Unmasking You by JoJo Stone

He was the wound that never healed

Jamie

A chance encounter at a charity event brings the past I thought I left behind rushing back—along with the one person I never wanted to see again.

Now, plagued by his presence, I’m drowning in memories. Some devastatingly bitter, some heartbreakingly sweet. Feelings I buried long ago are clawing their way to the surface.

I don’t want to want him. I don’t want to need him.

But when he touches me, the chaos quiets, and for the first time in years, I feel like myself again.

Do I turn away, unable to trust him again? Or is there a chance to rebuild something beautiful from the mistakes of our past?

Shane

I never expected to see him again, not with the weight of my guilt holding me back. I never imagined I’d have the chance to ask for forgiveness, to make things right.

But when the opportunity comes, I become someone I never thought I’d be—someone who lurks in the shadows, following him everywhere, just hoping for a fleeting moment to talk, to apologise.

Staying away from him is harder than I thought, and when the chance to protect him from pain arises, I don’t hesitate—even if it means putting myself in harm’s way.

Will I carry this guilt and these unrequited feelings forever? Or can we rise from the ashes of our past to build something new?