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.

announcing her as the new ambassador chef for Italy's most prestigious restaurant chain, with a branch in New

now carried a fierce intensity that sent a chill through me. What had happened

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

dig up on her," I

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

reiterated. "Hee life since she left,

I'll send you a comprehensive

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

but it only intensified as I remembered the boy at the airport. That boy with her same eyes. I hadn't thought much of him at first, but now... the pieces began to fit together with a cruel kind of logic. Was he

I had no right to ask her not to,

on work, but my mind kept drifting back to Arielle. I found myself opening her alma mater's website, searching for any information about

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

kept drifting back

her-those eyes, the fierce

too. Arielle had fought her way to the top, made a name for herself. She had

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 a sharp intake

Subject: Arielle -Comprehensive Report.

report, digesting

I

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