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.

most prestigious restaurant chain, with a branch in New York. I felt an odd surge of pride, but it was quickly drowned by a flood of

about her her eyes, once so warm and open, now carried a fierce intensity that sent a chill through me. What had happened to her? What had turned the woman I once knew into this... unstoppable force?

my investigator. He picked up almost immediately,

on her," I said, the urgency

you'd ask for information on that.

I reiterated. "Hee life since she left, her

you a comprehensive

didn't leave me. My heart raced, caught between fear and something I couldn't define. What if she had moved on? What if... she had married

stifle the dull throb, but it only intensified as I remembered the boy at the airport. That boy with her

I had no right to ask her not to, not after everything, but the idea of her with another man sent a wave of pain crashing

my mind kept drifting back to Arielle. I found myself opening her alma mater's website, searching

mostly just photos and accolades. There was no tangible insight into her personal

kept drifting

her-those eyes, the fierce

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, that pride only deepened the

eternity. I refreshed my inbox every few minutes to see if he had sent a mail, and with each empty inbox,

Subject: Arielle -Comprehensive Report.

scanned the report, digesting

I

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255