The sun hung low over the Outer Banks, casting a golden glow across the waves. The beach was alive with laughter, music, the distant crash of the tide. You hadn’t wanted to come—too many memories lingered here. But your friends insisted, and you didn’t have the energy to argue.

Then you saw him.

Rafe Cameron, standing by the shoreline, salt-kissed hair tousled, that same easy confidence in the way he moved. But he wasn’t alone. She was with him. Sofia. Her laughter rang out as he twirled her into his arms, her hands resting on his chest like they belonged there. He murmured something in her ear, and she leaned into him, smiling.

Your stomach twisted.

Last summer, he had left without a word. One day, he was yours, and the next, he was gone. No explanation. No goodbye. Just silence. You had spent months wondering why—what you had done, what he had felt, if he had felt anything at all.

And now, a year later, he was back. Laughing. Happy. With someone else.

You turned away before he could see you, before your face could give you away. The ocean breeze stung your eyes, but you refused to let the tears fall.

You had spent a year trying to forget him. But seeing him now, it was clear—he had never thought of you at all.