Tracy's POV
The dinner stayed with me longer than I expected.
I lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling, replaying the laughter, the clinking glasses, the warmth of it all. It had been so long since I felt like I belonged somewhere, even if just for a few hours.
But of course, he had to show up.
Ethan.
The moment he walked in, everything shifted. The air tightened, the laughter softened. Even I sat straighter, as if my body had been trained to react to his presence. He did not say much, did not do much, but he didn't have to. He was the kind of man who carried weight just by existing in the room.
And maybe I imagined it, but… his eyes had lingered on me more than once. I tried not to think about it. Tried not to notice how he glanced toward Nathan, or how the ease of the evening disappeared after his arrival.
