The rain had finally let up by morning, leaving behind the fresh scent of wet earth and mist clinging to the trees. Elena woke up in the driver's seat, feeling the stiffness in her neck. Her first instinct was to check on Luca, who was still leaning back in the passenger seat, his fever having subsided somewhat during the night. He looked exhausted but peaceful, his breath now steady as he slept.

Elena sighed with relief. She had spent most of the night worried about him, holding his hand, whispering soft reassurances when his fever spiked and his breathing grew labored. Despite everything, she couldn't deny that her heart had softened toward him again. All the old feelings she had buried were creeping back, and the emotional distance they had once maintained felt paper-thin now.

But she had to be careful. They couldn't go down that road again, not with the unresolved issues between them. Not with everything that had happened in the past.

As she watched Luca stir awake, the silence between them was comfortable yet fragile. He opened his eyes, squinting at the sunlight filtering through the rain-spattered windshield.

"Morning," Elena said softly.

Luca turned to her, his voice rough but sincere. "You stayed up all night, didn't you?"

She shrugged, trying to downplay it. "You were burning up with fever. I couldn't leave you like that."

For a moment, their eyes locked, and something unspoken passed between them—a deep connection that neither had forgotten, even though they had tried to move on. But before either of them could address it, the shrill ring of Luca's phone broke the moment.

Luca groaned and reached for his phone, his face twisting into a frown as he saw the name on the screen.

"Who is it?" Elena asked, sensing his discomfort.

He sighed heavily. "Shanaya."

Elena stiffened at the name. She had heard of Shanaya before—a successful, confident woman who had dated Luca on and off in recent years. Although Luca had never really opened up about her, Elena knew enough to understand that Shanaya wasn't just a fling. She was important to him—or had been, at least.

"Are you going to answer?" Elena asked, trying to sound casual but feeling a slight pang of jealousy that surprised her.

Luca hesitated, his thumb hovering over the screen. "I... I should. She's been worried. I didn't tell her about this trip."

He answered the call, his voice suddenly more guarded and formal. "Hey, Shanaya."

Elena watched as his face shifted into a mask of cool politeness, listening as Shanaya's voice came through the speaker, her tone concerned but sharp.

"Luca, where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for hours!" Shanaya's voice was demanding, and Elena could almost picture her—beautiful, assertive, and not one to be ignored.

"I'm fine," Luca said, his voice lacking the warmth it had held with Elena. "There was a storm, and we had to stop for the night. I didn't have a signal."

"Who's 'we'?" Shanaya asked, her suspicion evident.

Luca shot a quick glance at Elena before replying. "Elena and I were out of town for a meeting."

There was a pause on the other end, long enough for the tension to build in the car. Elena looked away, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.

"Elena," Shanaya repeated, her voice now colder. "Of course. Well, when are you coming back?"

"We're heading back today," Luca replied, keeping his tone neutral.

"Good. We need to talk when you get back. About us," Shanaya said, her words dripping with a sense of urgency that made Luca stiffen.

"Alright," he replied curtly before hanging up.

The silence that followed was thick, and Elena could feel the weight of it pressing down on her. She didn't ask what Shanaya wanted to talk about—it wasn't her place. But the sudden reappearance of Shanaya had stirred something inside her, a mix of confusion and an emotion she didn't want to name.

Later that day, after they had returned to the office, Elena felt a strange sense of unease. She and Luca had barely spoken since the phone call, and now, standing in front of her office, was Aaron—her close friend and confidant who had been supporting her through all the turbulence with Luca.

"Hey, you alright?" Aaron asked, giving her a warm smile as he approached. He could always tell when something was bothering her.

Elena smiled weakly. "Just a long trip. I'm a bit tired."

Aaron frowned. "You look more than just tired. Do you want to grab coffee later? Talk about it?"

Before she could respond, Luca appeared in the doorway, his gaze immediately locking onto Aaron. His eyes darkened, and the familiar possessiveness she had seen in the past flickered across his face.

"Elena," Luca called, his voice sharp. "I need you in my office. Now."

Aaron raised an eyebrow at the sudden command, but he stepped back, letting Elena handle the situation. "We'll catch up later," he said, giving her a quick nod before walking away.

Elena could feel Luca's tension even before she stepped into his office. Once inside, he closed the door behind them, the air between them thick with unresolved feelings.

"Do you really need me right now, or are you just trying to keep me away from Aaron?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Luca's jaw clenched. "You think I don't notice the way he looks at you? The way you two are always together?"

Elena let out a frustrated sigh. "Aaron is just a friend, Luca. And why do you care, anyway?"

Luca ran a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. "Because I do care, Elena. You're avoiding me, and now you're spending all your time with him. I don't like it."

"You're not in control of who I spend my time with," Elena shot back, her own frustration rising. "You don't get to be jealous, Luca. Not after everything."

"I'm not jealous," Luca snapped, though the intensity in his voice betrayed him. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "This isn't about me getting hurt. This is about you not liking the fact that I'm moving on with my life—without you."

Luca stepped closer, his voice low but intense. "Maybe I don't like the idea of you moving on. Maybe I'm not ready to let you go."

His words sent a jolt through her, and for a moment, Elena didn't know how to respond. The vulnerability in Luca's voice, the way he looked at her with a mix of longing and frustration—it all made her heart race.

But before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door, and Shanaya walked in, her presence like a gust of cold air.

"Am I interrupting something?" Shanaya asked, her eyes narrowing as she took in the scene—Luca standing too close to Elena, the tension palpable in the room.

Luca stepped back, his expression hardening. "Shanaya, this isn't a good time."

"On the contrary, I think it's the perfect time," Shanaya said, her gaze flickering to Elena with thinly veiled hostility. "We need to talk about us, Luca. And I'm not going to wait anymore."

Elena could feel the walls closing in, the storm between them brewing once again. Only this time, it wasn't just about her and Luca—Shanaya was here, and she wasn't going to back down.

The arrival of Shanaya and the re-emergence of old emotions left Elena feeling cornered, unsure of what the future held. Luca stood between the two women, caught in a storm of his own making. And as the tension in the room thickened, Elena knew one thing—nothing about this situation was simple, and the road ahead was only going to get more complicated.