And there he was.