house. She couldn't. That apartment was a tomb of memories she needed to seal shut. The estate, ho

ing long shadows across the perfect lawn, she felt the weight of her wed

ing this remarkably well. His possessiveness, even in their separation, was unsettling.

with gold and orange as the fish moved languidly beneath th

o know where the ring is, Julian? she thoug

d through the air, a tiny silver flash against the blue sky, before it landed in the center of the pond. It made a small splash, a brief

time as its resident, her steps lighter than they had been in days. She was heading bac

ways: "You've reached Ryan Beaumont. Leave a message and I'll get back to you when I surface." She hesitated, not wanting to dump the weight of the past three days into a recording. She hung up

mediately enveloped Aria in a fierce, protective h

her through the last forty-eight hours evaporated, and she broke down, sobbing into Chloe's shoulder. The tears were not

her, letting her

The anniversary dinner. The divorce papers. The three years of secrecy end

of a bitch! I'm going to call my publicist

w but firm. "No, Chloe. Please. I don't w

three years with Julian, was still her first insti

y. No leaking. But we are not letting them get away with this." She

in still fresh and sharp. "

s don't just 'find new love.' They execute mergers.

lyze it further. The pa

"What's your plan? You're stayin

bustling city below. "I need to get out of Ne

ine, a place she used to go to write before

ast," she said, a flicker of purpose

cern and pride. "Good. Go be 'Nomad' again. Sho

. The path forward was terrifying, a blank page waiting to be written.