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He sank into the wooden seat, staring at the gray ash left over from last weekend's fire. He had not told his parents the truth about what happened in Chicago. When he arrived unannounced on their doorstep, he merely claimed he needed a break from the city grid. He kept the devastation locked tight inside his chest. If there was even a fraction of a chance that he and Lily could survive this wreckage, he refused to let his family view her through a lens of resentment. He wanted them to see the brilliant, passionate, incredible woman he loved, not the person who shattered his heart—even if her actions were born out of paralyzing fear rather than malice.

"You cannot keep doing this," Arthur said, taking a long drink from his bottle. "You are tearing yourself apart, son. You need to fix whatever put you in this state."

Jason peeled the damp label off the glass with his thumb. "I am just fixing the deck, Dad."

"You finished the deck three days ago," Arthur pointed out gently. "Now you are just punishing the wood."

Jason looked away, his jaw tightening. He didn't have the energy to construct another lie, but he couldn't find the words to explain the truth. The agonizing image of his house key resting on her glass coffee table replayed in his mind, mocking his decision to walk away.

Arthur leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "When you were two years old, and your sister was seven, your mother packed a bag and left the house."

Jason frowned, genuinely surprised, pulling his attention away from the ash. His parents possessed the most rock-solid marriage he had ever witnessed. "What?"

"She took you both to her parents' house," Arthur continued, his eyes focused on the distant tree line. "I was being a stubborn idiot. We had two kids, and I still wanted to live a bachelor's life. I was staying out late with my friends, ignoring my responsibilities at home. Your mother refused to accept it. She drew a line in the sand, and she made it entirely clear that she would not settle for less than she deserved."

Arthur turned his head, looking Jason right in the eye. "That was my wake-up call. I realized I was about to lose the only thing that actually mattered in my life. I did everything in my power to prove I was worthy of her forgiveness. I changed my priorities because I knew she was the one. The only one."

Jason gripped the neck of his beer bottle, his chest tightening as his father’s words struck a deep, resonant chord.

"I do not know what happened between you and Lily," Arthur said, his voice laced with paternal wisdom. "But I have lived long enough to recognize when a man is running from a heartbreak. I do not care what the fight was about, Jase. If you love that girl, and you believe the two of you can fix this, do not let her go. Do not let pride make your decisions. You fight for her. You do whatever you have to do so she does not walk away."

The undeniable truth of his father's advice cleared the blinding fog of betrayal that had clouded Jason's mind for the past week. He had drawn his own line in the sand, and he had walked away to protect himself. He had let his bruised ego pilot him straight out of her apartment. He had demanded she be all in, but the minute things became complicated, he packed up and abandoned the site.

Lily had lied because she was terrified he would leave her if he found out about Ethan's manipulation. And exactly what did Jason do? He proved her greatest fear right.

Living without her, waking up every morning without her head resting on his chest, was proving to be infinitely worse than the risk of getting hurt again.

Jason set his bottle on the stone ledge of the firepit. He leaned over, wrapping a strong arm around his father’s shoulders in a firm, grateful half-hug.

"Thanks, Dad," Jason murmured, his voice thick with a newly forged resolve.

***

Jason parked his truck two blocks away from Lily’s apartment building. He needed the short walk to calm his racing mind and ease the frantic beating of his heart. He had driven back to Chicago the previous afternoon, spending the entire night staring at the ceiling, tossing and turning in tangled sheets. The lack of sleep had bled into his workday; he spent eight hours staring blankly at blueprints, unable to focus on a single measurement or cut.

Finally, he threw in the towel, heading home to stand under a scalding shower until the sawdust and the doubt washed down the drain. He dressed in clean clothes and drove straight to her neighborhood, timing his arrival for the evening hours when he knew she would be home from the agency.

The sidewalks bustled with pedestrians. It was a typical late-summer evening in the city. Couples and groups of friends spilled out of restaurants and bars, soaking up the pleasant weather before the inevitable autumn chill took over. Jason navigated through the crowds, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, rehearsing the conversation in his head.

He would start by asking how she was doing. He would ask if she was still willing to talk to him. He planned to explain why his phone had been off for a week—he wouldn't apologize for taking the space he desperately needed to think, but he owed her the truth. Then, he would lay all his cards on the table. He would tell her that she never left his mind for a single second. He would confess that he was consumed by the memory of her, and that he was willing to put the broken pieces back together and try again.

He would tell her—

Jason stopped in his tracks, just a few yards from the entrance of her building.

The revolving glass doors pushed outward. Two figures emerged onto the concrete pavement.

Lily. And Ethan.

Jason’s heart broke all over again, the pieces turning to jagged glass in his chest. He took a staggering step backward, seeking refuge behind a large stone planter, his blood running cold.

Ethan looked immaculate in a tailored charcoal suit, laughing easily as he spoke. The British executive stood incredibly close to Lily, practically pressing his arm against hers, his posture exuding a victorious, proprietary arrogance. Because of the angle, Jason couldn't see Lily’s face. He couldn't decipher her expression. But he could clearly see the elegant black dress she wore, a stark contrast to her usual office attire.

The picture they painted was devastatingly clear. Ethan’s animated energy, the formal clothes, the evening hour—they were going on a date.

The resolve Jason had carefully built in Galena crumbled into dust. He had driven himself crazy worrying about her, agonizing over his own pride, while she was already moving on. She had chosen the man she claimed she didn't want.

Jason turned his back on the building. He lowered his head, letting the bustling, indifferent crowd swallow him whole, a single agonizing question burning in his mind.