e waiting for her husband to come home. The pieces clicked into place with sickening precision-the way Julian had looked at the screen, the softening i

ive diamond, ostentatious and brilliant, sat on Isabelle's finger. It was a public declaration, broadcast to the wor

e's voice was a lifeline o

over. This wasn't just an engagement. It was a strategic move, a public consolidation of power and narr

ke a fragile dream. The real worl

er lips before she had even fully processed

? You don't have to face them. You

a resolve she didn't know she had. "This is my city, too

ght out the next morning

he soft, comfortable pieces of her retreat. They were the armor of 'Nomad'-slee

w York energy. It was a jolt to her system after t

towards baggage claim, a sudden bar

Aria Be

ed hungry eyes. She was confused-she was a nobody. Her divorce was private.

ne voice cut through the c

d, looking flawless, her expression

this was a setup. An ambush.

as she had clearly summoned. "I'm so glad I ran into you," she said, her

he gracious fiancée, casting Ari

ng furiously. She would not give Isa

d for the cameras. "You look... well. The sea air agrees with you." It was a sub

ding chaos. "Isabelle. What a coincidence." She subtly turned her body so th

ghtened. Aria wasn'

eekend," Isabelle said, her voice bright and controlling. "You should j

g. A trap laid in public. Refusing in front of the press would make he

ic smile playing on her lips. "That

he cameras flash, let

e the d

e paparazzi, momentarily confused. She wasn't the weeping v

eyes, and cut through the crowd, leaving Isabelle