REWOVEN HEART

Chapter eighteen: Sparks Fly

The day of the meeting arrived, and Nina walked into the conference room with a mix of nerve and excitement. The room was filled with senior executive, each one busy with their own agenda. But the door was opened, and Damien entered, every head turned.

Nina's stomach dropped and her breath caught in her throat. There he was-older, more polished, but unmistakably the man that she had once loved. Their eyes met across the room, and for a moment, the rest of the world seemed to blur.

Damien's gaze softened when he saw her. A flicker of recognition passed between them, but he kept his expression neutral. He didn't want to acknowledge the past, not here, not in front of his colleagues. But Nina could see the spark in his eyes, the same one that had never truly gone out.

"Ms. Cruz," he said, his voice calm, businesslike, as he took his seat at the head of the table. "It's good to finally meet you in person."

Nina nodded, heart racing, "Mr. Blackwood," she replied, her voice steady but betraying a hint of emotions she had buried for so long.

As the meeting progressed, they both tried to focus on the task at hand, but there was an undeniable tension in the air between them. The past, the love they had shared, hung between them like a invisible thread.

After the meeting Damien approached her. "I didn't expect to see you here," he said, his voice low and sincere.

Nina crossed her arms, her stance defensive. "Neither did I. But I'm here now."

"You never told me you were coming back to this field," Damien said, a hint of regrets in his tone.

"Life moves on, Damien. People move on." Nina kept her voice firm, her heart thudding in her chest. She wasn't going to make it easy for him. Not after everything they have been through.

Damien stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "Nina, I-"

"Don't," she interrupted holding up her hand. "We can't just pick up where we left off. You made your decision back then. And I've moved on."

The words were harsh but they were true. Nina wasn't going to let him back in her life, no matter how much the spark between them flared up again.

Damien looked at her, a mixer of frustration and longing eyes. "I haven't forgotten, Nina. And I'm not giving up on us."

Nina's heart ached, but she stood her ground. I'm not the same person I was, Damien. And I'm not the girl who's going to wait around for you to decide what you want."

He didn't say nothing more. Instead, he just nodded, the wait of unspoken emotions between them. As he walked away, Nin couldn't help but feel the familiar pull. But she knew this was different now. She had learned the hard way that some things weren't meant to be.