Chapter 7
Anna
I don’t know why I even agreed to his irrational request. I don’t owe him anything—not my time, not my attention, not even the tiniest flicker of forgiveness. And yet, my stupid heart said yes before my brain could slam on the brakes.
Maybe it’s because I’m still chasing closure, still craving the answers he never gave about how he shattered us and managed to walk away like it was nothing.
Or maybe… it’s just a moment of weakness.
“I was thinking we could order your favorite Chinese,” Landon says, cutting straight through my thoughts.
God, the asshole is hell-bent on making it impossible to hold on to my hatred. But I remind myself that this is Landon. He’s always known how to charm his way into a heart, only to shatter it the moment it becomes too real and starts to feel like a burden.
But this time, I refuse to be his puppet.
Pulling in a deep breath, I find him smiling at me as he leans against the kitchen counter, arms crossed over his chest like we’re just two old friends catching up.
We’re fucking not. Not even close. And I want to throw that reminder right in his face, but the way his blue eyes lock on me, as if cataloging every breath I take, makes me too nervous to even form the words.
“That’s not necessary,” I manage to say. “I need to go home and get my clothes.”
I push up from the stool across from him and slip my bag over my shoulder. I need space to clear my head and prepare myself, to steel my heart for whatever I’m walking into. To remind myself that no matter what this is, I will not fall for him again.
“No.” The word snaps out of him, edged with a panic he doesn’t even bother to hide as he straightens.
My brows draw together. “No?”
“I mean…” His voice softens, but there’s something in it that makes it obvious he’s not comfortable with me leaving. God, Anna, get a hold of yourself. Don’t read too much between the lines.
“I’ll take care of it. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll bring it here,” he adds.
“Landon, that’s not necessary. I can drive and bring them myself.”
His jaw works, a muscle flexing as though he’s trying to bite back his emotions. “It’s almost seven, Anna, and I only have until morning. I don’t want to waste a single second of it on you traveling.”
His words hit me harder than I’m ready for, making it impossible to answer right away. And I hate that a part of me still responds to the way his voice slips under my skin and coils in my chest.
I take a moment before I can trust myself to speak.
Finally, summoning every ounce of courage, I nod, because anything more might give him the wrong idea.
He exhales in relief. “Thank you.”
“Landon,” I say, my voice quieter now, though still guarded.
“God, hearing my name from your lips… it’s been far too long. I’ve missed that. Missed you.”
I shake my head, ignoring his words. “Listen, I don’t even know why I agreed to this.
But I hope you understand that whatever this is, it’s not…
” My words falter. “I don’t think things will get better between us.
And if you’re hoping this is some kind of second chance, then it’s not.
We’re just going to talk and get closure. Nothing more.”
His mouth curves into something that’s not quite a smile, but it’s not defeat either. “I’ll take whatever you’re giving.”
I nod and give him a tight smile, keeping my emotions in check.
“Now, if that’s all, may I order in food?” he asks, not pushing any further.
I nod again, and he leans back against the counter, already scrolling through his phone. Meanwhile, I stand there and let my eyes wander over the kitchen. Suddenly, my breath catches.
It’s exactly the kitchen I once told him I wanted for us.
Rich brown cabinets with the same white-marble counters veined with soft gray.
Warm pendant lights cast a golden glow over a farmhouse sink while a sleek stainless-steel stove gleams against the tiled backsplash.
He remembered every detail, and that thought hits low in my stomach.
I settle back onto the stool and watch him speak on the phone. The man I dated, and even went so far as to marry, remains a puzzle I still can’t figure out. The way he’s designed this house tells me he hasn’t forgotten a thing, and yet he was the one who signed the divorce papers.
A bitter ache twists in my chest. He really does know how to drive me insane.
One moment, he walks away without a second thought, and the next, he’s standing here with that familiar intensity that makes my pulse race.
Does he really enjoy playing with my emotions like this?
Does he not feel an ounce of guilt for how this twists me up inside?
“Stop staring at me like that,” he says without looking up. I blink, caught off guard at being called out, but I lift my chin, refusing to let him have the upper hand.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re trying to figure me out.”
God, the asshole still knows how to read my thoughts.
I let out a humorless laugh. “That would be a waste of time.”
He finally looks up, a slow smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “Maybe I’m worth it.”
I press my lips together, hating that he’s right. Right on cue, my phone buzzes in my bag, saving me from having to reply. I pull it out and see a message from Mick.
Mick: Everything okay?
Biting my lip, I type back, hoping he won’t give me a hard time or overanalyze things, because I just don’t have the energy to deal with two jerks at once.
Me: Fine. Will be spending the night here. I’ll be home tomorrow.
His reply comes immediately.
Mick: Wow, straight to the ex-husband’s bed after just one meeting? Told you you’d lose your panties.
I roll my eyes, the corners of my mouth twitching against my will.
Me: Well, don’t let that dirty brain of yours do all the thinking. I’m just here for closure.
Mick: Is that what we’re calling it now? Closure… in bed?
God, even through texts, he knows exactly how to annoy me.
Me: Will you stop? Look, I know that I’m dropping this on you at the last minute, but you can take care.
My heart skips a beat at the thought of the responsibility he’ll have to shoulder for me tonight.
Mick: You know I always will. Relax, I’ve got this.
I let out a relieved smile and type back.
Me: I owe you.
Slipping my phone back into my bag, I look up to find Landon’s eyes narrowing at me.
“Who was that?”
“My roommate, Mick. I had to tell him that I won’t be coming home tonight.”
“Mick?” His tone shifts, just enough for me to catch the steel in his voice.
I swallow the sudden rush of irritation before replying. “Really, Landon? You don’t have the right to question me.”
His eyes blaze with a mix of frustration and something darker. “You are my wife, Anna. Hell, I have every right to question if it’s another man you’re staying with.”
“Your ex-wife, you mean.”
I meet his eyes, fire flashing beneath my calm. “And look at you, questioning me. I bet you haven’t exactly been a saint since our divorce.”
In a heartbeat, he closes the distance, his hand capturing mine as he pulls me to my feet and draws me against his body.
“You fucking know how it kills me, the very thought of you with another man,” he growls.
“You’re hurting me, Landon,” I whisper, struggling to free myself from his hold.
He blinks as if coming to his senses and releases my arm instantly. He run his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“I’m sorry, Anna. I… I just... I shouldn’t have reacted that way.” His voice breaks. “It’s just… you.”
I know I shouldn’t let his anxiety get to me. I shouldn’t feel the need to soothe him, not after all the pain he’s put me through. And yet the words spill out before I can stop them.
“Mick’s gay. We’re just friends. Roommates, nothing more.” I look down at my feet, bracing myself to confess the truth that will lay bare my weakness. “There hasn’t been anyone else. I haven’t found it in me to trust another man since you.”
“Anna…” His voice trembles with something I almost don’t recognize. Regret, maybe even desperation. I look up at him, my heart hammering in my chest.
“Landon, please…” I let out a slow breath, pretending the room isn’t tilting ever so slightly around us. “Don’t say anything that will make this harder for me.”
Ignoring my plea, he takes a step closer. “I won’t hide that I regret letting you go.” His eyes lock on mine as he adds, “And I definitely won’t hide that I want us back.”
My chest tightens. I want to lash out at him for all the hurt he’s caused, yet a small, stubborn part of me aches at the honesty in his eyes. But I refuse to show him that even a fraction of me feels anything for him.
“You regret it and want us back?” A bitter laugh rips out of me as I choose to hold on to my anger.
“Listen, I don’t—” I start, then choke on the rest, because the words I want to say, that I don’t want him, that his regrets can’t fix what he broke, just won’t come out. sBecause even now, some pathetic part of me still aches for him. And God, I hate myself for it.
“I know it won’t be easy to win you back. And I’m not asking for easy. All I’m asking for is a chance. This time, I’m ready to fight for us, Anna. And I won’t stop until I’ve got you back.”
The breath leaves my lungs in a slow, uneven rush.
No, I can’t let myself give in.
I’ve managed to survive all these years without him. I just can’t risk unraveling all over again, not even if the smallest, weakest part of me still wants him.
“Please stop, Landon.”
“Anna, I’m not the man who once hurt you. I’ve changed. And this time, I won’t fail you.”
I shake my head, desperate to hold onto the part of me that refuses to believe him. “People don’t change.”
“They do,” he retorts, cupping my face, his hands trembling against my skin. “When they lose the one thing that made life worth living… they do.”
I should leave. I know I should. But I don’t. Instead, I find myself arguing. “No matter how you spin your words, they don’t mean anything.”
“You can doubt me all you like, but that won’t change the truth behind what I said,” he says quietly.
“Every day since we parted, I’ve realised what I lost and how much I needed to change.
Trust me, sweetheart, I’ve burned the man I used to be years ago.
The man standing in front of you now is the one who knows exactly how much he loves you. ”
His thumb brushes tenderly against my cheek. “I love you in ways I didn’t even understand back then, and I won’t let you slip away again.”
I close my eyes for a moment, hating how good he is at finding the exact words to slip past my defenses.
When I open my eyes again, he’s already watching me. My gaze locks on his, searching desperately for the manipulation, the lie… anything that would prove he’s just playing me. But all I see is that maddening honesty, the same honesty that once made me believe him even when I knew I shouldn’t.
“Whatever this is,” I say, my voice steady, “it ends tonight.”
Something shifts in his expression. Pain. Hurt. Maybe even defeat.
But he nods slowly. “We’ll see.”
I don’t respond.
My throat tightens, swallowing the words I want to say but can’t.