The digital clock on the nightstand glowed 2:13 AM, casting a soft blue hue over the bedroom.
Eurydice lay on her side, arms tucked under her pillow, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. Sleep was impossible. Her mind wouldn’t stop racing.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, she would see Liam.
Her past.
The man she once loved.
The man she once thought she would spend forever with.
Her stomach twisted.
She turned her head slightly, gaze drifting to the man sleeping beside her.
Conrad lay facing her, his breathing slow and even, dark lashes resting against his cheekbones. His features were always sharp, always demanding attention, but in sleep, they softened just enough to make him seem almost human.
And for some reason, that annoyed her.
How dare he sleep so soundly, as if the world outside this room wasn’t falling apart?
As if her world wasn’t spiraling?
Her fingers twitched against the fabric of her pillow.
Before she could stop herself, she reached out and poked his cheek.
No reaction.
A slow grin pulled at her lips.
She did it again, pressing a little harder this time.
Still nothing.
A breathless chuckle escaped her.
"You’re really knocked out, huh?" she murmured.
She scooted a little closer, resting her chin on her hand as she studied him in the dim light.
It felt safe to talk to him now, when he wasn’t awake to tease her, wasn’t watching her with those knowing eyes that always seemed to see too much.
“I wonder,” she whispered, “if you’d tease me right now if you knew how much I was overthinking.”
Her fingers traced the edge of the pillow between them.
“I think tomorrow will be fine,” she continued, voice quieter now. “Maybe. Hopefully.”
A beat of silence.
Then, unable to help herself—
She poked his cheek one last time.
"Just in case it isn’t, I’ll blame you for it."
Still, no reaction.
Eurydice smirked before rolling onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.
Would she still feel this at ease after tomorrow?
Or would facing Liam remind her of everything she had tried so hard to forget?
By morning, Eurydice had run out of distractions.
She had spent the early hours at the bakery, hands busy kneading dough, hoping the familiar routine would calm her racing thoughts.
It didn’t.
The past had already caught up to her.
The bell above the bakery door jingled, and Eurydice glanced up just as Amelia walked in, tossing her bag onto a chair before fixing her with a knowing look.
"You look like you haven’t slept," Amelia said, crossing her arms.
Eurydice huffed. "I’m fine."
"Uh-huh." Amelia studied her. "So, are you going to tell me what’s going on in that overcomplicated brain of yours, or do I have to guess?"
Eurydice hesitated.
She could lie.
Say she wasn’t thinking about it, that it didn’t bother her.
But this was Amelia.
She always knew.
Eurydice sighed. "I’m meeting him today."
A beat of silence.
Then—
"Oh."
Amelia’s voice was neutral, but the sharpness in her gaze told Eurydice she understood.
The past was never as simple as people wanted it to be.
"How do you feel about that?" Amelia asked carefully.
Eurydice didn’t answer immediately.
Because she didn’t know.
After a moment, she shrugged. "I guess I’ll find out."
Before Amelia could say anything else, the bell above the bakery door jingled again.
And when Eurydice turned—
She froze.
Because standing there, looking exactly the same yet somehow completely different, was Liam.
Her past.
Right in front of her.
He looked up the moment she stepped forward, and when their eyes met—
She felt nothing.
Not the warmth she once did.
Not the pain she expected.
Not even relief.
Just… nothing.
He smiled. “Eury.”
She swallowed. “Liam.”
Her voice was steady.
That alone felt like a victory.
He gestured toward the seat across from him. “Sit?”
She hesitated—only for a second—before sliding into the chair.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
It was Liam who finally broke the silence.
“You look good,” he said.
Eurydice gave a short, polite smile. “I am good.”
Liam chuckled, tapping a finger against his coffee cup. “Still blunt, huh?”
She tilted her head. “What do you want, Liam?”
His smile faltered. “I wanted to see you.”
Eurydice let out a soft, humorless laugh. “Now? After all this time?”
Liam exhaled, leaning back in his chair. “I know I don’t deserve that, but… I wanted to make things right.”
“Right?” she repeated, eyebrows raising. “You mean like how you wanted me to give up my career? How you wanted me to put you first because that’s what love was supposed to be?”
Liam flinched. “Eury—”
“I used to think that too, you know?” she interrupted. “That love meant sacrifice. That love meant choosing one thing at the cost of everything else.”
Her fingers curled around the edges of the table.
“But it doesn’t.”
She let out a slow breath.
“And I don’t regret walking away.”
Liam was silent for a long time.
Then—
“…Do you love him?”
Eurydice’s breath caught.
She blinked. “What?”
Liam leaned forward, watching her carefully.
“This guy. The one you’re engaged to. Do you love him?”
She opened her mouth—
Then froze.
Because she didn’t have an answer.
Not because it wasn’t true, but because—
Because she didn’t know what to call this.
Didn’t know what to call Conrad.
What he was to her now.
Her pulse raced.
Her mind spun.
And that moment of hesitation—Liam caught it.
His lips curved into something sad.
“That’s what I thought,” he murmured.
Eurydice hated that.
Hated that he thought he had figured something out about her before she had.
So she stood.
Liam’s eyes widened. “Eury—”
“Goodbye, Liam.”
And she walked out.
Heart pounding.
Thoughts a mess.
By the time she got home, Eurydice was frustrated.
With Liam.
With herself.
With the past that wouldn’t stay buried.
She stormed through the house, ready to lock herself in her art studio until she could think clearly again.
But then—
A voice stopped her.
“Rough day?”
She froze.
Conrad.
He was standing near the couch, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a whiskey glass.
His gaze—sharp, unreadable—was locked onto her.
And just like that, all the confusion came rushing back.
Eurydice let out a slow exhale.
“You have no idea.”
Conrad raised an eyebrow. “Try me.”
And that—
That was when she realized.
Liam had been her past.
But Conrad?
He was something else.
Something dangerous.
Something she wasn’t ready to name.
Because for the first time in a long, long while—
Someone wasn’t asking her to choose between love and her dreams.
And maybe, just maybe—
That scared her even more.