He lost her once. This time, he?s playing to keep her. Carson. Grief hollowed me out. After our son died, I focused on surviving: staying busy, staying controlled, playing the game I love. Ayla needed me to feel, to talk, to break open. I couldn?t. And before we noticed, we stopped skating in the same direction. Now she wants me to pretend we never fell apart ? for one snowy weekend in the Catskills. I tell myself it?s just a favour. But sharing a cabin with the woman I once loved? That?s dangerous ice. Ayla. Carson and I loved each other, but grief rewrote the rules, and neither of us knew how to play anymore. However, our relationship status isn?t public knowledge and I need him to help keep the illusion intact. Just temporarily for my Nonna?s birthday. Pretending brings back the easy banter, the familiar heat, the moments that once made us a team. The problem? None of it feels fake. But can we get past this one weekend and confront what we have been too scared to talk about and maybe find our way back to each other?
