CHAPTER 433

ETHAN’S POV

I can't shake the strange encounter with the woman who called herself Aria. The whole scene plays over and over in my mind like a movie I can't turn off. She had approached me with a mix of excitement and relief, as if she'd just found something she had lost for a long time.

At first, I thought she might need help. Maybe she had mistaken me for someone else, but then things got… intense.

She grabbed my arm, practically pulling me out of my seat, her grip tightening like she’d never let go and the way she looked at me—her eyes wide with disbelief—calling me Ethan. I kept telling her, over and over, my name is Aiden, but she wouldn’t listen. For a moment, I could see the desperation in her eyes, the hurt mixed with hope, and I almost felt bad for her. Almost.

Then Lydia had shown up, like some kind of savior, rushing in with her fierce protectiveness, shouting at Aria to back off. That’s when everything took a turn. People around us started whispering, looking at me like I w