Chapter 12
Nova moved again.
This time, the small apartment was leased under a friend’s name. Her family helped erase all traces.
For now, Zane wouldn’t find her.
Sunlight flooded the new space. She stood at the window, watching the bustling streets below. Freedom, long forgotten,
warmed her skin.
She’d severed all ties. Only essentials remained: identification, a single bank card holding her savings. The glittering jewels, the designer labels-all left behind. A clean start.
She dialed an old friend.
“Nova?!” Scarlett Rae Bennett’s voice burst with joy. “Where have you been? Three years! I knew about the Blackthorn marriage, then-poof! Gone. Did they lock you in a tower? I thought you’d vanished!”
Nova managed a soft laugh. “Long story. Still running your design studio?”
“Absolutely! Bennett Studios is making waves.” Pride laced Scarlett’s tone, then shifted to concern. “You reaching out… is
everything okay?”
Nova hesitated. The full story stayed locked away. “I need a fresh start. A job.”
“Be at my studio tomorrow!” Scarlett declared instantly.
Bennett Studios occupied a historic downtown building. Inside, minimalist elegance met vibrant creativity.
Scarlett rushed forward the moment Nova entered, engulfing her in a fierce hug.
“God, You’re all bones!” Scarlett’s gentle squeeze traced sharp angles, concern morphing into forced cheer. “Never mind! Starting today, you’re my lead designer!”
Nova frowned, shaking her head. “I should start from scratch.”
“Nonsense!” Scarlett waved a dismissive hand. “You were the design department’s prodigy. I always regretted you didn’t join me sooner. Now that you’re here? No way I’m wasting that talent.”
Nova couldn’t refuse.
Settling at her assigned workstation, Nova’s fingertips brushed the smooth surface of a new drawing tablet. It felt like touching a piece of her soul, long neglected. Before the marriage, this had been her world. Three years… she’d abandoned
She plunged into design.
Days were spent absorbing industry trends with the team. Nights blurred into refining sketches under lamplight. Her style -a fusion of classical grace and modern minimalism-quickly captivated the studio.
Within a month, Scarlett burst into her office, brandishing an ivory envelope. “Nova! Your ‘Stardust’ collection-it’s been
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selected for the International Design Exhibition!”
Nova froze. Then, pure, unadulterated joy flooded her face. “Truly?!”
“Absolutely!” Scarlett vibrated with excitement. “Val-de-Rêve! Next month! You’re going!”
Nova took the invitation. Her hands trembled.
Her dream-seeing her work on a global stage-was suddenly real. How much had those three hollow years cost her?
But it wasn’t too late.
Unseen by Nova, at Blackthorn Group headquarters-Zane flipped through the latest Design Quarterly. His gaze snagged
on a page.
Beside the elegant lines of the featured “Stardust” collection, the designer’s name glared-Nadia Sterling.
His fingers tightened. The page crumpled.
“Nadia Sterling…” The name was a whisper, rough and low.
His assistant hovered nervously. “Sir, she’s a rising star. Her style is quite distinctive. They say-”
“Find her.” Zane’s voice was ice. “Full dossier. Everything.”
The assistant scurried out. Zane remained, transfixed by the designs.
Too familiar.
The flowing lines. The meticulous detail. The restrained power humming beneath the surface… It mirrored sketches he’d glimpsed years ago, tucked away in Nova’s old portfolio.
He’d gone back to her shabby apartment after their confrontation. She’d vanished into thin air. His searches hit dead
ends.
Now… a thread.
“Coincidence…?” The word tasted hollow. A restless, gnawing energy ignited in his chest.
Outside, the city glittered like scattered stardust-a brilliance that couldn’t penetrate the hollow darkness within him.
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