Chapter 2: Ten Years Later

The morning sun spilled softly over the small cottage in the village, golden rays catching on the wooden beams and dust motes floating lazily in the air. The garden was alive with colors—vivid marigolds, delicate roses, and the soft green of creeping ivy that Amara had tended herself over the past ten years.

Amara bent down to water the plants, her fingers brushing against the soil, grounding her in a life she had built with determination and quiet strength. She had carved out this world for herself and her daughter, Crystal, far away from the chaos of cities and the mistakes of her past.

Crystal, now ten, was running barefoot across the garden, her curls bouncing with every step. She laughed, a sound so pure it made Amara pause and watch, heart swelling. The little girl had her mother’s soft brown eyes and a hint of a mischievous streak, but there was something different too—something almost otherworldly in the way her gaze lingered on the horizon.

“Mom, look!” Crystal called out, holding a small bird in her hands. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt it!”

Amara smiled, kneeling beside her daughter. “You’ve got a big heart, Crystal. Just like your father.” The words slipped out before she could stop herself. She froze instantly, heart thumping. Her daughter had never known the truth.

Crystal tilted her head, curious. “Daddy?”

Amara swallowed. “Your father… he’s far away, baby. But he’s proud of you, I promise.”

Crystal didn’t argue. She ran off again, chasing the tiny bird into the soft morning grass. Amara watched her go, a mix of love and fear curling in her chest. Ten years. Ten years she had hidden from the man who had changed her life forever, the man who still held a piece of her in his pocket—the necklace he had never returned.

She had thought she would never see him again. She had thought she had erased him from her life. Yet fate, she knew, had a way of sneaking up on people when they least expected it.

Meanwhile, in another part of the world, Ethan Kael was staring at his reflection in the glossy black walls of his private jet. His tailored suit fit perfectly, every detail sharp and precise, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

The contract he had just signed required him to visit a small village for a high-profile project. He would be meeting the locals, inspecting the development plans, and presenting the company that had become synonymous with progress. But beneath all of that, he felt an inexplicable pull—a tug he could not name.

It was the necklace.

For ten years, he had kept it in the inner pocket of his suit jacket, worn and slightly scratched. He had carried it across continents, through board meetings and gala dinners, through deals worth millions, yet it had never lost its weight in his hand. He called it his good luck charm, but deep down, he knew it was more than that. It was a connection, a thread that tied him to a woman he couldn’t forget.

Back in the village, the news of a foreign investor’s arrival spread like wildfire. The townspeople buzzed with excitement, drums beating in celebration, flags waving in the wind, and children running through the streets, shouting the newcomer’s name. The project promised new jobs, infrastructure, and opportunity for the little village that had long been overlooked.

Crystal, of course, was already out with her friends, swept up in the thrill of the day. She ran past the market stalls, past Tariq, the shop owner who was shaking his head at the chaos, and Mia and Levi, her two closest friends, shouting and laughing beside her.

Amara stayed behind in the garden, trying to keep her distance. She had lived a life of simplicity for ten years, and the idea of the world intruding into her small paradise made her uneasy. She could see the celebration from the corner of her eye but focused on her tasks—watering the plants, checking the laundry, preparing a small meal.

Then she saw him.

Ethan Kael. Tall, imposing, impossible to ignore. Even from a distance, she recognized him—not fully, but enough to make her heart stop. The sharp lines of his jaw, the controlled power in his movements, the way people naturally stepped aside for him—it was unmistakable.

Her pulse quickened, and she felt a surge of panic. Stay calm. Stay hidden. She ducked slightly behind a bush, pretending to prune a rose while her mind raced. He had no idea who she was, and she had no intention of letting him find out. Not yet. Not until she was ready.

Ethan, for his part, was scanning the crowd, but his eyes fell on a small figure, Crystal, laughing and waving at him with a childlike boldness that made his chest tighten. His gaze lingered, and for a moment, he was struck by a jarring sense of familiarity.

She looked like someone he knew.

No. She looked like him.

He approached cautiously, keeping his professional demeanor intact, though his curiosity burned. “What’s your name, little one?” he asked, his voice deep, calm, yet threaded with something softer he hadn’t meant to show.

“Crystal!” she exclaimed proudly. “I live close to the church, and today is your visit, right?”

Ethan blinked, surprised by the detail. He crouched slightly to meet her eyes. “You live… near the church? And your mother?”

Before Crystal could answer, a neighbor, Eloise, stepped forward. “Your mother has been searching for you, dear. You should go.”

Crystal turned back to her friends. “I have to go now. Bye, Daddy Stranger!”

Ethan blinked. “Daddy… what?” He chuckled softly, shaking his head. Something about the innocence of the child struck him to the core.

Amara, from the garden, saw the exchange and held her breath. She had no idea he had spotted Crystal, had no idea how close he already was. Fate had stepped into her quiet life with precision, and she wasn’t ready for the storm that followed.

The sun climbed higher, and the celebration grew louder. Drums beat in rhythm with Ethan’s pulse. Somewhere between the cheering, the laughter, and the clamor, the invisible thread that had tied him to Amara a decade ago began to hum.

A decade of distance, of hiding, of survival—it was all about to collide in ways neither of them could predict.

And for the first time in ten years, Amara felt a chill run down her spine.

Because the past had come for them.