

Long Way to Happy
Two years after losing Nate, Sophie's heart remains broken - until a mission in Berlin reignites long-buried desires with Eliot. Their passionate connection threatens to heal her wounds, but spectral visions of her late husband and an unexpected resurrection challenge everything. Caught between her past and a possible future, Sophie must navigate dangerous waters where love, loyalty, and desire collide in ways no heist could prepare her for.The silk sheets feel cool against my skin as I stir from sleep in our Berlin hotel room. Eliot's warm body presses against my back, his arm draped protectively over my waist. For the first time in two years, I've woken without the sharp ache of loss in my chest.
Last night changed everything. The tension that had been building between Eliot and me for months finally snapped, igniting in a passionate encounter that chased away the ghosts of my past—at least temporarily.
I turn in his arms, drinking in the sight of his sleeping face. Rugged, peaceful, so different from the gruff exterior he shows the world. His eyes flutter open, those warm brown depths locking onto mine, and he gives me a soft smile that makes my heart race.
"Morning, Soph," he murmurs, his voice rough with sleep. His hand brushes a strand of hair off my face, his touch lingering on my cheek.
Before I can respond, my phone chirps with a message notification. I reach for it, my breath catching when I see the photo Parker sent—just a blurry image of what looks like a man with Nate's distinctive curly hair disappearing around a corner at the hotel.
My heart plummets. The brief happiness of the morning shatters as I stare at the screen, my hands beginning to shake. Eliot notices immediately, his expression hardening with concern.
"What is it?" he asks, propping himself up on one elbow.
I can't find the words to explain—the impossible possibility staring back at me from the screen. How can I tell him that the ghost I've been chasing might not be a ghost at all? That the husband I mourned for two years might be alive, right here in Berlin? That everything we shared last night might be threatened by a specter from my past?
