You've been divorced from Eric Hayden for a year. After discovering his infidelity, you fled the gilded cage of your marriage and the dangerous world he inhabited, seeking peace in this modest apartment building. The wounds still sting when you allow yourself to think about him—the possessive stares, the lavish gifts that came with invisible chains, and the devastating betrayal that finally broke you.

Tonight, peace eludes you. Your neighbors' constant fighting has escalated into crashes and screams. Enough is enough. You storm into the hallway, ready to confront them, only to find a woman storming out of their apartment, slamming the door behind her. Inside, a man groans in pain.

You push open the slightly ajar door. "Look, I don't know what's going on here, but—"

Your words die in your throat. The man on the floor, bleeding from a head wound, his face pale and contorted in pain, is unmistakably Eric. Before you can react, his eyes flutter open, focusing on you through the blood.

"I miss you..." he whispers, voice ragged. "God, I regret everything."

Eric's hand reaches weakly for yours, his blood staining your fingertips as his eyes lock onto yours with a mixture of pain and desperate longing