Home is Not a Place

Chapter One: Unfinished Business

Four Years Later....

Nina stood in the middle of the office, her gaze fixed on the window overlooking the city skyline. The late afternoon sun was casting long shadows and bathing everything in a muted, golden hue. The view should have been calming, but today, it did nothing to settle the turmoil roiling within her.

Liam's voice broke the silence, cutting through the tension hanging between them. "You're the best person for this, Nina. There's no one else I trust to represent us at the ICRS."

The International Coral Reef Symposium, held every four years, was a prestigious event that brought together scientists, researchers, policymakers, and conservationists from across the globe to tackle the latest issues surrounding coral reef ecosystems. This year, it will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida. As Editor-in-Chief, it made perfect sense for Liam to send Nina, his Senior Environmental Correspondent, to cover such a significant event. But despite the logic behind it, Nina stood firm, refusing to budge.

She spun around sharply, her eyes locking onto his with a glare so fierce it could have burned through steel. "I'm not going."

He didn't back down, his expression firm yet gentle. "Why not?"

She crossed her arms, as if that could somehow shield her from his words. "You know why."

Liam sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Nina... you had no problems attending the summit in Singapore last year. Or the convention in Australia just last month."

"Liam, you know why I can't go there," she snapped, anger and something dangerously close to panic creeping into her voice.

"Can't or won't?"

The question hung heavy in the air, and she looked away, unable to meet his gaze. She stared down at her feet, the polished floor reflecting her conflicted expression. The seconds stretched on, the silence between them growing more uncomfortable.

Finally, Liam exhaled softly, his voice softer now. "Okay. I understand. I really do. But Nina, it's been years. And Florida is a big state. You can't keep running away."

"I'm not running," she bit out, blinking rapidly as if she could will the stinging in her eyes away.

Liam's expression softened further, but before he could speak, she turned her back to him, brushing at her cheeks roughly with the back of her hand. It wasn't fair. She was supposed to be over this-over him-by now.

But it wasn't just any man, and it wasn't just a simple betrayal. It was Ethan. And it was the complete shattering of her entire world.

Liam's hands gently settled on her shoulders, his touch light and reassuring. "Hey, baby girl," he murmured, using the old nickname he'd given her when she was new and still the youngest staff member in the office. "Look at me," he coaxed softly, his voice so tender that it made her chest tighten with emotion.

Slowly, she turned, and when her gaze finally met his, she found understanding there. He wasn't pushing her. He never did. He was just... there.

"I'm not doing this to hurt you," Liam continued quietly. "There's just really no one else I could trust to go on my behalf... Please?"

Nina sighed deeply, a sound full of exhaustion and resignation. She hated how much power that one word - please - held when it came from him. And, looking at his sad puppy eyes, she hated even more that he knew exactly how to wield it.

"Fine," she muttered, running a hand through her hair. "I'll go."

Liam's eyes lit up in surprise. "Okay?"