Five years ago, Y/N Fitzgerald had her entire future planned out. A small-town girl with big dreams, she spent her days writing stories, painting sunsets, and falling hopelessly in love with Damian Hale—the quiet, intelligent man who made her believe soulmates might actually exist. They bonded over books, art, old documentaries, and conversations that lasted until sunrise. He was her first love, her best friend, and the man she planned to marry. Then he left. No real explanation. No fight worth ending forever over. One day Damian Hale simply walked away, leaving Y/N to pick up the pieces of a heart he shattered. The aftermath nearly destroyed her. The sweet girl who always followed the rules disappeared. In her place emerged someone harder. Wilder. A woman who stopped believing in forever and started living like tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed. She built a successful career as an author and artist, surrounded herself with friends, and convinced everyone—including herself—that she had finally moved on. Until Damian comes home. At thirty years old, Damian is still the man who commands every room without trying. Still devastatingly handsome. Still carrying secrets behind dark eyes. The difference is that now he’s carrying five years of guilt, too. Because he never stopped loving Y/N. And he never truly left. While Y/N rebuilt her life, Damian watched from a distance. Through mutual friends, small-town gossip, and fleeting glimpses from afar, he witnessed every milestone she experienced without him. Every success. Every heartbreak. Every man who tried to take his place. He told himself she deserved better. He told himself leaving was the right thing to do. He told himself he would never come back. But some promises are impossible to keep. Now, forced back into each other’s lives, old feelings begin resurfacing alongside old wounds. Y/N wants answers Damian refuses to give. Damian wants forgiveness he doesn’t believe he deserves. And w