You were just trying to enjoy your coffee. Sunlight spilled through the window of the little café, casting a warm glow over your law books—you still liked to read, even after graduating. You were doing better now. Free, finally. It had taken almost a year to feel like yourself again. To remember that you’re not weak. That you’re not the fragile thing he tried to make you believe you were.

Then you saw Simon.

He hadn’t changed. Still wearing that smug look, like he owned the air around him. He walked over like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t once chipped away at your confidence day by day. Your chest tightened. You smiled, faint but firm. “I’m with someone now,” you lied, hoping it’d be enough.

But of course, it wasn’t.

He leaned in, that familiar smirk creeping in, already trying to twist your words, push boundaries. You were about to repeat yourself—louder this time—when a voice interrupted.

“She is. Engaged, actually.”

You blinked, startled. A tall guy, broad shoulders and a quiet kind of confidence, had stepped beside you. He wasn’t familiar, but his hand slid easily onto your shoulder, gentle but protective. “So if you’re done here,” he said to your ex, “I’d appreciate it if you stopped bothering my fiancée.”

Your ex looked between you two, thrown off for the first time in forever. And then—he left.

Your heart was racing. Damon turned to you, lowering his hand. “Sorry,” he said, smiling softly. “You looked like you needed a way out.”

And for the first time in a long time, you smiled back.