Raine
The noise of the busy restaurant, the clinking of glasses, and the chatter of the lunch crowd all faded away into a dull buzz.
Joshua noticed the sudden change in me instantly.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, his voice low and full of concern as he felt me go rigid in his arms.
“He’s…
he’s here,” I whispered, my lips barely moving.
“Miguel?”
”Kor…Kordell,” I felt Joshua pause.
Even without looking at his face, I could feel his sudden surprise.
He knew my entire history.
He knew about the rejection, the sacrifice, and every single person who had failed me in the past.
I kept staring over Joshua’s shoulder, praying that my eyes were playing tricks on me.
But they weren’t.
Sitting just a few tables away was Kordell.
He was looking right at me, a small, knowing smile spreading across his face.
Seeing him here, in the middle of Manhattan, felt completely impossible.
Even though the love I had once felt for him was entirely gone, the shock of his presence made my body stiffen completely.
Before Joshua could even turn around, Kordell stood up from his table.
He didn’t hesitate.
He started walking directly toward us, his eyes locked onto mine.
A wave of bitter frustration washed over me.
I couldn’t believe this was happening.
Why was my past suddenly coming back to find me?
All the people and things I had left behind were popping out now, one by one, right when I had finally found real happiness and peace.
What was really going on?
Joshua didn’t waste a second.
He completely broke our hug and stepped in front of me, putting his broad shoulders right between me and Kordell, blocking his path.
Kordell stopped a couple of feet away.
He didn’t seem bothered by Joshua’s protective stance.
He shifted his weight, tilted his head slightly to look around Joshua, and fixed his gaze on me.
Looking at him now, I felt absolutely nothing.
There was no spark, no hidden longing, and no pain.
The only people who held any space in my heart now were my beautiful sons, Lena, and Joshua.
There was simply no room left for anyone else.
“Raine, how are you doing?” He asked immediately when he got close to me.
Instantly, flashing memories of that horrible day rushed through my mind.
It was a heavy, suffocating wave of old memories.
Inside, the shock was tearing at me, but I refused to let it show.
I had spent four and a half years becoming someone strong, someone independent.
I swallowed the tightness in my throat and forced my posture to straighten.
I put on my perfect, unbothered face.
No one in this room, especially not Kordell, was going to see how this was affecting me.
“I am doing exceptionally well, Kordell,” I said, my voice coming out smooth, cold, and completely flat.
“What are you doing in New York?”
Kordell raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by how calm and detached I sounded.
The vulnerable girl he used to know was gone.
“I’m here on business,” he said, taking a small step closer, though Joshua didn’t budge an inch.
“I never expected to run into you here, of all places.
You look…
different.”
”I am different,” I replied, keeping my eyes steady and blank.
“Joshua and I were just about to sit down for lunch.” I remembered I haven’t introduced Joshua.
I turned and stared at Joshua, who kept his eyes locked on Kordell, his arms crossed, making it very clear that Kordell was not welcome to stay.
Before I could answer, Joshua reached down and firmly slid his hand into mine, intertwining our fingers.
The warmth of his grip anchored me instantly.
He stepped slightly to the side, keeping me close to his hip as he looked Kordell dead in the eye.
“I’m Joshua, Raine’s fiancé,” Joshua said, his voice smooth, commanding, and completely protective.
He didn’t offer a handshake, but the weight of his words hung heavily in the air.
I saw the sudden flash of pure surprise cross Kordell’s face.
His eyes dropped to our linked hands, his jaw tightening for a split second before he managed to mask it with a polite nod.
“Fiancé,” Kordell repeated, the word sounding strange on his tongue.
He looked back up at me, searching my expression for any sign of hesitation, but I kept my face entirely blank.
“Wow.
I didn’t know.
Congratulations to you both.”
”Thank you,” I said, my voice cold and flat.
“Well, I was actually just about leaving anyway,” Kordell said, taking a half-step back and gesturing toward the front of the restaurant.
“It was good to see you, Raine.”
”Goodbye, Kordell,” I replied, hoping that would be the end of it.
He stopped in his tracks, stood there for a brief moment, and turned right back around to face us.
A small, testing smile played on his lips.
“Actually…
my schedule just cleared up a bit,” he said, looking between Joshua and me.
“I’d really love to sit with you guys for lunch, if you don’t mind?
Just to catch up properly.”
My mind raced.
Every instinct in my body screamed at me to tell him to leave.
But I knew Kordell too well.
If I said no, if I ran away or chased him off, he would instantly think I still cared.
He would assume that seeing him still affected me, or he would think Joshua and I were lying about our relationship.
I couldn’t give him that satisfaction.
I needed him to see that he meant absolutely nothing to me now.
I looked up at him, forced a bright, perfectly natural smile onto my face, and nodded easily.
“Of course we don’t mind,” I said, my tone sounding completely casual and welcoming.
“Please, sit down.
We have plenty of time.”
Joshua glanced down at me, reading my mind instantly.
He didn’t break character.
He smoothly pulled out a chair for me, and we all began to settle into the table.
I took a quiet, deep breath, letting out a small, hidden sigh of relief.
As awkward as this encounter was, I tried to look on the bright side.
I mentally told myself to calm down.
Thank God it’s just Kordell, I thought to myself.
As long as it’s just him and not Miguel, I can handle this.
I can get through a simple lunch.
But my relief lasted for only a fraction of a second.
Movement by the front entrance of the restaurant caught my eye.
The heavy glass doors of ‘The Grande’ swung open, and a tall, imposing figure stepped inside, flanked by two men in dark suits.
The air in the room instantly shifted, turning thick and suffocating.
I looked up, and my entire world shattered for the second time in five minutes.
Walking past the hostess stand, his eyes scanning the dining room with absolute authority, was Miguel.
Our gazes locked across the crowded room and everything froze.