ARIA’S POVI glance again at the familiar face, my heart racing with disbelief. It’s impossible to mistake those features—the same sharp jawline, the same intense eyes. Ethan Mitchell is alive. He’s sitting at the café, casually sipping a coffee as if nothing has happened, as if he hasn’t been missing for months.The sight of him floods me with a mix of emotions; shock, confusion, and a surge of relief I can barely contain. I had given up hope, convinced we’d never find him, and yet, here he is.I move quickly, my feet propelling me toward him before I’ve even processed the situation fully. My mind spins, searching for answers that don’t exist. How could he have survived without contacting anyone? Where has he been? What has he been doing all this time? And more importantly, why hasn’t he tried to reach out to me, to his family? My chest tightens with the weight of it all. He’s alive, but something is terribly wrong.“Ethan!”As I approach, my eyes lock onto his, and for a moment, I e
ARIA’S POVAs I turn away from the café, my heart pounding from the shock of seeing Ethan alive, I catch sight of a woman rushing toward us. Before I can process her presence, she’s already in my face, her words sharp and cutting.“Stay away from him!”She shouts, her voice laced with anger. I stand frozen as she hurls insults, each one landing harder than the last. People around us stop in their tracks, eyes wide, whispers spreading through the crowd like wildfire. It’s not the kind of scene anyone expects in a place like this—back in New York, people mind their business, but here, they gather as if watching a spectacle unfold.The woman’s fury only intensifies as she steps closer, her body positioned protectively in front of Ethan. “Leave my boyfriend alone! How dare you harass him?”She snaps, her voice dripping with venom. Boyfriend? My mind reels, unable to comprehend what’s happening. How could Ethan—my friend, my best friend—be with this woman? It doesn’t make sense. None of th
ARIA’S POVEthan can’t be pulling off a prank this elaborate. I keep telling myself that over and over, trying to calm the whirlwind in my mind. Revenge, a joke, a twisted plot—none of it fits. Maybe, just like me, he lost his memory. That thought strikes deep, unsettling me. I know what it feels like to have your past stripped away, to wake up and not recognize your own life. Is that what happened to him? Is that why he doesn’t know me?But then, I hear the whispers around me growing louder, piercing through my thoughts.“How shameless! Going after someone else’s man!”The words sting even though they’re coming from strangers, people who don’t know anything about the situation. I try to block them out, but they keep echoing in my mind as I watch Ethan—Aiden, he insists—and that woman, hand in hand, disappearing down the street.Something clicks. I know that woman. My heart skips a beat as I realize who she is. Lydia. Of course, it’s Lydia—Ethan’s ex. How could I have forgotten? It’s
ARIA’S POVEver since that night when Aria stormed out after the candlelit dinner, she has been avoiding me like the plague. I’ve tried to give her space, respecting her decision to pull away, but it’s eating me alive not knowing where she is or what she’s doing. I can’t ask Dave or her brothers either; they would just brush me off or make things worse between us.So, I’ve been in the dark, pacing in circles, worrying that she might have ventured into something dangerous. I know Aria, and she doesn’t sit still for long. She’s bold and stubborn, and with the number of enemies we’ve accumulated, I can’t rest. It feels like she’s surrounded by threats, and I’m powerless to protect her from them.Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to stay focused on the mission at hand; finding Ethan, Connor, or anyone who might have survived the jet crash. I’ve thrown every resource I have into the search, but we keep coming up empty.Each day that passes without news feels like another weight on my chest. I ca
ARIA’S POVAs I step into my hotel room, my mind is consumed by thoughts of Ethan, dragging me back to memories I had pushed away for so long. I remember that night vividly—how Ethan had asked me to play the role of his girlfriend at Lydia’s engagement party.I hadn’t known what I was signing up for at the time, but I had agreed. We ended up in the middle of an extravagant celebration, Lydia glowing in her lies, parading around with her new fiancé—a rich, gullible guy who had no idea what he was getting into.It had all started when Ethan discovered that Lydia had swindled three hundred dollars from his credit card and ghosted him afterwards. She had moved on to snaring this wealthy man, claiming she was pregnant with his child.The guy, decent and unsuspecting, had taken her word for it, quickly arranging their engagement and even planning a wedding. But Ethan couldn’t let that lie stand. He was furious, not just because of the money, but because Lydia was playing this man the same w
ARIA'S POV My husband and boss Adam, is laughing at every joke that leaves the lips of his first love while I watch them through the glass doors that separates his office from mine. I had been dutifully preparing some documents that needed his signature and also setting up his meetings for the day like I have done for 7 years as his secretary but since Sophia’s arrival, I have been unable to get any work done. I feel a pang in my chest every time Adam laughs, almost tearing up at the thought that he has never laughed like that around me. I stare at her slender frame, her lush black hair that bounces back into place even when she throws her head back in laughter and the grace in every of her movements. Sophia is an epitome of feminine grace and every of her features is proof of why Adam has been hung up over her even though they separated years ago. Even though he married me. The dark binds of his office are brought down abruptly, blocking my view of them both and now all I can see i
ARIA'S POV I am speechless for the next few seconds as his words hit me like a freight train. I wait. I wait for his hard eyes to soften with remorse at the harsh words he threw at me but that doesn’t happen. He is glowering at me, nose flaring angrily. “Adam, how…how could you say that to me?” I say, my eyes crossing over to Sophia who is now hiding her own frame behind his tall, muscular one, “In front of her?” “Because it’s the truth!” He yells again, startling me into making a small helpless sound. Adam has never yelled at me. And even though it hurts me to admit that he is truly saying the truth, he has never said it to my face and I never really thought he would. I have always known it yet it hurts to hear it come from him. It feels like a thousand needles are pricking my heart and making me bleed out with so much pain. He runs his fingers through his hair, seeming frustrated. Like he would rather not have this conversation with me. And just when I think it is over, he cont
ARIA'S POV Grandmother’s funeral is being held on a gloomy day, much to my displeasure. I listened to the weather forecast so I could choose the perfect day for the funeral, and according to the forecast, the day is supposed to be sunny and bright just like Grandmother. I feel duped standing by grandmother’s grave with the sky covered in clouds that only worsen the dark and depressing feeling that has settled in my guts since her death. I have cried so much that I have no tears left to shed at grandmother’s grave and now have to wear dark sunglasses to hide how red and puffy my eyes are rather than to complement my black dress. There are a few people hanging around the other graves in the cemetery to pay their last respects to their loved ones and at each grave, there are at least two people; couples holding each other, families comforting each other and even church processions. I am alone, with no one to comfort me since no one else bothered to attend my grandmother's funeral. W