Page 140 of Aria

That was where my journey to healing had begun—on a little beach house on the gulf shores outside of town. It wasn’t an easy transition. There had been many sleepless nights. There had been times where I’d cried so hard, I’d made myself physically sick.

There were plenty of moments where I had broken down and dialed Noah’s phone number, only to quickly hang up.

But then the days started getting a little brighter, the nights a little easier. I’d begun looking for work as a cocktail waitress, only to run into a person who would forever change my life: Elsa Cunningham.

She was a counselor, a speaker, and a voice for victims of domestic violence.

She was hope.

And hope was something I’d desperately needed.

Elsa had taken me under her wing, helping me heal all my broken parts. She’d helped me move past the dark cloud that was Ian Masterson and put my life back together, starting with myself.

“A healthy soul plays the biggest role,” Elsa had told me. “You will never find true happiness when you’re full of self-loathing. Find happiness within yourself, then you can find happiness with another.”

I had used those words to fuel me. Even though I had tried to hide from the media, there was no escaping the infamous name I’d made for myself back in the Freeze Frame days. At first, it had felt like a curse that would follow me around indefinitely.

Until one day, I’d decided to use my notoriety to my advantage.

With Elsa’s help, I’d created a foundation for domestic abuse survivors calledChelsie’s Calling.

I helped heal the broken and damaged souls, much like Elsa had helped me. Within two years, we had raised the funds to build a sanctuary in nearby Safety Harbor. The sanctuary was created to take in women for healing retreats, consisting of one-on-one counseling sessions, group therapy, meditation, spa treatments, yoga, and overall self-care.

I had truly found my purpose.

My mission had caught on quickly, and soon I was appearing on talk shows, podcasts, and evenEllen. I had used my fame for the greater good, and it was inspiring.

Eventually, I’d started bringing in enough income to leave my parents’ house and rent an apartment down the street from the sanctuary. One of my greatest joys was sitting on my balcony with a cup of tea and chatting with my mother each morning.

I had turned my life around.

I no longer felt toxic to myself and to those around me. I no longer filled my mind with poisonous, self-sabotaging thoughts—no, I genuinely loved myself. I loved my new life, my work, my family and friends. I’d made a large and loyal social circle filled with positive and motivating people. Along with Elsa, my dear friends, Maggie, Anne, Thomas, and Jon were all an important part of my happiness.

Jon had asked me out on a date one afternoon a few months back. He was cute and charming with sandy hair and freckles on his cheeks. He had stopped me one day outside the sanctuary where he worked as a counselor. “Chelsie, wait up! I wanted to see if you’d like to grab coffee with me after work.”

My nose had crinkled. We’d always gotten together after work with our group of friends. “You mean, a different kind of coffee from the kind we usually get?”

He’d ducked his head with a timid smile. “I mean, just you and me. Without the crew.”

My heart rate had picked up. The thought of dating anyone hadn’t dared crossed my mind. “Oh… I – I see,” I’d stuttered, feeling flustered and unsure. “That’s sweet of you to ask, but I’m sort of unavailable.”

“We can do tomorrow,” he’d said, eager and anxious.

“I’m sorry, Jon. I meant… I’munavailable. You know, emotionally.”

My friends knew about my past life in New York. They had watched my relationship with Devon Sawyer unfold and fall apart on national news. They knew about Ian and the attack. They knew about my deep-rooted emotional trauma.

But they didn’t know about Noah Hayes.

They knew he existed, of course, but I had never talked about our unexpected friendship, profound connection, or whirlwind romance that had been cut short.

They didn’t know I fell in love with him.

I often wondered if Noah still thought about me. I’d kept tabs on him through the media and various social outlets—he was a proclaimed solo artist now. His arm had fully healed, and he’d picked up playing guitar again. Noah never went back to Freeze Frame and the band had eventually dissolved, the remaining members going off to pursue their own creative outlets. None of them had created anything worthwhile, except for Noah.

Noah Hayes was the country’s most promising rising star. He’d released a hit single calledAriaabout a year after I’d left town.

I knew the song was about me.

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