Julian’s POV
We left the boutique carrying bags, her laughter trailing softly as we teased each other about shoes and jewelry. For a moment, everything felt light again, like the tension of the last few days had finally eased.
But then it happened.
We turned a corner near the fountain, its marble statues gleaming under the lights, and I froze.
Because standing just a few paces away, half-hidden by a column of glass, was a woman I knew too well.
Reina.
Or at least, it looked like her.
Her posture, the tilt of her head, even the faint glimmer of her hair,it all pulled at me in a way memory alone couldn’t. For a heartbeat, I forgot to breathe.
“Ariana,” I whispered, my hand tightening around hers.
She followed my gaze. Her body went stiff. “That… that looked like her.”
The woman tur
