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.

was splashed across the 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 of pride, but it was quickly drowned by a flood of

was something different about her her eyes, once so warm and open, now carried a fierce intensity that sent a chill through me. What had

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

can dig up on her," I said, the urgency

Sir as I figured you'd ask for information on

I reiterated. "Hee life since she left, her accomplishments, her

it. I'll send you a comprehensive

something I couldn't define. What if she had moved on? What if... she had

only intensified as I remembered the boy at the airport. That boy with her same eyes. I hadn't thought much of him at

a moment. 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

kept drifting back to Arielle. I found myself opening her alma mater's website, searching for any information about her time at the

but it was mostly just photos and accolades. There was no tangible insight into her personal life, no hint of what had shaped her into the person she

mind kept drifting

her-those eyes, the fierce

top, made a name for herself. She had built her life, found success without me. And somehow, that pride only deepened the ache in my

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

Subject: Arielle -Comprehensive Report.

report,

Meyers," I

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