The Five-Year Echo

Ethan Vale was a master at running. Charming, commitment-phobic, and terrified of anything permanent, his golden rule was simple, leave before things get too real. The only exception was her. She never pressured him, never demanded promises, and made loving her feel terrifyingly easy. Until the day she vanished without a trace. No fight, no explanation, just a disconnected number and an empty apartment.

Five years later, Ethan is still haunted by the girl he let walk away. But a chance collision in a crowded grocery store aisle shatters his world all over again. She's back. And she isn't alone. Looking down at a four-year-old boy with his exact eyes, Ethan realizes the devastating truth, she didn't leave because she stopped loving him. She left because she believed him when he said he wasn't ready.

Now, the boy who ran from forever has to prove he's ready to stay. Permanently.