RENEE “Mister Dylan is here to see you, ma'am.” When Harry announced Dylan’s arrival, I wasn't sure who was more surprised—myself or Nicole, who had arrived only a moment before. We almost didn't believe him; I tried to call his bluff for a second. But then, he repeated it, emphasizing that the “Dylan” in question was Dylan Clarke—his boss's son, my ex-boyfriend, the man who had ruined my life many times over. And now he was here. To see me. He stood awkwardly in the living room, his hands buried in the pockets of an oversized grey hoodie. His dark hair was chopped short and brushed out but still unkempt. He wore his customary faded jeans, tattered around the knees, and sneakers without laces. Rough stubble lined his jaw, and shadows were under his eyes. He looked exhausted, but not from lack of sleep. No. Something clearly pulled on his conscience. I could see the tiredness in his body language, in the way his shoulders slumped forward slightly as if he were carrying a great weight. But there was something else I noticed—some vulnerability. He held himself like he could run at any moment, his eyes darting around quickly, which baffled me. Nicole's soft hand pressed gently on my shoulder, squeezing it. "You understand you don't have to do this, right?" My lips pressed together firmly. “I can send the motherfucker out. Just say the word. Harry is right here, and—” “It's fine, Nicole," I said before she could finish, and a hiss escaped her lips. Dragging her gaze from me to Dylan, she muttered angrily. “Jesus Christ...if you say or try anything stupid, I'll skin you alive, bastard," His eyes widened just enough to show he’d heard her. With the tiniest wince, his stance changed, and he straightened up slightly. Nicole squeezed me on the shoulder before stepping aside. She didn’t leave the room; instead, she chose to sit on the couch opposite mine. Her blazing gaze never left Dylan, who still looked uncomfortable, moving from one foot to another. An action that oddly satisfied me. Considering the emotional havoc he’d caused me, a little discomfort should be the least of his problems. His uneasiness made me feel strong. It made me feel like I could do anything. Like I’d been granted the power to destroy this man with my words, actions, and anything else. I was no longer the girl he'd broken, the girl he humiliated and made fun of in public. No, that girl was gone. In her place was a strong, confident woman who would never let anyone tamper with her feelings again. The thought that he knew this… brought a smile to my face. However, the grin faded when he spoke, breaking the silence. “Well, this is… awkward." I raised an eyebrow. "No shit. You came here uninvited. What were you expecting?” My voice was flat, emotionless. "That I’d be all smiles and huggy hugs?" “I..." He paused and cleared his throat. "Not… really…” “How did you know where to find me?" “You weren't that hard to find, Renee." I gasped, and he sighed. "It isn't what you think. I went to your place, but you weren't there, so I assumed you were with my dad. He's been all over the news, including at this hotel. It wasn't hard to connect the dots. That’s all. I swear.” I huffed noncommittally. "Yeah, right. So, why are you here? And you better hurry before your father returns. You know he won't like seeing you here." Dylan’s face flickered with amusement. For a half-second, I wondered what I’d said that was amusing. I expected something different from him—a slight grimace, a violent display of rage, anything that would give me a reason to kick him out. Surprisingly, he flung his head back and laughed. Nicole seemed as confused as I was. “Sorry,” he continued, chuckling. “You know, I would’ve been outraged by that, but guess what? I’m not." “Huh?” “I'm not upset, because you're right."I blinked twice. “Look…" He shook his head. "I didn’t come here to discuss my father, Renee. I..." He breathed heavily, clearly struggling with his words. "I wanted to apologize." There was a pause while I processed his words. Finally, I managed. “Apologize? For what?" “For everything." He swallowed. "I'm sorry, Renee." Nicole and I snorted. What the hell was this? “Is this some sort of joke, Dylan?" I scoffed. “Renee…" “Don't you dare say my name again!" I raised a dismissive hand at him. "Are you trying to get back with me? Or do you think you can swoop in and play Romeo because your father is in some situation?" He glanced away. “Or did you think I'm…" “For Godsake, this has nothing to do with wanting you back," he snapped angrily. I visibly flinched, taken aback by his outburst. “I mean…damn it, Renee," He muttered a string of curses. “I'm not here to apologize because I want us to be together. No. I..." He ran his fingers through his hair. "The last apology didn't go so well, and I admit I was thinking with my pants. I wanted you before, but this… today is different.” “Why?" I asked sharply. "Why is it different?” "Because I genuinely want a clean slate." I stilled. He continued, "I apologize. For cheating on you, humiliating you in public when I discovered your affair with my father, and, most importantly, for going along with my mother’s ploy to ruin you. I…” “What ploy? What are you talking about?" My heart skipped a beat, but Dylan didn't answer immediately. To my astonishment, he dropped to his knees and began crawling toward me. My mouth fell open. Nicole gasped, and Harry, standing in a corner of the room with his arms crossed, approached. He glared furiously at Dylan as he did, his eyes narrowing. I had to raise my hand to stop him. “What are you doing?" The question came out hushed. I looked at him like he was crazy. He didn't stop crawling, though. He only came to a halt a few inches from me. "Fuck it, Renee. I…It was my idea to ruin you because I was full of resentment, hatred, and anger. I was so stupid." He reached forward and grabbed one of my hands, making my skin crawl, but not in terror. His fingers were cold as ice. My breath hitched, and I drew back involuntarily, staring at him wide-eyed. “Don’t touch me! Don't you dare!" “God, I must disgust you." His eyes welled up as if he was going to cry. “Please forgive me, Renee." He sniffled. “I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but if you could find it somewhere in your heart to give me a chance to make it up to you, trust me, I will do everything in my power to deserve it." Nicole muttered under her breath, "Oh my God, this isn't happening." Her expression matched mine, disbelief written all over her face. "Are you going to believe this lying piece of shit? This manipulator?" I opened my mouth to say something. It may have been a rejection or an acceptance of Dylan's bizarre apologies, but I'd never know because the ding of the suite’s door distracted us. We all turned to see Robert walk in with two police officers and his bodyguards. Dylan's eyes dilated with fear as he moved away from me. “What the fuck is happening here?" Robert's voice shook the room. His rage would be scary if it’d been focused on me, but it wasn’t. The brunt of his harsh glare was born by Dylan, who was still hunched over on the floor. "You motherfucking bastard!" “Dad!. It's not what you think," Dylan argued, standing up. He started walking toward Robert when an order rang out, and he froze. "Arrest him!" His eyes darted to his father in shock. My jaw dropped, and Nicole placed a palm over her lips as Robert repeated the order, pointing his fingers at his son. "Arrest him now!" The officers surrounded Dylan in seconds, grabbing his arms and forcing handcuffs on his wrists. "Dad, please!” Dylan's voice was frantic as the officers escorted him out of the suite. He gave me a beseeching look. “Renee, tell him I just came here to apologize. Why is he arresting me? I—” He broke off abruptly as they dragged him out. ”Robert, what’s going on?" I demanded, confused. Robert, who’d been speaking with Harry, slowly turned to me. "I had him arrested." “What?" “You heard me. You saw it." His gaze was steely. "I had Dylan arrested, Renee." “Why? Because he came to see me? You’re being overly harsh and..." “I’m being too harsh?” He spat back and stepped away. "Did you forget who this is? Have you forgotten what he did to you, to me, to us?" “I know who he is, damn it! He didn't mean any harm. He only came to apologize and—” “And you believe him?" He scoffed. "You believe that conniving son of a bitch?!" "Your son, Robert. He's your son!” “He's a liar! Just like his mother. He’s a piece of shit who deserves to rot in prison for his crimes. And I swear to heaven, by the time I’m done with both of them, they’ll…” His voice cracked, and he took a deep breath. “Look, Renee, I’m angry right now. Very angry, and rightly so. Just give me some space, please.” “Robert…" But he'd already turned and was talking to Harry, completely ignoring me. "Pack everything up. We're leaving the suite today and heading to the house. Take Renee with you." “What?" I grabbed his wrist and forced him to look at me again. "What is going on?" “Nothing, I just need you out of here as soon as possible." He turned away and tried to pull his wrist out of my grasp, but I didn’t let go. “No," I sneered. “You don't get to do that thing now." “What thing, Renee?" His tone softened, but there was still an edge to it. "You need to let me go. I'm having a press conference soon. I need to release a statement.” “What statement?" “Oh God, Renee. Don't be dumb. You know what I mean." The maddening anger in his voice finally made me snap. "I shouldn't be dumb? Are you calling me stupid?”