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.

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

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

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

everything you can dig up on her," I said, the urgency thick in my

figured you'd ask for information on that. But what specifically are you looking

life since she left, her accomplishments, her

it. I'll send you a comprehensive report

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

boy with her same eyes. I hadn't thought much of him at first, but now... the

for a moment. I had no right to ask her not to,

drifting back to Arielle. I found myself opening her alma

just photos and accolades. There was no tangible insight into her personal life, no hint of what had shaped her

mind kept drifting back

her-those eyes, the fierce

she had become. There was something proud in me, too. Arielle had fought her way to the top, made

email feedback felt like an eternity. I refreshed my inbox every few minutes to see if he had sent a mail, and with each empty inbox, my anxiety grew. Finally, it arrived. I opened the email with

Subject: Arielle -Comprehensive Report.

the report, digesting every

Meyers," I

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