Over the holidays, Sophia had to be on duty, so Aiden went on a three-day trip with his friends.

I knew all about it. As Aiden’s career advanced, I could tell Sophia was starting to see him in a new light. I thought their relationship was finally stabilizing.

But drama still found its way in.

I shot back to Clyde, “I’m not in Braylin right now. The stuff you dug up is more than enough. So, how much do I owe you?”

Clyde messaged back instantly, “Someone already covered the bill. If you need anything else, Ms. Murphy, just let me know.”

I replied, “Not for now. Thanks.”

After our chat, I went over Sophia’s photos again. There was one where she was sitting on that middle-aged guy, his hand wandering under her shirt. That was all the proof I needed—no more doubts.

Now that she’d gone this far, there’s no way I’m just going to sit back and watch.

First, I called Aiden. He sounded really pumped, full of that fresh-out-of-school energy.

“Hey, sis! What’s up? Heard from Jared you got promoted—congrats, you’re really crushing it!”

Listening to how excited he was about life just made my heart sink.

“So, how are things with Sophia? Any chance you two are thinking about getting married this year?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

Aiden replied, “Yeah, we talked it over. We want to get a place first, then maybe get engaged. We just finished school, so we’re both trying to build our careers. No hurry.”

I nodded. “Alright, so how are things between you two?”

“Sis, you really don’t need to worry. Sophia’s a bit sensitive, and when it comes to relationships, I don’t want to push her into making any rash decisions,” Aiden replied, sounding a bit annoyed that I was meddling.

I sneered inwardly. Women know women—Sophia was just playing the ‘sensitive’ card so I’d back off.

“Fine, it’s your call,” I sighed and hung up.

A few days went by, and my mind was weighed down with worries about Aiden.

Jared knocked on my office door. “The new manager in Braylin wants to meet with you to go over the handover. I’ve booked you a flight for tomorrow morning. Just go take care of it, okay?” Jared said.

I’d already gotten the email. The new manager needed to sit down with me and go over the accounts in detail before taking over my job.

“If you don’t want to go back to Braylin, I can have him come here…” Jared added, seeing the look on my face.

When it comes to work, I never back down.

“No, I’ll go,” I said. The whole thing with Sophia had been weighing on me, and since I was heading to Braylin anyway, maybe I’d get a chance to talk to her face-to-face.

“Don’t push yourself,” Jared said, his gaze lingering on me, serious.

“I won’t,” I just smiled back.

The next day, I flew to Braylin. The company driver picked me up from the airport, and I rushed straight to the office. I spent three hours talking with the new manager, plus two more meetings. By the time I finally finished up, it was already past nine at night.

Work had taken up so much of my time that it completely threw off my plans.

Guess I’d have to catch up with Sophia at noon tomorrow instead.

As I stepped out of the building, a familiar feeling washed over me.

The cold air hit me as I passed the paid parking lot, vaguely remembering there used to be a black Mercedes-Benz parked there.

I pulled my coat tighter around me and walked to the curb to hail a cab.

A taxi pulled up, and I slid in, giving the driver my address.

The view outside the window started to blur as the cold air turned everything hazy.

When we pulled up to the entrance of my apartment complex, I paid the driver and got out.

I was walking toward the gate when I suddenly heard someone call out to me.

I turned around and saw a young woman in a long coat standing next to a blue sports car.

I froze. It was Isabelle Lynn.

She seemed to be waiting for me, even though it was late at night.

“Ms. Lynn? What are you doing here?” I blurted out, totally caught off guard. I hadn’t even told Aiden I was coming back to Braylin—so how did she even know I was here?

Isabelle stuck her hands in her pockets and sauntered over. “Did you block me on WeChat?”

I frowned. “Sorry, I just didn’t want to see any more stuff about Ryan. It’s nothing against you.”