---- Chapter 12 Amira Osborne POV: "He actually fell to his knees, Amira. Right in the middle of the reception. It was epic." Maya' s voice crackled over the phone, filled with satisfaction. | was sitting on the balcony of my temporary apartment near the research facility, watching the sunset paint the sky in shades of orange and pink. "The whole city knows what he and that hag did," she continued. "Their reputations are shot. His startup is probably going to fold. He' s ruined." | expected to feel a surge of triumph, of vindication. Instead, | felt... nothing. A quiet, hollow emptiness. | took a sip of my tea and let out a small, ironic laugh. It was pathetic, really. How | had wasted so many years believing my love could fix aman who was so fundamentally broken. "Thank you, Maya," | said, my voice sincere. "For everything." "Are you sure you' re going to be okay?" she asked, a note of concern in her voice. "He' s not the type to give up easily. He ' s obsessed with you." "He won' t be able to find me," | said, a sense of finality in my ---- tone. "The project starts tomorrow. I' Il be completely off the grid." We said our goodbyes, and | hung up, a sense of peace settling over me for the first time in years. | looked up and saw Arjun standing in the doorway, watching me with a gentle expression. | smiled. "Did you know Maya?" | asked, a new thought occurring to me. "She seemed to know you." He walked onto the balcony, carrying a small insulated bag. "She's my cousin," he admitted with a sheepish grin. "She's been worried about you for years." He held up the bag. "I brought dinner. I' ve been experimenting with some new recipes." He unpacked the containers on the small balcony table. My eyes widened. It was all my favorite food. Pan-seared salmon with dill, roasted asparagus, and a quinoa salad with feta and sun-dried tomatoes. "This is... all the stuff | love," | said, surprised. His eyes lit up for a moment before he quickly looked down, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "They' re... my favorites, too. What a coincidence." "You' re an amazing cook, Arjun. On top of being a genius in the lab. Is there anything you can' t do?" | teased, taking a bite of the perfectly cooked salmon. ---- He turned a deeper shade of red, fumbling with his fork. "I... uh... it' s just a hobby." Just then, our mentor, Professor Albright, appeared in the doorway, followed by the rest of our research team. "Cortez!" he boomed, a wide grin on his face. "| see you found time to perfect your culinary skills. Shame you couldn' t find the time to finish that quarterly report." Arjun coughed, trying to look nonchalant. Professor Albright chuckled, his eyes twinkling with mischief. He pointed a fork at the tomato-and-feta salad. "Funny. For a guy who' s supposedly loved this dish his whole life, | seem to recall you telling me you were deathly allergic to tomatoes just last week." The whole team burst into laughter. | looked at Arjun, whose entire face was now the color of a ripe tomato. He opened his mouth to explain, to deny it, but no words came out. | looked at the food, at his flustered, handsome face, at the genuine kindness in his eyes. And for the first time in a very long time, | felt a genuine, unforced smile spread across my own face. A real one.