Chapter 82

• The late afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows of Maya’s design studio, casting long shadows across her drafting table. She sat staring at a swatch of fabric, the vibrant colors blurring as her thoughts wandered far from the project in front of her. The bouquet of wildflowers Luke had brought her days ago was still sitting in a vase on her desk, their once-bright petals beginning to wilt. She hadn’t had the heart to throw them out yet. Or perhaps she hadn’t had the clarity.
• Luke’s sudden reappearance in her life had been unsettling, stirring up emotions she thought she’d buried long ago. Nostalgia, regret, and an uncomfortable flicker of longing warred within her, leaving her unsure of where she stood. She loved Rafael—she did. But Luke’s charm, his familiarity, and his ability to effortlessly remind her of the simpler, less complicated days of her past left her questioning everything.
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