Chapter 4 DAVID'S REAPPEARANCE

"Ask Alexander about the summer of 1999."

Isabella's words echoed in my mind long after she left, a haunting riddle that followed me everywhere. I couldn't shake the unease that lingered in my chest, a storm of questions swirling inside me with no answers in sight. What had happened that summer? Why did Isabella speak as if the very mention of it was dangerous?

I had spent the next few days trying to gather the courage to confront Alexander, but every time I thought I could, his cold, distant demeanor pushed me further away. Instead, I found myself avoiding him more than ever, wandering through our oversized penthouse like a ghost, feeling more alone with each passing day.

Then, out of nowhere, an old name popped up on my phone's screen.

David Harper.

For a moment, I just stared at it, my pulse quickening. I hadn't spoken to David in years, not since I'd left our small hometown behind to move to the city. But seeing his name now, after everything I had been through, sent a flood of warmth rushing through me. He was one of the few people who had ever truly known me, back when life had been simple, uncomplicated.

I answered on the third ring. "David?"

"Sophia!" His voice was just as I remembered, bright, familiar, with a hint of mischief. "Is this real? Are we actually talking after all this time?"

A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "Yeah, it's real. How have you been?"

"Better now that I've found you," he replied. "I heard some news that you've been tied up in a certain *very public* marriage." He laughed, but I could hear the hint of concern underneath his casual tone. "Figured I should check in, see how you're doing."

My chest tightened. I wasn't sure how to answer that question, not with everything that had happened, but just hearing David's voice again made me feel like a part of me had woken up, one that had been asleep since the wedding. "I'm... adjusting," I said carefully, trying to mask the heaviness in my voice.

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before he spoke again, softer this time. "Adjusting, huh? Want to grab coffee sometime and tell me all about it? I'm in the city now. Maybe I can help you adjust."

Meeting David felt like stepping into another world-one that I hadn't visited in years but still felt achingly familiar. When I walked into the small café we had agreed upon, I spotted him immediately. David stood out in the room with his boyish charm, his tousled dark hair and easy smile that had always been so contagious. He was still as handsome as I remembered, his warm brown eyes lighting up when he saw me.

"Sophia!" He jumped up from the table, wrapping me in a hug that caught me off guard. It was a far cry from the stiff, formal greetings I had grown accustomed to with Alexander. For a moment, I let myself sink into the comfort of it, the simplicity of being around someone who didn't have a hidden agenda.

"You look great," he said, pulling back to look at me. But then his brow furrowed, and he frowned. "But... something's off. You don't seem like yourself. Are you okay?"

The question hit harder than I expected, my emotions teetering on the edge. I sat down, avoiding his gaze as I stirred the cup of coffee in front of me. "It's complicated," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Complicated how?" David pressed gently. "I know we haven't seen each other in forever, but I still care about you, Soph. If something's wrong, I want to help."

I met his gaze then, and for the first time in days, I felt the floodgates open. I told him everything-the coldness, the distance, the note that had thrown my life into disarray. I even mentioned the cryptic message from Isabella, though I left out the part about the summer of 1999. That was something I still hadn't wrapped my head around yet.

David listened intently, his expression growing darker with every word. "Sophia, that sounds... really messed up," he said once I finished. His eyes were filled with a mixture of worry and something else-something deeper. "I mean, this doesn't sound like the marriage you deserve."

"I know," I whispered, the weight of it all crashing down on me again. "But what am I supposed to do? I feel like I don't even know who Alexander really is."

David reached across the table, his hand brushing mine. "You don't have to do this alone, Sophia. I'm here now. Whatever it is you're dealing with, you can count on me."

His words were so genuine, so sincere, that for a moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. But then, almost as if the universe couldn't let me have a single moment of peace, I felt a presence behind me-cold and imposing.

I didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Alexander." The word slipped from my lips like a warning, my body stiffening as I felt his gaze on me. Slowly, I looked over my shoulder, and there he was-tall, stoic, and impossibly intimidating. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes... they burned with a quiet intensity that made my stomach knot.

David stood up immediately, his posture stiffening as well. "Alexander, nice to meet you," he said, extending a hand.

Alexander's gaze flickered to David's outstretched hand, then back to me, before finally shaking it. "David Harper. I've heard a lot about you," he said coolly, though his grip on David's hand seemed just a little too firm, the tension between them palpable.

David forced a smile, but I could see the flicker of irritation in his eyes. "And I've heard a lot about you too, Alexander."

There was a brief, heavy silence before Alexander spoke again. "I wasn't aware that my wife had plans today."

His words were casual, but the underlying accusation was clear. My heart raced, the tension between them thickening by the second. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, David stepped forward, his voice firm.

"We're just old friends catching up," David said, his tone sharper than before. "I wanted to make sure Sophia was doing okay."

Alexander's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. "Sophia's well-being is my concern."

The air between them crackled with unspoken animosity, the casual lunch I had planned now feeling like a battlefield. And for the first time, I saw something in David that I hadn't before-jealousy. It was subtle, but it was there, simmering just beneath the surface.

Before the situation could escalate, I stood up, placing a hand on David's arm. "David, it's fine. Thank you for checking in on me, but I need to go."

David's eyes softened as he looked at me, though the tension in his posture remained. "We'll talk later, okay?"

I nodded, offering him a weak smile before turning to Alexander, who was watching us with a quiet, simmering intensity.

As we walked away, the weight of the interaction pressed down on me like a suffocating blanket. I had never imagined that reconnecting with David would lead to this-a sudden, undeniable rift between him and Alexander. But one thing was clear now: things were going to get a lot more complicated.