The Unwanted Encounter

Chapter Five: The Unwanted Encounter

I took a deep breath as I sat in my car, staring at the lawyer's building ahead. Today was the day. I had made up my mind. Nothing, absolutely nothing, would stop me from walking into that office, signing those papers, and ending everything with Adrian. Not the pain, not the humiliation, not the past. I was done. I had to be.

Adrian had pushed me too far, and now it was my turn to push back. I didn't care how messy it was going to get, how much my heart would shatter in the process. I had made a promise to myself: I would be free.

My palms dug deeper into the skin of the wheel as my eyes fixed on the road ahead. Familiar streets now seemed to mesh together as my mind started running riots of memories of Adrian's lies, his deception. I couldn't afford distraction with thoughts of him-not when I was so near the point of finally assuming my life.

A weird, peculiar kind of determination was building up in my head, a fire I hadn't felt for a long time. I was not going to let the fear or the guilt anymore get in my way.

Not even a drunk man standing right in the middle of the road could stop me today. Done with being the weak one, done with being the fool.

It felt like the drive took an eternity, and then in an instant, it was there: the building where the law offices were. My heart skipped a beat. I parked as quickly as I could, my mind racing ahead to when I would actually walk into that office and sign those papers.

I got out of the car and straightened my coat. Quick, direct movements; had to keep the concentration going. I had long passed the point of no return.

As I walked towards the entrance, the cold air slapped my face, and my breath fogged in the chill. But I didn't flinch. I didn't hesitate. I had to keep moving.

And then, just as I reached for the door, I saw him.

Impossible to miss.

Standing beside the receptionist desk was a man: tall, with sharp, handsome features that seemed chiseled from stone. His carriage was perfect, and the tailored suit he wore clung to his frame, shouting wealth and power. An aura surrounded him, one that screamed this wasn't just any man. He wasn't like the others I had known.

And then it hit me like a slap in the face.

The man from last night, the stranger I shared a night with-no, a mistake with-the one-night stand I never wanted to think about again.

My stomach lurched, and I almost broke my stride. It took everything inside of me not to stop, turn, and leave, but I forced my lungs to breathe and legs to move past him as if I hadn't even seen him. He couldn't have recognized me. There was simply no way that he could.

But as I moved past him, I could feel his gaze on me. I knew it, even without seeing. It was as though the air had thickened in our midst, the tension palpable.

I kept walking, my heart pounding. I couldn't let him see how unsettled I was. I couldn't. I was here for a reason, and I couldn't let him-or what happened last night-derail me. I had walked through too much to turn back now.

I turned toward the receptionist, and sure enough, her smile met me, but I gave her little regard. I signed in quick as a whip, hadn't wasted one minute of time.

But before I even went through the door to the lawyer's office, his voice sounded behind me.

"Lily."

It was as if the earth had stopped moving.

I felt my blood freeze in my veins. This had to be some mistake. Not him. Not here. Not now.

I had frozen, fingers trembling, toward the reach of the door handle.

He was standing right there, staring at me. The smirk on his face was unmistakable, that same cocksure expression that had been there the night before when he had kissed me in that haze of drunken desire. But now, he was perfectly composed, in control. He looked nothing like the man I'd helped last night. Now, he looked every inch the part: someone with money, power, and confidence.

I did not expect to see you here, he said in a voice like silk sliding over stone, low and smooth.

I tried as much as possible to not show my feelings, but the pulse was racing. I always had been bad at concealing my emotions, and it took every ounce of strength not to react to his presence.

Excuse me," I mumbled, trying to edge my way around him as if I had no idea who he was. "I have to go inside."

But he didn't let me.

He took another step closer, his frame swallowing the space between us.

"You're in a hurry," he observed, something twinkling in those eyes, which I couldn't quite place. "But I think we need to talk.

I wasn't sure if I was more surprised by his audacity or the fact that I was still standing here, not walking away. My heart was pounding in my chest, but I couldn't move. It was like time had stopped.

"I don't have time for this," I said, quieter, yet firm in my tone.

But he didn't listen.

Don't act like last night didn't happen," he said, his voice teasing but laced with an intensity that ran a shiver down my spine. "I'm not going to let you act like nothing's changed, Lily.

I opened my mouth to speak, to tell him off, to walk away, but the words wouldn't come. The way he was looking at me-so sure of himself, so self-assured-was making it impossible for me to keep my composure.

I could feel the weight of this moment weighing down on me. My life had been a whirlwind of betrayal and heartbreak, and here I was, standing in front of this man-the very man I never wanted to see again.

"I don't know what you want from me," I said, my voice trembling with effort to stay strong.

Yet he didn't back down. His gaze did not falter.

"Why don't we find out together?" he returned, his voice low, almost a taunt. His proximity made it hard to breathe, but I stood my ground.

I could feel the receptionist's eyes on us, the tension between us growing thicker. I couldn't just ignore him. No pretending.

Yet, I couldn't turn and run.

"Let me go," I finally said, my voice strained, trying to push past him again.

But he didn't budge. Instead, he smiled, that same confident smile from last night, and it made my stomach churn.

"I think you're in denial, Lily," he said, his words cutting through the air. "We both know there's something between us."

I could feel my resolve starting to crack. I had come here to get my divorce, to take back control of my life, but now I was standing in front of a man I didn't want to face, a man who was making me question everything I had fought for.

"I don't have time for this," I repeated, but this time, my voice lacked the conviction it had earlier.

And as I tried once more to get around him, he moved forward, blocking my way.

"You're not going anywhere until we talk," he said, his voice now commanding.

I swallowed hard, my mind in turmoil. There was no getting out of this. There was no more ignoring him anymore.