The morning sun filtered through the glass walls of the sleek Rossi & Co. office building, casting warm streaks of light across Elena Martinez's desk. With practiced precision, Elena arranged the day's schedule for Victor Rossi, her boss and mentor for the past three years. The hum of the office was muted, a steady rhythm of clicking keyboards and hushed conversations that kept the place alive. To Elena, this office had become more than just a place of work—it was her refuge, a place where she had learned to build herself from the ground up.

She flipped through the final notes for an upcoming meeting when Victor stepped into the room. His salt-and-pepper hair was slightly disheveled, and his eyes, usually full of quiet strength, held a glimmer of something mischievous.

"Elena, I have some news," he said, his voice calm but firm.

She looked up from her work, her brow furrowing in mild curiosity. "What is it, sir?"

Victor crossed the room and stood by the large window, gazing out at the city below. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and for a moment, he looked as if he was contemplating something weighty.

"I'm stepping down," he finally said, turning to face her. "It's time for me to retire and enjoy the next chapter of my life. My wife and I have been talking about it for a while, and I think it's the right time."

Elena blinked, processing his words. Stepping down? Retirement? Though she had seen it coming, hearing him say it out loud made her stomach twist. Victor had always been a pillar of strength for the company, and for her. He had given her this opportunity, believed in her abilities when no one else had. But what made her throat tighten wasn't his retirement—it was what came next.

Victor's smile softened as if anticipating her reaction. "But Luca... he's coming home to take over the business."

Her heart skipped a beat, though she kept her expression steady. Luca. The name rolled through her mind, awakening memories she had tried hard to forget. Memories of stolen laughter, late-night conversations, and a love that had once consumed her. But there were darker memories too—of a bitter argument that had torn them apart. It had been years since they'd last spoken, and she had buried those emotions deep.

Yet now, it felt as though the past was catching up with her all over again.

"When... when does he arrive?" Elena asked, her voice carefully controlled. She could feel the knot tightening in her chest, but she refused to let it show.

Victor watched her closely, his eyes full of unspoken understanding. "He'll be here next week," he said gently. "I know this might be... unexpected. You two were close once."

Elena managed a nod, though her mind was racing. Close. That was one way to describe what they had been. But the truth was far more complicated. Broken was another.

For the rest of the week, Elena couldn't shake the weight of Victor's words. The idea of Luca Rossi returning not just to the company, but to her life, filled her with a mix of dread and anticipation. She kept herself busy with her work, as she always did when her emotions threatened to spill over. But no matter how hard she tried to push the memories aside, they clung to her like shadows, always there, lingering in the corners of her mind.

She was 17 when she first fell in love with Luca. They had grown up together, their families intertwined by history and friendship. Theirs had been the kind of romance that seemed destined to last forever—at least, that's what she had believed. Luca had been everything to her back then, her first love, her best friend. But everything had changed on a stormy night two years later when a misunderstanding tore them apart, shattering the perfect image she had of their future.

Neither of them had spoken to the other since. Luca had gone away for his studies abroad, and Elena had focused on her career, determined to prove herself in the business world. Now, their paths were about to cross again, and Elena wasn't sure if she was ready.

The day of Luca's arrival came sooner than Elena had anticipated. She stood in the hallway outside the conference room, her stomach twisted in knots. She could hear voices from inside, Victor's deep tones mingling with a voice that was unmistakably Luca's. It was deeper now, more mature, but still carried that same familiar cadence.

Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and stepped inside.

Luca stood by the window, his back turned to her. He was taller than she remembered, broader too, his presence commanding even from across the room. When he turned to face her, their eyes met, and for a moment, time seemed to stop.

"Elena," Luca said, his voice low, almost hesitant.

"Luca," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

The tension between them was palpable, years of unspoken words hanging in the air. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. Victor, sensing the charged atmosphere, excused himself with a warm smile, leaving the two of them alone.

Elena swallowed hard, trying to mask her unease. "It's been a long time."

Luca's gaze didn't waver. "It has."

There was a brief silence, thick with the weight of the past.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Luca said, his voice soft but carrying a hint of something deeper—regret, maybe.

"This is my job," Elena replied, more curtly than she had intended. She immediately regretted the sharpness in her tone, but the words were out before she could stop them.

Luca's eyes narrowed slightly, though not with anger. "I know. And you've done an incredible job. My father speaks very highly of you."

The compliment took her by surprise, but it didn't soothe the unease gnawing at her. She wasn't here to rekindle old emotions. She had a career to focus on, a life she had built for herself without him.

But Luca wasn't done. "We left things... unresolved," he said, his voice softer now, almost vulnerable.

Elena's heart clenched at his words. Unresolved. That was putting it lightly. Their breakup had been painful, a sharp tear in the fabric of their relationship that had never been mended.

"There's nothing to resolve," she said, her voice tight. "That was a long time ago, Luca."

"Maybe for you," he murmured, his gaze holding hers. "But for me... it's never really been over."

The days that followed were a delicate dance of avoidance and confrontation. Elena tried to keep her interactions with Luca strictly professional, but every meeting, every conversation was tinged with the tension between them. She could feel the cracks in her defenses widening with each passing day, and she hated it.

One evening, after a particularly long meeting, Elena found herself alone in the office with Luca. The city lights twinkled through the large windows, casting a dim glow across the room. Elena gathered her things, trying to avoid Luca's eyes, but before she could leave, he spoke.

"Elena, wait."

She froze, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I know I hurt you," Luca said, stepping closer. His voice was raw, stripped of its usual confidence. "I never meant to, but I did. And I'm sorry."

Elena clenched her fists, her emotions warring inside her. She had spent years trying to forget him, to move on. But standing here, hearing him apologize, made it all come rushing back.

"I don't need your apology, Luca," she said, her voice shaking. "What's done is done."

"Is it?" he asked softly. "Because I think about you all the time, Elena. About us. About what we could have been."

Her breath hitched, and she turned to face him, tears stinging her eyes. "Don't. Don't do this."

"I'm not asking for a second chance," Luca said, his eyes searching hers. "I just need you to know that I never stopped caring. And I never will."

In that moment, Elena realized that no matter how hard she tried to deny it, her feelings for Luca had never truly disappeared. They had been buried, but never gone.

As they stood there, the city spread out before them, Elena was faced with a choice—continue running from the past, or face it head-on, with all its pain and possibility.

The answer, she knew, wasn't simple. But maybe, just maybe, it was time to stop running.