Chapter 269

• When I first saw myself leading initiatives on the Southern Frontier project alongside Rafael, I sensed a storm of emotions churning beneath his polished surface.
• He often mentioned my ex-fiancé, Adrian, without realizing it, then caught himself each time when I deftly sidestepped the subject. That’s when it hit me: Rafael had begun to see the truth that Adrian never valued me the way I deserved.
• I noticed how his fists would tighten whenever Adrian’s name came up, how his silence after that held more weight than any words.