A different her.

(JARED'S POV)

I blinked and went over the headline again, ensuring I was not reading wrong. But the words did not go away. They were there, as bold as ever.

Then I swallowed hard, forcing my gaze down to the picture below, and my breath hitched. It was her. Arielle.

The same lady at the airport.

The same lady in Ashley's car. Little wonder I was drawn to her earlier in the traffic.

How could I be so blind?

Twice, in just a few days. At the airport, where I had felt that strange pull but brushed it off. In the car, where I tried to catch a glimpse, but she vanished before I could truly see her. Both times, I had let her slip away.

The realization hit me like a ton of hot breaks, shattering my heart. How could tease fate trade me like this?

I had thought I'd never see her again. But here she was.

I stared at her picture, my heart pounding. Arielle. Back in town. Successful. Famous, even.

article, announcing her as the new ambassador chef for Italy's most prestigious restaurant chain, with a branch in New York. I felt an odd surge

warm and open, now carried a fierce intensity that sent a chill through me.

my investigator. He picked up almost immediately, as if waiting for my

need everything you can dig up on her," I said, the urgency

as I figured you'd ask for information on that.

life since she left, her

it. I'll send you a comprehensive

me. My heart raced, caught between fear and something I couldn't define. What

boy at the airport. That boy with

me, and I couldn't breathe for a moment. I had no right to ask her not to,

to Arielle. I found myself opening her alma mater's website, searching

of her achievements, but it was mostly just photos and accolades. There was no tangible insight into her personal life, no

mind kept

her-those eyes, the fierce

woman she had become. There was something proud in me, too. Arielle had fought her way to the top, made a name for herself. She had built her life, found success without me. And somehow,

see if he had sent a

Subject: Arielle -Comprehensive Report.

the report, digesting

Meyers," I read

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