Chapter 6

I'd done the math—eight years had passed since I last saw Jack Harlan. He looked older now, weathered by time. Fine lines etched the corners of his eyes, and his once-boyish features had hardened into something more guarded, more weary. After Ben Carver left, Jack sat across from me, his expression unreadable. "Long time no see, Emily," he said quietly. I offered a small smile. Staring at him now, I felt nothing—no ache, no longing. The old pain seemed to have vanished, buried beneath...