Reunion: Second Chances for Lost Love

At the reunion, he was the picture of success, with his stunning girlfriend by his side.

"If you hadn't let him go," she said, her eyes fixed on me, "you'd be Mrs. Sterling of Sterling Industries right now."

He sat across the table, his arm around his girlfriend, his face a mask of indifference. "That's all water under the bridge."

The crowd, always hungry for drama, ate it up, egging us on. Under his gaze, I instinctively covered the scar on my wrist, forcing a smile. “Yeah, we… we’re ancient history.”

1.

“Wasn’t it you who broke up with him, Tara?” someone asked, taking advantage of the girlfriend’s trip to the restroom.

Tara was me.

Across the table, Cole Sterling’s lips curved in a small smile, but his eyes remained distant, almost cold. It had been six years since the breakup, our first encounter since then. It had been completely unexpected. I’d only come because the reunion organizer said Cole wouldn’t make it.

The Cole Sterling in front of me was an entirely different person. He was a hotshot in the city, a young entrepreneur, a prodigal son returned. He was impeccably dressed, his features even sharper than I remembered. The watch on his wrist alone probably cost more than my car. People were practically bowing to him. I, on the other hand, well, things hadn’t been so smooth on my end.

"That's right, she ended things," Cole confirmed, his tone casual, answering the question like it was just about the weather.

The room filled with assumptions. That I was a gold digger, that I couldn't handle hard times, that I’d bet on the wrong horse and lost everything.

"Didn't I hear you were with some dude who ended up behind bars, Tara?” another classmate asked, her tone like nails on a chalkboard. “And you’re paying off his debts now? You came here for handouts?”

Through the taunting, Cole's calm, intense gaze never left me. He didn't say a word. I forced a smile, not giving them the satisfaction of a reaction.

The door swung open, and his girlfriend returned, her brow furrowed as she took in the changed atmosphere. She smiled, a dimple flashing in her cheek, "What did I miss?"

Cole’s face softened, his arm finding her hand. “Nothing, just catching up with old friends.”

She took her seat, her gaze lingering on me. She gave me that smile again, a little too sweet. "Cole’s mentioned you. Said if you hadn’t let him go, you’d be running Sterling Industries with him."

A few people couldn’t hide their smirks. Back in the day, when my family had been riding high, I’d been the center of the universe. The envy hadn’t faded, it had just morphed into a desire to see me fall.

Cole broke the tension, his voice clear and cool, not tolerating arguments. "That was a long time ago."

Everyone shut up, understanding that the big boss didn’t want to continue down that road, and the conversation shifted elsewhere.

His girlfriend raised her wine glass towards me, “Thank you for the hand-off. We hope to see you at the wedding.”

I hid my wrist scar, my ...