The Billionaire Ex Came Back for My Heart

per wa

ing I noticed before

ice, crooked and bold, fluttering in the cold New York w

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rushed around me. Cars honked. Someone laughed behind me. A delivery truck rattled past. The wor

I whispered, though

The paper felt thin and cheap in my hands, but the weight of it pressed straight into my

hts flickered once before settling into a dull hum. This place wasn't much-peeling paint, mismatched chai

me and leaned my forehe

the,

came out s

rs laughing too loudly. Music playing from someone's phone while boxes of donated book

oor. My desk sat where I'd left it the night before, cluttered with files

he chair and

was

was

now

small to hold it all. I'd barely learned how to live without my mother before the hospital rooms took ov

e this place t

d, heart jumping, before grabbing it.

ph

orcing steadines

here, aren't you?

o you

when you're stressed. And

smile. "I got a n

ear her breathing on the oth

. "The kind that tells

e said immediate

n't go

he same wall like it might offer answers. The door opened, letting in

nd crossed the room without a

br

ack finally spilled over. She didn't rush me. She never did. She just rubbed slow circles on my ba

," I said int

" she wh

hile, the city humming f

sted the wrong person. He promised funding. Said he

ed. "That doesn't ma

ls like

g everyone for years, Jane. Mom. Dad. Th

. "Funny. Daniel used to

mine. "You're thinki

topped," I

ame still sat somewhere inside me, li

ar, the city lights glowing around us. His fingers were wrapped a

'd said, his voice quiet but

. my heart never figured

yes. Saying he needed more. Someone more accomplished. Someone who fit the future he wanted. I

nough," I s

for my hand.

ld answer, t

, dread poolin

," Sophia

di

, his voice flat and tired. "Yo

t," I said quickl

the balance isn't paid in seventy-two h

ne wen

the phon

e had gone p

y-two

chipped desks and donated toys an

to save e

se it