---- Chapter 21 Jody POV: The lobby of the Grand Hyatt felt unnervingly familiar. It was the same hotel where Arthur had proposed, filling a suite with thousands of white roses. The memory was a faint, distant echo, like a song | used to know the words to. "You okay?" Evander' s voice broke through my reverie. He was standing beside me, his expression full of gentle concern. | managed a small smile. "Just tired. It was a long flight." "Let' s get you checked in," he said. "Maybe we can grab a coffee later?" "I'd like that," | said, and meant it. In the elevator, | caught my reflection in the polished brass walls. | looked different. Older, more confident. The hesitant, eager-to-please girl | had been was gone, replaced by a woman who knew her own worth. | had thought | would never come back to this city, to the place that held so many painful memories. But the award was too great an honor to refuse. And besides, | was no longer afraid of ghosts. The elevator doors slid open, and my breath caught in my throat. ---- He was standing there. Arthur. He looked older, too. Thinner. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his impeccable suit couldn' t hide the weariness in his posture. He saw me, and his eyes widened, a look of raw, desperate hope flashing across his face. "Jody," he breathed, his voice hoarse. He took a step towards me, and the small crowd of my colleagues in the lobby began to whisper, their curiosity piqued. | took a deep breath, steeling myself. "Hello, Arthur," | said, my voice cool and even. "What can | do for you?" "Please," he said, his voice cracking. "Don't go. Just... can we talk? For five minutes?" He tried to reach for my hand, but | subtly stepped back, out of his reach. My eyes flickered over to Evander, who was discreetly shielding me from the curious stares of our team. | thought for a moment. Maybe this was for the best. A final, clean break. "Alright," | said. "Meet me back here in thirty minutes." His face flooded with relief. "Yes. Of course. |' Il wait right here. |' Il wait as long as it takes." | walked back into the elevator without another glance, but as ---- the doors slid shut, | leaned against the cool metal wall, my own composure crumbling. My hands were trembling. Seeing him again... it was like pressing on a bruise | thought had healed. The dull ache was a reminder that some wounds never truly disappear. They just become a part of you.