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C oncentrating at the office was futile, too many thoughts about Eve.

I had a piece to write, and I couldn’t do that if my mind constantly resorted to what-ifs and maybes about her.

I decided to go to a coffee shop and soak up the scent of ground coffee beans and baked pastries.

After ordering an iced coffee with extra caramel, I found a corner, cracked my laptop open, and dove in.

I was on a roll for a while, until I heard the door of the shop open with a chime. Quickly, I glanced up, but did a double take when I saw a familiar face. My fingers paused as I spotted Lincoln Fowler walking to the counter. His voice was gravelly and deep as he placed an order.

He wore a white tank shirt and jeans. His short dark hair appeared damp, like he’d recently showered.

He’d shaved since I last saw him. The baby face didn’t make him look innocent though.

He looked more like a sex offender. There was a tattoo on his forearm with the name Eve.

He waited in the pickup area, scrolling through his phone with his back to me.

I was glad he didn’t bother looking around.

I never particularly liked chatting with him.

I stared at his tattoo a moment before flicking my gaze up to his face again.

He now had his phone to his ear. With a scowl, I could hear him say, “I’m getting pissed off.

Fucking call me back already.” Then he slipped the phone into his pocket.

The barista called his name. He snatched up his drink and slipped out of the shop.

Confusion wrapped around me. What was he doing on this side of town? And did he just call Eve? Apparently, Zoey and I weren’t the only people she was ignoring.

I had the urge to chase after him but thought it would be better not to. It was good Eve wasn’t answering him . . . but not good that neither Zoey nor I had heard from her. My concentration escaped me again. With a sigh, I packed up my things and left the shop to go home.

Eve Castillo journal entry

I used to think I wanted to be married when I was younger. I wanted to be the bride who wore the pretty dress and full face of makeup. I wanted my hair styled with pearls. To kiss my man. To toss a bouquet to women who wanted love too.

When Lincoln dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him, I didn’t hesitate.

It didn’t matter that he had a temper.

That he was always checking my location.

That he grabbed me too hard or shouted when he was upset.

It didn’t matter as long as I was a bride.

But it did matter when he threw a glass cup at my sister and almost hit her. It was a crazy revelation to realize that I didn’t care how much he hurt me, but when it came to hurting Zoey, I wanted to murder him on the spot.

Murder would’ve been the easy way out for him. Instead, I called off the engagement, packed my shit, and left. There were two things Lincoln hated: being embarrassed and being alone. Perhaps the latter is why I’d stuck with him for so long. Because I hated the loneliness too.

I’m proud to say I haven’t looked back. Is it bad that I miss him though? I think about him every day. I try to distract myself, but nothing works. I even saw him eating at our favorite Chinese restaurant with some girl after we split up, and found myself getting jealous.

But I remembered Zoey. Her safety will always come first. Violence had been in our lives before and it ruined me. I’d be damned if I allowed it in again to ruin her.