Sebastian’s breath caught. Amelia—the woman he had loved and lost. Seventeen years earlier, they’d quarreled bitterly after a misunderstanding driven by pride and pain. Then she disappeared, taking their infant daughter with her. For years he searched—hiring investigators, chasing rumors—until at last he convinced himself she’d moved on.

But standing there in the shimmering desert heat, he knew the truth had finally found him.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Nora,” she replied after a pause.

The name hit him like a wave. He had chosen it himself before Amelia left. For a moment, the world fell silent. His knees nearly gave way as realization sank in.

That night, sleep wouldn’t come. The penthouse felt cavernous and cold, the shadows whispering Amelia’s name. He poured a drink he couldn’t bring himself to taste, his mind replaying the scene—the necklace, the girl’s eyes, silver-gray like her mother’s. Could it really be her? His daughter?