---- Chapter 20 20 | watched the news report with a detached curiosity. They focused more on "New Leaf Designs" and The Phoenix Project than on my past connection to Ethan. A small victory. My professional achievements were overshadowing my personal history. Good. Liam switched off the TV. "Don't let that bother you." "It doesn't," | said, and meant it. He handed me a steaming mug of coffee. "Good. Because this came in the mail yesterday." He held up a thick, embossed envelope. The return address made my heart leap. The National Design Awards. Chicago. "We've been nominated?" | whispered, hardly daring to believe it. Liam grinned. "Not just nominated, Ava. We're being honored. Newcomer Firm of the Year. For The Phoenix Project." | stared at him, then at the envelope. Tears welled in my eyes. Happy tears. For a change. "Oh my god, Liam!" | threw my arms around him, coffee sloshing precariously. "We did it! We actually did it!" He hugged me back, laughing. "We did it, Ava. You did it." ---- | pulled back, wiping my eyes. "This is... this is everything | ever dreamed of." All those years of putting my career on hold. All those years of feeling invisible, unvalued. And now this. Recognition. Respect. "You deserve it, Ava," Liam said, his voice full of pride. "You worked so hard for this." "We worked hard, Liam. This is for all of us. For New Leaf." The awards gala in Chicago was a glittering affair. Architects I'd idolized for years. Critics whose opinions shaped the industry. And me. Ava Miller. With Liam Walker by my side. We made a striking couple, if | did say so myself. Me in a simple, elegant black dress. Him, devastatingly handsome in a classic tuxedo. | felt confident. Fulfilled. Happy. | networked. | schmoozed. | secured two new potential commissions for New Leaf. Liam watched me, a proud, indulgent smile on his face. "You're a natural at this, Ava," he said, as we sipped champagne. "Years of practice, playing the supportive corporate wife," | joked, but there was no bitterness in it. Just a statement of fact. A past I'd moved on from. He squeezed my hand. "Well, tonight, you're the star." | playfully swatted his arm. "Don't get too cocky, Mr. Walker. ---- Your designs for the Miller house are getting some serious buzz too." He grinned. "We make a good team." "The best," | agreed. Across the crowded ballroom, a familiar figure stood watching us. Ethan. My breath hitched. The champagne suddenly tasted sour. He looked... different. Thinner. Lines of strain around his eyes. But it was him. And he was staring right at me. At us. At Liam's hand holding mine. His face was a mask of pain so profound it was almost unrecognizable. Jealousy. Despair. Regret. It was all there. A chilling echo of the pain he had once inflicted on me, now reflected back at him.