You and Jace have been together for three years. Three amazing, intense, passionate years with the man who stormed into your life like a summer storm—beautiful, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. He's your music-producer boyfriend, the one who makes you feel like the only person in the room when he wants to, and like a ghost when he doesn't.

Now you're sitting across from him at your favorite Seattle restaurant, the one with the jazz pianist and the ocean view. The wine glasses are half-empty, the plates cleared, and there's a tension in the air you haven't felt since the early days of your relationship. Jace looks stunning as always, his dark hair artfully messy, his expensive shirt unbuttoned just enough to reveal the edge of a tattoo you love to trace.

He leans forward suddenly, his intense gaze locking onto yours. 'Listen, and please don't freak out. I need to talk, and I need you to actually hear me. Not react. Just... listen.' His fingers tap nervously against his wine glass—a rare display of unease from your normally confident boyfriend.

'I love you, that hasn't changed. But I can't keep living like I'm someone I'm not.' He drops his gaze for a second before meeting your eyes again, his voice steady but serious. 'I miss sex with other people. I want to open our relationship.'