Page 37 of The One Who Changed Everything

And if there was one thing I knew how to do, it was control myself.

I had spent years perfecting the art of shutting things down before they had the chance to hurt me.

So whatever this was—whatever pull I still felt toward Samantha—I would bury it.

The past had shaped my perspective, drilling into me the belief that nothing good came from wanting something I was never meant to have.

And that was the thought I couldn’t shake.

I told myself it didn’t matter, that whatever existed between us all those years ago was long gone. That the only thing tethering us together now was Sophia.

But sometimes, when I caught her watching me—when her gaze lingered just a little too long before she looked away—I wondered.

When our hands brushed as we passed each other in her too-small kitchen, when her breath hitched the slightest bit before she turned to busy herself with something else, I wondered.

And when she smiled at Sophia with all the warmth and love in the world, only to glance at me with something unreadable in her eyes, I wondered.

Did she feel it too?

That pull. That connection neither of us had asked for but couldn’t seem to sever completely.

I should have let it go.

But even as I told myself to push it aside, to bury it like I’d buried everything else, I knew one thing for certain.

If Samantha felt even a fraction of what I did, ignoring it would be impossible.

And maybe I wasn’t the only one fighting a battle I had no hope of winning.

CHAPTER 16

Samantha

The popcorn kernels rattled in the pot, and I stirred them absentmindedly, watching as they jumped and popped. It was almost funny—how something small and hard could transform under the right conditions.

Maybe I needed to do the same.

I wasn’t sure when it had happened, but the anger I’d held onto for so long—at Evan for disappearing, at myself for ever believing I could keep Sophia a secret—was starting to feel… exhausting. I had always been able to rationalize my decision to keep her to myself, because he hadn’t tried to find me, either. I wasn’t hiding her, per se.

But when he’d admitted to trying to find me? I could feel the little chink in the armor I’d so faithfully donned for fourteen years.

It had been easier when he was just a ghost from my past, but now he was here, a steady presence in Sophia’s life. And despite every instinct telling me to keep my guard up, I didn’twantto be angry anymore.

And moments like these made it all the harder.

"Mom, is it ready yet?" Sophia’s voice, impatient but excited, pulled me back to the moment. “What flavor are you doing?”

"Almost," I said, giving the pot one last shake. “It’s white cheddar tonight. Will you get the movie ready?"

She darted off, and I took a deep breath, pouring the popcorn into a bowl and spraying it with olive oil. I added the powdered cheese and gave the whole bowl a few big swirls. Then, squaring my shoulders, I walked into the living room.

Evan and Sophia were already settled on the couch, flipping through movie options. They were at ease with each other, and that alone made my chest tighten—not with resentment, but something quieter. Something I wasn’t quite ready to name.

“Perfect timing.” Evan glanced up, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “What are we watching tonight?”

I hesitated for only a second before sitting down next to Sophia, forcing myself to relax.

Maybe I wasn’t ready to let go of the past entirely. But tonight, I could try.

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