Page 141 of Aria

I’d spent many nights crying myself to sleep while the song played on repeat, haunting my bedroom with old memories and a painful echo of what could have been. Noah’s lyrics and the sound of his voice cut through me like a hot knife. It had felt like he was speaking directly to me.

God, it hurt.

It hurt more than I ever thought possible.

And the thing that hurt the most?

Noah Hayes was married now.

He had tied the knot with Beth Jessup six months ago. They had a baby together named Jeremiah, making Sam a big brother.

All of it hurt.

But I had to believe it’d been the right thing to do for everyone’s sake, while making a conscious effort each morning to remind myself of my wonderful life. I’d made my choice; we were both happy. It was for the best.

Even though I still loved him.

I knew I always would. I had no desire to date or get married, or to fall in love with someone else.

Noah would forever have my heart.

My back-up alarm began to go off, startling me from the solemn memories as I frantically turned it off.

It was time for work. Luckily, my job was only a five-minute bike ride away, which was one of its many perks.

Making my way out of bed, I headed toward the bathroom to turn on the shower. As I pulled a fresh towel out of my hall closet, my phone vibrated on the bathroom sink. I ignored it and continued to fetch a washcloth and a new bar of soap.

It buzzed again.

“Fine, I’ll bite,” I muttered, closing the closet door and walking back into the bathroom.

Two missed calls from Lisa.

I had made amends with Lisa a few months after I’d left. We’d had an epic four-hour phone conversation and our friendship was restored. While we hadn’t seen each other in person since I’d left, we talked regularly via text and video chats.

A frown claimed me when Lisa’s name lit up the screen for a third time. I answered quickly. “Lisa? What’s up?”

“Hey,” Lisa replied on the other end. “Did you see the news?”

A ball of anxiety twisted inside my stomach. “No, I just woke up. Why? What happened?”

“Chels…” She hesitated, letting out a long breath into the receiver. “It’s Devon.”

“Devon?” I asked in bewilderment. “What about Devon?”

She fell silent on the other end, as if she were afraid to tell me.

“Lisa, what happened?”

“I’m so sorry, Chelsie…” she croaked out. “He’s dead.”

I froze, my blood running cold. I could feel the color leaving my face as nausea crept into my throat. “Wh-what?”

“They found him in his condo early this morning. The media is saying it was a drug overdose, but no one knows for sure yet.”

How could this be real?

I hadn’t spoken to Devon in years, but the news shook me to my core. Once upon a time, I had cared for Devon Sawyer. I’d created a life with him; I’d seen a future with him.

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