Before leaving, she insisted he hire the caretaker back. Since the restaurant explosion, the mere mention of fire drained the blood from his face. Leaving him alone wasn't an option.
She hurried home.
The apartment greeted her with hollow silence.
Adrian didn't return. A single message arrived before bed—perfunctory, brief, offering no explanation.
She had waited, hungry and hopeful, only to be stood up. She'd even messaged him in advance.
Ever since Eva James returned, the ground beneath Sara's feet had been shifting.
What surprised her even more was Eva reaching out to arrange a meal. Sara wanted to refuse, but Adrian's erratic behavior left her grasping at air. If he planned to reconcile with his ex, she needed to prepare her exit strategy.
She went.
The location was the very restaurant Adrian had taken her to countless times.
The moment Sara stepped inside, Eva's gaze locked onto her. Gone was the gentle facade from their last encounter. Today, she radiated a suffocating superiority.
This wasn't a social call.
It was a negotiation.
Sara sat down, posture neutral. "Ms. James. You wanted to see me?"
"Assistant Navarro and I are old acquaintances. Our last meeting was too rushed—I wanted to catch up." Eva's smile didn't reach her eyes. "And while I'm at it—"
She pulled something from her handbag and slid it across the table. "Adrian left this with me. I'd appreciate it if you returned it to him."
Lying on the white tablecloth was the watch Adrian had worn the day he visited the old residence.
So when he left in the middle of the night without a word, he had gone straight to her.
It was no longer a suspicion.
It was a cold, hard fact.
"It's just a watch." Sara kept her voice light, breezy—as if her heart wasn't hammering against her ribs. "Why would Ms. James need to make a personal trip for something so trivial?"
Eva's lips curled. Calm. Triumphant. "He's a very nostalgic man. This watch was the first birthday gift I ever gave him. He's worn it for years."
She watched Sara like a hawk circling prey. "And this restaurant... the brand of clothes you're wearing... we founded them together back then."
*So that's how it is.*
Sara had noticed Adrian's "soft spots" for certain brands and places. She hadn't realized they were all monuments to Eva. He had never forgotten her.
He just never spoke her name.
Under the table, Sara's nails dug into her palms.
She had lied to Simon.