The world had gone quiet around Aria Vale.

Three months had passed since Ethan’s death. The city no longer whispered her name with scandal; now it spoke of her boutique design studio, Ember, a rising gem in downtown Manhattan.

The papers called her the phoenix heiress. She smiled when she read it, though the word still felt foreign.

Most days were filled with fabrics, sketches, and the quiet hum of life moving forward. Liam visited often, his laughter a light she’d forgotten she needed. The ...