Chapter 21

My hands trembled as I slipped into my dress, my stomach twisting with nerves. Two weeks had passed since I left the hospital, fully recovered. The doctors had cleared me, and I’d even returned to teaching a few days ago.

So much had changed in those two weeks. Amelia and I had grown closer, and so had Daniel and I. When he asked me out three days ago, I’d said yes without hesitation.

Daniel was good for me. He made me laugh, made me feel light. With him, the weight of my past—of Ethan Blackwood—faded into the background.

"Up or down?" I asked Amelia through the video call, holding up two hair ties.

She grinned. "Up. That neck of yours is a masterpiece. Trust me, Daniel won’t be able to stop imagining his lips there."

Heat rushed to my cheeks. I’d been married, for heaven’s sake, yet her words made me flustered.

"You’re exaggerating," I muttered, twisting my hair into a loose bun, letting a few strands frame my face.

"Not even a little," Amelia countered. "You’re stunning, Sophia. You just don’t see it."

I sighed. Years of being compared to Isabella had carved that belief deep into my bones.

The little black dress I’d chosen was simple—nothing extravagant. Ethan had never taken me out, so dressing up had never been part of my life. Black heels, nude makeup. That was as far as I’d go.

Amelia’s jaw dropped when I spun for her. "Daniel’s going to lose his mind."

The doorbell rang just as we hung up.

One last glance in the mirror, then I grabbed my clutch and hurried downstairs.

Daniel stood there, devastatingly handsome in a tailored black suit, holding a bouquet of roses. His eyes darkened as they swept over me.

"Beautiful," he murmured, lifting my chin with a finger before handing me the flowers.

I inhaled the sweet scent, struck by the novelty of it. Ethan had never bought me flowers. To him, I’d been an obligation.

After placing them in water, we left.

Nervous energy buzzed under my skin. What did people even talk about on dates?

"Is it weird that I’m terrified?" Daniel chuckled as he drove. "And I’ve been on plenty of these."

I laughed, tension easing. "I’ve been a wreck all day. My students called me out for spacing out."

He grinned. "I filed the same report three times."

The ease between us was refreshing. This was how things should’ve been with Ethan.

The restaurant was upscale, the kind of place Ethan frequented for business dinners.

Daniel noticed my discomfort the moment we sat. "You okay?"

I hesitated. "It’s just… this place. It’s not really me."

His expression softened. "Then let’s go somewhere that is."

Before I could protest, he stood, offering his hand.

Outside, he kissed my forehead. "Ice cream?"

I grinned. Maybe the night wasn’t ruined after all.

Then I felt it—the weight of a familiar gaze.

Ethan stood near the entrance, Isabella beside him. His stormy gray eyes burned into me, dark with something dangerous.

I looked away, gripping Daniel’s hand tighter.

Ethan had no right to glare. Not when he was the one who’d chosen Isabella.

Daniel pulled me into conversation, and for the rest of the night, I almost forgot the storm brewing in Ethan’s eyes.

Almost.