Chapter 57
I steadied myself against the cold glass of the window, trying to calm my breathing. Tyler was standing there, his presence unmistakable, a face I’d tried to push to the deepest recesses of my mind.
Yet, seeing him again, my pulse quickened, heart caught between resentment and something that felt dangerously close to longing.
“Hey, Sam.” Tyler’s voice was soft, his gaze unyielding, filled with something too close, too familiar.
I drew in a breath and forced myself to respond. “Tyler,” I said, keeping my tone steady, though each syllable felt like balancing on thin glass. “What are you doing here?”
“I got an invitation. I didn’t know you’d be here, too.” He slipped his hands into his pockets, his shoulders tense yet calm, his eyes never leaving mine. “But I’m glad you are.”
I wanted to scoff, brush him off, remind him that I’d come here for my career and not to revisit memories best left in the past. But his words, and the unmistakable hope in his voice, made me pause.
“Glad? Really?” I forced a chuckle, though it sounded hollow even to my own ears. “After everything, you’re glad?”
“Yes.” He said it without hesitation, a quiet intensity coloring the words. “Look, I know we… well, that night was unexpected. But it made me realize something, Samantha.”
The way he said my name, soft but determined, made a nerve in my jaw tighten. I crossed my arms, defensive. “Realize what?”
“That I messed up. Royally,” he continued, his tone as raw as his expression. “And not just once. I let you go. For all the wrong reasons.”
“Tyler, please.” I waved a hand dismissively, fighting the urge to let his words mean anything. “We both made mistakes. That’s done. The past is where it is for a reason.”
“But what if it doesn’t have to be?” He took a step closer, and I tensed, unable to ignore the familiar scent of his cologne, the memories it dragged up against my will.
“Tyler, please, don’t make this harder.” My voice was nearly a whisper, each word slipping through the walls I’d built up.
“Samantha, I know I hurt you. And that night was… well, it wasn’t just a one-time thing to me.” His hand reached out, just enough to almost graze my shoulder. “I’ve spent every day since wishing I could take back what I did.. choosing work over you, letting Julie... influence me. I was wrong, Samantha. So wrong.”
I swallowed, my throat tightening as resentment resurfaced. “Influence you?” The words came out sharper than I’d intended. “I was your wife, Tyler. And you listened to your assistant? Over me?”
He flinched, the rawness in his eyes growing as he nodded. “Yes. And I regret it every single day. But back then, I convinced myself I didn’t need anyone’s help, least of all yours. I thought I could handle it all on my own, be strong, and I pushed you away.”
“‘Pushed’ is an understatement.” The bitterness seeped into my voice, and I didn’t try to hide it. “I left because I had no choice, Tyler. I couldn’t keep fighting for someone who didn’t want to fight for me.”
He nodded, his jaw clenched, struggling with his own words. “I know. And I know I can’t erase the past, but I’m asking for a chance to at least try and make it right.” His voice dropped to a plea. “I know it’s asking a lot, but I don’t want to let you slip through my fingers again.”
I took a step back, crossing my arms tighter as if that might protect me from the flood of feelings his words unlocked. Anger. Hurt. But also something frighteningly close to hope.
“You think an apology can undo what happened? That just because you say ‘sorry,’ I should fall back into your arms?” I forced a laugh, shaking my head. “No, Tyler. You had your chance.”
He looked down, hands falling out of his pockets, vulnerability making him appear smaller. “I know it’s not that simple. And I don’t expect you to forgive me right away. But can you at least believe that I loved you? That I still…,”
I held up a hand, stopping him. “Don’t. Don’t say it.”
The words lingered in the air between us, too heavy and raw to disappear.
His gaze held steady, refusing to let me look away.
“You can hate me if you want, but it doesn’t change how I feel. I love you, Samantha. And I’m asking for another chance.”
My heart twisted painfully, his confession cutting through my carefully constructed armor. I wanted to believe him, to let myself feel the hope that flickered at his words. But I knew better.
I’d already sacrificed too much. Too much.
I let out a slow breath, focusing on the clinking of glasses and the distant chatter of partygoers.
“Tyler, I don’t think I can go back to that place. I’m not the same person I was before, and I don’t know if I can ever trust you again.”
He nodded slowly, his face contorted with regret. “I understand. I do. But I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try. You’re the only person I’ve ever… you’re it, Samantha.”
The weight of his words pressed on my heart, leaving me caught in a storm of emotions. The easy way out would have been to walk away, let him carry the regrets alone. But something about the way he looked at me.. desperate, broken.. made me hesitate.
I met his gaze, unable to hide the hint of sadness in my own. “You don’t get to say things like that, Tyler, not after all this time. You made your choice.”
“And it was the worst mistake of my life,” he admitted, his voice laced with genuine remorse. “But if there’s even the smallest chance, I’m asking you to take it with me. Please.”
Every instinct screamed at me to turn and walk away, to protect myself from falling back into something that had once nearly destroyed me.
But there was a flicker of old feelings there, one that left
me conflicted, vulnerable to the memories of what we’d once shared.