Chapter 52
Her Again
(Axel’s POV)
For a moment, I thought I’d imagined her.
I’d been half-listening to the Dean drone on for the last hour. Something about partnerships, funding, and research development. His voice was background noise to the real battle in my head: how quickly I could end this meeting without burning every bridge in Paris.
Then the door opened.
And there she was.
Maya Sinclair.
My entire world narrowed to the space between us.
She froze at the threshold, her hand still gripping the door handle. The sunlight from the hall spilled across her face, and I swear my chest forgot how to move.
Five years. Five damn years. And yet seeing her felt like no time had passed at all.
She looked… different. Softer somehow, but stronger too. Her hair was longer, curling over he
