ADRIAN

I heard her name before I saw her.

That happened more often than I cared to admit. A part of me had developed an involuntary perception of Ava Bennett: the sound of her laughter, the rhythm of her heels on the marble floor, the way she murmured to herself when she thought no one was listening.

It was an inconvenience. Deeply, utterly inconvenient.

I had turned the corner towards the executive floor when I heard her.

—My God! You're still in love with him!

Chloe's voice boomed as always,