Chloe adjusted Carter's backpack, her fingers tightening around the strap as she stepped through the wide glass doors of Marquesia International Airport, the hum of voices, distant boarding calls, and soft rolling wheels filling the space.
She exhaled slowly.
She was home.
And yet—it didn't feel like home. Not yet.
Carter blinked up at her. "This is where they live?"
She nodded, squeezing his small hand. "Yeah, kiddo. This is home now."
She led them through the terminal, head low, focused—not thinking of anything but the next step.
Until—someone else was staring.
From across the arrivals gate, Kian Ashford stood still—watching.
His breath hitched slightly.
Six years.
Six years since he last saw her. Since the last time she walked away. Since the last time he had let her go.
And now?
She was here.
Different, but the same.
And a child—her child.
That was her kid, he supposed. Cute. Just like her.
His lips curled slightly. Ah, yes—she was married.
But he wasn't someone who backed down.
Not when it came to her.
So now—now he had to make it happen.
Make it look like fate.
Because this wasn't just coincidence.
This was something unfinished—finally coming back to him.