Melted by her Love

PART12:-The Past Resurfaces

The weight of Emme’s words lingered long after she left Alex’s office. For hours, he sat alone, staring out at the city skyline, lost in thought. Her confrontation had shaken him in ways he hadn’t expected. She had seen through him, past the cold, ruthless persona he had carefully crafted, and forced him to confront the truth he had buried deep inside for so long.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that she had unlocked something inside him, something he had been trying to keep hidden for years. But what terrified him more than anything was the idea that she might be right—he was afraid. Not just of letting someone in, but of facing the demons of his past.

As the city lights twinkled below, memories began to stir. Alex hadn’t allowed himself to think about his past in a long time, but now, the floodgates had opened, and the memories came rushing back—whether he wanted them to or not.

---

It started with the sound of rain. The relentless downpour beat against the windows of a small, dingy apartment—a place he hadn’t thought about in years. Alex, still a boy then, sat huddled on the worn sofa, watching the raindrops race each other down the glass. His mother was in the kitchen, the clatter of dishes and the muffled sound of her humming barely audible over the storm outside.

He had loved her humming. It was the only thing that made him feel safe. His father had left when Alex was barely six, disappearing without a trace. His mother had tried her best to hold their small family together, but the stress of working two jobs to make ends meet had taken its toll. She had changed over the years, the light in her eyes dimming with each passing day.

Alex’s life had been defined by instability, by the constant fear that everything could fall apart at any moment. There had been nights when they had barely enough to eat, and mornings when he woke up to find their electricity shut off. The only constant in his life had been his mother’s humming—a quiet reminder that there was still some comfort to be found in the chaos.

But that comfort had vanished one cold November night.

He remembered the police officer at the door, his mother’s tear-streaked face as she collapsed into sobs. He didn’t understand it at the time, but later, he learned that his father had been found dead in a rundown motel room, his life cut short by a lethal overdose. His mother’s grief had consumed her after that. She had retreated into herself, leaving Alex to fend for himself. The woman who had once been his protector had become a shadow of her former self, and Alex, just a boy, had been forced to grow up far too soon.

It wasn’t long before his mother’s health deteriorated. By the time he was sixteen, she was gone too, her body succumbing to years of stress and hardship. Alex had been left completely alone in the world, with nothing but the bitter lessons of abandonment and loss to guide him.

He had learned early on that people leave. That you couldn’t rely on anyone but yourself. And from that point on, he had vowed never to let anyone get close enough to hurt him again.

---

The memories swirled around him, a maelstrom of pain and betrayal. But it wasn’t just his childhood that had shaped him. There had been another betrayal, one that had cut even deeper.

Her name was Lily.

Alex had met Lily when he was fresh out of college, full of ambition and drive, eager to conquer the world. She had been everything he thought he wanted—beautiful, intelligent, and seemingly kind. For a brief period, Alex had allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, he could have a future with someone. He had let his guard down, something he rarely did, and opened his heart to her.

But Lily hadn’t been what she seemed.

He remembered the night it all fell apart, the night he learned the truth. He had come home early from a business trip, eager to surprise her. Instead, it was he who had been surprised. He had found her in their apartment, wrapped in the arms of another man.

The betrayal had cut him to the core. In that moment, everything he had feared about love, about trust, had been confirmed. People were selfish. They took what they wanted and left when it no longer suited them. Love, he had realized, was nothing more than a lie people told themselves to feel less alone.

That was the night Alex Blackwood had sealed his heart away for good. He had buried the pain, the anger, and the betrayal deep inside, vowing never to be that vulnerable again. From that moment on, his life had been about control. He had thrown himself into his work, building his empire with cold calculation and precision. Emotions were weaknesses, and he had none to spare.

But now, years later, Emme Carter was unraveling everything.

---

As the memories faded, Alex leaned back in his chair, his heart heavy with the weight of his past. He had spent so long trying to forget, trying to move on, but it was clear that the ghosts of his childhood and Lily’s betrayal still haunted him.

He thought about Emme—her kindness, her determination, and the way she had seen through him when no one else could. She had called him out, challenged him in a way no one ever had. And for the first time in years, he found himself questioning the walls he had built around his heart.

Could he really let someone in again? Was it even possible for him to feel something other than cold calculation?

Alex wasn’t sure. But what he did know was that Emme was different. She wasn’t like Lily. She wasn’t like the others who had hurt him. She was strong, independent, and unafraid to stand up to him. And despite everything, despite his best efforts to keep her at a distance, he found himself wanting her in his life.

But the scars of his past were still raw, and he wasn’t sure he could ever fully trust anyone again. Could he risk it? Could he let himself feel, knowing how much it had cost him before?

The questions swirled in his mind as he stared out at the city, the answers just out of reach.

For now, all he knew was that Emme had awakened something inside him—something he hadn’t felt in years. And as much as it terrified him, it also gave him hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for him to heal. But first, he would have to confront the demons of his past—and decide whether he was willing to let someone in again, or whether he would continue to live behind the walls that had kept him safe for so long.

The battle between his past and his future was just beginning, and Alex wasn’t sure which side would win. But one thing was clear: Emme Carter had changed him, and there was no going back.