CHAPTER FIVE

I turned slowly, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing how much his voice had shaken me.

"Still eavesdropping after all these years?" I asked coolly, arms folding over my chest.

He smiled, that infuriatingly smug tilt of his lips that once made my heart race. "Some things don't change."

"Unfortunately." I tilted my head. "Enjoying the party?"

"Not particularly," he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. "But then, I didn't come for the party."

Of course you didn't.

I didn't move. I didn't blink. I just let silence stretch between us, taut as a wire.

Adrian took a step closer. "You didn't answer my question."

"What kids?" he repeated, his gaze sharp now. Searching.

I almost laughed. The audacity.

"You lost the right to ask me anything the moment you gave mee those divorce papers, Adrian," I said, voice low and controlled.

His jaw tensed, but he didn't flinch.

"You think you can show up at my premiere, throw around some nostalgia and possessive questions, and I'll… what? Tell you everything?"

He looked at me for a long moment. "You've changed."

"No, you just stopped knowing me."

That shut him up.

His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was trying to read between my words, peel back the layers of the woman I'd become. But he didn't know this version of me. He didn't know the late nights, the sacrifices, the way I'd learned to build walls that even he couldn't scale.

Finally, he spoke, voice softer. "I never meant to hurt you."

I let out a bitter breath of amusement. "Doesn't that sound comical to you?"

We stood in the flickering shadows of the chandeliers, his figure casting a tall silhouette against the marbled floor. For a moment, I thought he might walk away, let this go quietly.

But Adrian Hawthorne doesn't do quiet.

"Is it true?" he asked.

I raised a brow. "Is what true?"

"The kids. Do you have children?"

My breath caught, but I forced a shrug. "That's none of your business."

His eyes flared, not with anger—but something worse. Curiosity laced with regret.

"You always said you never wanted any. Not while your life was still chaos."

"And now?" I met his gaze squarely. "I've made my peace with chaos."

His lips parted like he wanted to say something else—maybe press further, maybe even apologize again—but I cut him off.

"Whatever you're looking for, Adrian, you won't find it here."

He was quiet, and then nodded once, slowly. Like he finally understood. Or at least accepted it for the moment.

"I'm staying in town for a while," he said after a beat, voice low.

"Lucky me."

He cracked a faint smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Goodnight, Sienna."

And then he turned and walked away, just like he had three years ago.

But this time, I wasn't the one left broken.

I didn't let out the breath I was holding until the crowd swallowed him whole. The warmth of the after-premiere lights suddenly felt cold against my skin. I straightened my back, adjusting my shawl, and headed toward the exit.

The moment I stepped outside, the night air hit me like a second wind. Cool. Brisk. Grounding.

My driver stood beside the sleek black car, holding the door open. I gave a quick nod of thanks before sliding into the backseat.

As we pulled away from the theater, my fingers itched toward my phone. I opened the screen and pulled up the picture—the one I didn't show anyone.

Alina.

Her face smiled up at me, cheeks flushed with the laughter of a child who hadn't yet seen the darkness of the world. I stared at her image for a long moment, thumb brushing over the screen.

What kids?

Adrian's voice echoed again, this time with more bite. He didn't know. He couldn't know.

And I had no intention of letting him.

Not now. Not ever.

My phone buzzed with a message.

Leo: Just checking in. You okay?

I smiled faintly, typing a quick reply.

Me: Yeah. Just ghosts trying to haunt me again. But I've got salt.

Another message popped up almost instantly.

Leo: Then let me be your anchor.

My smile faded into something softer. I stared out the window as the city lights blurred past, heart heavy but steady.

Adrian had come back.

But this time, I had something worth fighting for.

And I wasn't going to let the past steal my future.

I exhaled slowly, my breath fogging up the tinted glass. my hands trembled in my lap, and my heart still raced from the unexpected encounter. I clenched her jaw, willing myself to stay composed.

He doesn't get to shake me. Not anymore.

A single tear welled up in my eye, the pressure of the evening pressing down on my chest like a vice. But I blinked it away with practiced precision.

"I'm not crying over Adrian Hawthorne," I whispered to myself, voice cold and resolute. "Not now. Not ever again."

The car ride home was quiet. City lights painted golden streaks across my face, but my mind was a mess of shadows. I leaned ,my head back, eyes closed, letting the hum of the engine drown out the thoughts clawing their way to the surface.

By the time I arrived home, the stillness of my penthouse was a balm I didn't know I needed.

Soft lights glowed from the hallway, casting warmth over the polished floors. I slipped out of my heels by the door and walked barefoot through the silence. A quick glance into the kids' rooms confirmed what I already suspected: they were asleep.

Alina was curled up in her pink blankets, her tiny hand clutched around a stuffed giraffe. And Leo… Leo was spread out in his usual chaotic sprawl, one sock off, one leg hanging off the edge of the bed.

I smiled softly, the tension in my shoulders easing just a little.

This. This is what matters now.

I stepped back into my room, pulled my phone from my purse, and dialed the number of the one person who always had my back.

Her assistant answered on the second ring.

"Evening, Sienna," Layla chirped. "Everything okay?"

"Define 'okay,'" I muttered, sinking onto the edge of my bed. "I need my schedule for the next few days. I want to be prepared."

There was a beat of silence on the other end, but Layla didn't pry. "Of course. Tomorrow you've got a Zoom interview at ten, followed by the stylist fittings for next week's shoot. Thursday is blocked for the Vogue editorial meeting, and Friday evening, there's a charity gala—still confirming your attendance for that."

"Cancel the gala," I said quietly.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Done. Do you want me to move the stylist to another day?"

"No," I said. "Let them come. Might be good to stay distracted."

"Understood. Let me know if you need anything else."

I ended the call and stared at my phone for a second longer before scrolling to the contact labeled Sophia. my thumb hesitated over the call button, but only for a moment.

It rang once. Twice. Then—

"Sienna! I saw the pictures from tonight—you looked stunning, as always! Tell me everything."

The warmth in Sophia's voice was like a balm to her my nerves.

"I saw him," I said without preamble.

The line went quiet.

"Adrian?" Sophia asked, her voice suddenly sharper.

I nodded, then remembered she was on the phone. "Yes. He showed up. Just as smug. Just as careless."

"That bastard," Sophia breathed. "Please tell me you didn't talk to him."

"I didn't. I walked away."

"Good," Sophia said firmly. "Because if you even think of entertaining the idea of talking to him, I swear to God I will fly down there myself and lock you in your dressing room."

I let out a dry laugh, the sound more tired than amused. "I don't want to talk to him, Soph. I don't even want to see him. But the second I heard his voice, it was like everything came rushing back."

"Of course it did," Sophia said gently. "You're human. But don't confuse the past with the present. He left you, Sienna. When you needed him most. He doesn't get to waltz back into your life like nothing happened."

"I know," I whispered.

"I mean it," Sophia continued, her tone fierce. "You built yourself up from nothing, remember? You rose. Without him. You became you. Don't let that man drag you back into a story you've already finished writing."

There was a pause.

And for a moment, I let the silence speak.

"Thank you," I said finally, her voice hoarse. "I needed to hear that."

"You always have me," Sophia replied, softer now. "And the twins. And this beautiful, chaotic, glorious life you've made. Don't let a ghost ruin that."

I ended the call with a quiet goodbye, her fingers lingering on the phone screen for a moment before I set it aside.

I sat in the dim light of my room, the city lights flickering through my curtains like stars I could never quite touch. The silence was heavier now. Not suffocating, just… still.

my reflection in the mirror stared back at me—tired eyes, flawless makeup, a strength that didn't come from perfection, but from surviving.

And yet, underneath it all, that old wound still ached.

Adrian Hawthorne had walked back into my life.

But that didn't mean he got to stay.

I stood, walking slowly to the window, arms wrapped around myself as the city whispered beneath me.

Tomorrow, the world would expect me to shine again.

But tonight… tonight, she let myself feel the weight of the past.

Quietly.

Alone.