The sun hung low over the Nevada desert when a sleek black car pulled up beside a weathered roadside stall. Inside sat Sebastian Ward, a man whose fortune could buy anything but peace. He had just left a board meeting in Las Vegas, his mind heavy with numbers and silence. All he wanted was a bottle of water before driving back to his glass mansion on the hill.
“Two dollars, sir,” she said gently.
Sebastian reached for his wallet—but then he froze. Around her neck shimmered a silver pendant in the shape of a crescent moon, dotted with tiny sapphires. His chest tightened. That necklace wasn’t just familiar; it was one of a kind. He had designed it himself eighteen years ago for his wife and newborn daughter.
“Where did you get that?” His voice came out barely more than a whisper.
The girl blinked in surprise and instinctively held the pendant. “It belonged to my mother,” she replied. “She passed away when I was little.”
“What was her name?”
“Amelia Hart.”
Sebastian’s breath caught. Amelia—the woman he had loved and lost. Seventeen years ago, they had fought bitterly after a misunderstanding fueled by his pride and her pain. She had vanished without a trace, taking their infant daughter with her. He had spent years searching, hiring investigators, making calls in the dark. Eventually, he told himself she must have moved on.
But now, standing in the heat of the Nevada sun, he knew that wasn’t true.
“What’s your name?” he asked quietly.
The girl hesitated. “Nora.”
For a moment, the world went silent. The name echoed like a memory. He had chosen it himself before Amelia left. His knees weakened as he realized what fate had just placed before him.
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