There it was.
Raw. Unfiltered. And real.
For a long second, neither of them said anything. Serena stood off to the side, watching the scene unfold like someone locked out of a conversation she used to be part of.
And Alexander?
It suddenly dawned on Alexander.
That's right. Charlotte wasn't just another chef in a competition. She wasn't another girl. She wasn't a memory.
She was the difference.
she's his...?
His...
The one that had always been special to him, had always mattered more than he let himself admit.
---
Charlotte stared at him.
For a beat too long.
His words hung in the air like smoke—warm, intoxicating, dangerous.
"I just want you to be happy."
Happy.
Her heart skipped. Once. Twice. Then she forced a breath out, her voice low and tight.
"You don't get to say things like that, Alexander."
His brow creased. "Why not?"
"Because it sounds like you care," she said, eyes sharp but voice trembling at the edges. "And you've spent years pretending you don't."
