First message
Kieran Hawthorne had spent three years looking for a woman whose real name he didn’t even know.
Most men would have given up.
Kieran wasn’t most men.
He stood on a balcony overlooking the crowded charity gala below, one hand resting on the railing as crystal chandeliers illuminated politicians, socialites, and businessmen. His attention drifted across the room without interest.
Until he saw her.
The world seemed to stop.
Dark green dress. Champagne glass in hand. Hair pinned loosely away from her face.
Her.
Three years older, but unmistakable.
The woman who had shared one night with him before disappearing without a trace.
The woman he’d searched for ever since.
His body went completely still.
“No,” he muttered.
Impossible.
Then she looked up.
Their eyes locked across the ballroom.
The color drained from her face instantly.
Recognition.
Fear.
Panic.
She knew exactly who he was.
And the moment she saw him, she turned and headed for the nearest exit.
Kieran watched her push through the crowd.
Trying to run.
Again.
A slow smile touched his lips as he stepped away from the balcony.
After three years of dead ends, false leads, and unanswered questions, fate had finally handed her back to him.
“Found you.”
And this time, Kieran Hawthorne had no intention of letting her disappear.