Chapter Seven

Sam’s Pov

 Sam's revelation left me speechless. I knew Jeff  had a hand in Sam’s disappearance,  but hearing it from Sam made the whole scenario more clearer. “My fingers trembled as i held the glass of wine, staring at Sam’s earnest face.”

“Kidnap?” I repeated in disbelief, my voice barely above a whisper. “Jeff... he paid you off?”

Sam nodded, the weight of the years reflected in his tired eyes. “It wasn’t just the money, Emma. He had power, influence. My life, my family’s life... they were at risk. I didn’t want to leave you, but I had no choice.”

The anger simmered beneath Emma’s calm exterior. Jeff’s cruelty had no bounds, and she had lived for years in the shadow of that manipulative man, thinking I had abandoned her. She turned away, trying to process the flood of emotions, hurt, betrayal, anger, but also a lingering affection she didn’t want to admit.

“So, you just left?” i said quietly, though my voice was edged with bitterness. “No goodbye, no explanation? You let me believe you walked out on me.”

Sam’s jaw tightened. “I never wanted to leave. I tried to contact you, but every effort was blocked. Jeff had eyes on me, Emma. He made sure I couldn’t come back into your life. I had to rebuild from crash.”

Emma was silent for a moment, her mind racing. She wanted to shut this conversation down, to maintain the professional boundary we had so carefully constructed during the meeting. But the woman in her, the one who had once loved Sam with everything she had, needed answers.

“Why now?” she asked, turning back to face him, her eyes searching his. “Why bring this up now, after all these years?”

Sam leaned forward, his voice low and filled with regret. “ I couldn’t live with the idea that you thought I abandoned you. I had to tell you the truth, Emma. I needed you to know that I never stopped caring. I never stopped thinking about us.”

Emma’s heart pounded in her chest. She wasn’t sure how to respond. The walls she had built around herself since the divorce felt fragile, ready to collapse. She had spent so many years trying to forget the pain, trying to move on. And yet, here comes Sam, pulling her back into a past she wasn’t sure she could handle.

“You’re right,” she said after a long pause, her voice steady but distant. “We’ve both moved on. I have a life now. This partnership... it’s important to me. I don’t think it’s wise to dig up old wounds.”

Sam’s expression softened, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. “I understand,” he said quietly. “But I just wanted you to know the truth.”

They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air. Finally, Sam stood up, adjusting his suit jacket.

“I won’t push, Emma. I respect your boundaries. But if you ever want to talk, about anything... I’m here.”

Emma nodded, her throat tight. She watched him walk to the door, a part of her wanting to call out, to stop him. But she remained still, frozen in place by the gravity of the past and the uncertainty of the future.

As the door clicked shut behind him, Emma let out a shaky breath. The room felt colder, emptier. She stood up, walking over to the large window that overlooked the city skyline. The lights flickered below, distant and unreachable, much like the life she had once dreamed of with Sam.

She wasn’t sure what the future held, but one thing was clear, her past wasn’t as buried as she had thought.

Emma stood by the window for a long time, her mind swirling with memories and unanswered questions. Sam's revelation had reopened wounds she thought had healed. She tried to steady herself, reminding herself of the life she had built—the career she’d fought for, the independence she now cherished. But beneath it all, the truth gnawed at her.

That night, sleep evaded her. Every time she closed her eyes, images of her past with Sam flooded her mind, the secret smiles, the shared glances, the nights they spent together dreaming of a future that never came to be. And now, knowing that Jeff had orchestrated Sam's disappearance only added fuel to the fire of emotions she had tried so hard to bury.

The next morning, Emma sat at her desk in her office, staring blankly at the stack of papers in front of her. She was supposed to finalize the details of the partnership today, but all she could think about was the man who would soon walk through her door again. How could she focus on business when her heart was tangled in unresolved emotions?

Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. It was a message from her assistant: Sam is here for the final meeting.

Emma took a deep breath, straightened her jacket, and steeled herself. She needed to keep it professional. This was about business, not the past. She had worked too hard to let personal matters interfere with her career.

When Sam walked in, his demeanor was calm, professional. But Emma could sense the tension in the air. They exchanged polite greetings, and the meeting began, with both of them discussing the terms of the partnership as though nothing had happened the day before. Emma found herself falling back into her role, asking questions, negotiating finer points, and keeping her tone steady.

But as the meeting neared its end, Emma couldn’t help herself. The words spilled out before she could stop them.

“Sam,” she said, her voice softer now, “about what you told me yesterday... about Jeff.”

Sam glanced up from the documents in front of him, his gaze meeting hers. “Yes?”

“I’ve spent years wondering why you disappeared. Wondering what I did wrong. I hated you for it.” Her voice cracked slightly, betraying the calm facade she had worked so hard to maintain. “But now I see... it wasn’t you.”

Sam leaned back in his chair, his eyes full of regret. “I never wanted to leave, Emma. I wanted to protect you, but I wasn’t strong enough to fight Jeff. He had too much power over me, over us.”

Emma sighed, her hands gripping the edge of the table. “And now? What do you expect me to do with this information?”

“I don’t expect anything,” Sam replied gently. “I just wanted you to know the truth. To understand that I never stopped caring. But I also know we’ve both changed. We’re different people now.”

Emma looked at him, really looked at him for the first time since he walked back into her life. His once boyish features had matured, and though his eyes held the same warmth, there was a depth of experience, of pain, that hadn’t been there before. She realized in that moment that she didn’t know this version of Sam. They had both lived lifetimes apart, shaped by circumstances beyond their control.

“You’re right,” she said, her voice firm. “We are different people. But that doesn’t change what we had... or the fact that part of me still feels unresolved about all of this.”

Sam nodded, understanding in his gaze. “Maybe we’ll never truly have closure, Emma. But we can choose how we move forward.”

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with meaning. Emma wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that they could both move on, but part of her knew that the past still had a grip on her heart.

After a long pause, she stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. “Thank you for being honest with me, Sam. I appreciate it.”

Sam rose to his feet, giving her a respectful nod. “I meant what I said, Emma. If you ever want to talk... about anything, I’m here.”

Emma smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “We’ll see.”

As Sam walked out of her office, Emma felt a strange sense of both relief and loss. She had gotten the answers she sought, but they hadn’t brought the closure she had hoped for. The man she had once loved was now a part of her past, but he had also become part of her present, and potentially her future, through their business partnership.

Sitting back down at her desk, Emma stared at the papers before her, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Could she truly let go of the past and move forward with Sam in her life once again? Or would their unresolved feelings continue to haunt them both?

As the day passed and evening approached, Emma made a decision. She reached for her phone and dialed a familiar number. When the line connected, she hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Sam, it’s me. Can we meet? Outside of work... just to talk.”

There was a pause on the other end, then Sam’s voice came through, soft but steady. “I’ll be there.”