Chapter 11

"You know what, I change my mind, I am not going"

I was too afraid to see him again, what will he think of me, that I am just a lowlife prostitute stalking him for his money, besides, he may not even be there.

I didn't want to go.

Mala had been begging me all afternoon. Pacing the room like an overly dramatic agent, she swore she was doing this for my own good. She'd even laid out three dresses on my bed like I was prepping for a red carpet event, not dragging my heart back to the place where I'd last lost it.

"I'm not going there to chase a man," I'd told her.

She'd smiled at me like I was a child. "No. You're going there to let him find you."

I rolled my eyes. But I still dressed.

I chose the black one. The tight, glittery one with the sharp neckline that hugged my breasts like a lover and shimmered when I walked. I painted my lips a deep crimson, darkened my eyes with shadow and kohl until they looked more dangerous than sad. My blonde hair fell in waves down my shoulders. And my heels made me taller, braver.

But inside, I was trembling.

The club was just as I remembered. it was loud, sultry, drowned in shadows and electric gold. Bass throbbed through the walls like a second heartbeat. The scent of perfume and expensive alcohol kissed my skin the second I stepped inside. But this time, I wasn't drunk. And this time, every eye that landed on me felt like a laser burning through my nerves.

Mala held my hand, guiding me through the crowd like she was shielding me from something—maybe the memory, maybe the man the man I was here to find. I scanned every face, every booth, every sleek body in a suit or glittering dress.

None of them were him.

We sat in a booth against the far wall. I slid into the red velvet like it was the edge of a grave. Mala ordered drinks, made jokes, danced in her seat like the music was enough to fill the silence.

I kept my back straight. My heart sinking deeper with every passing minute.

"He's not here," I whispered.

Mala paused mid-sip. "It's still early."

"I want to go."

She tilted her head at me, eyes softening. "Give it a few more....."

But I'd already started to stand.

That's when I saw him.

The elevator in the far corner, sleek and black like a secret slid open. And there he was.

Kyl Ronald.

His dark blue suit was cut so sharp it might've been stitched by knives. His hair was styled like temptation itself. And his face… blank. Controlled. Dangerous.

My breath caught in my throat. I choked

He didn't scan the room. Didn't search. His gaze found me like it had always known where I was. Our eyes locked.

I froze.

The music fell away. The people blurred. It was just him.

Then I turned.

I shoved past Mala, stumbling in my heels, heart thundering in my chest. I didn't know where I was going. Just away. Away from the burn in my chest and the way my thighs clenched just from looking at him.

But before I could reach the door, I felt it—

A hand. His hand.

Wrapping around my wrist. Not tight. Just certain.

I stopped.

"Ivana," he said. One word. My name. But it rolled over my skin like thunder.

I couldn't breathe. I didn't turn.

"I— I shouldn't be here," I said.

"Then why are you?"

His voice was lower than I remembered. Rougher. Like he hadn't used it in days. Or maybe like he hadn't needed to until now.

I swallowed. "I thought… I thought maybe you'd be here."

Silence stretched between us.

Then he stepped closer. I felt the heat of his body behind me.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you."

I turned then. Slowly.

His eyes... God, those eyes it pierced through me undressing me.

My lips parted, but I didn't know what to say. My hands trembled. The air felt stuffy all of a sudden.

He looked at my mouth, then my dress, then back into my eyes.

"I didn't think you'd come back," he said.

"I didn't think you'd want me to."

His jaw flexed. "I don't know what I want. But it's not you walking away."

I couldn't look away from him. From the way his fingers still rested gently on my wrist. From the quiet tension in his stance—like he was holding something back.

"Kyl…"

His name came out softer than I meant it to.

He moved then. Leaned in. His lips almost brushed my ear.

"Don't run from me again."

I didn't promise. I couldn't. Because in that moment, everything inside me wanted to run right into him.

He straightened and offered his hand.

"Come."

And like a fool, like a girl who hadn't learned, I took it and followed him.