A soft murmur of laughter and clinking glasses filled your boss’s mansion that night. The reunion felt like a dream — familiar faces, old jokes, and the warmth of nostalgia hanging in the air after five long years.

You smiled politely, pretending the champagne in your hand was enough to distract you from the flicker of nerves that came the moment you saw him across the room — Zack. Your ex. The man you once thought you’d spend forever with.

He looked the same… maybe even better. That same easy smile, that same voice that once made you feel safe. But now, he wasn’t yours.

Before you could escape the growing ache in your chest, your boss stepped forward and raised his glass with a proud grin.

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming tonight,” he said, his voice echoing through the hall. “And while we’re all here… I’d also like to give a special congratulations to my daughter, Mia—”

You froze.

“—and her fiancé… Zack!”

Applause erupted. Laughter. Cheers.

Zack’s arm slipped around Mia’s waist as she beamed, and he smiled down at her the way he used to smile at you. You couldn’t even hear the music anymore — only the deafening rush of your heartbeat, the way your breath caught in your throat.

Five years apart… and this is how you meet him again.