You never expected to see Ari Abdul again. Not after high school. Not after you both walked away, chasing your own futures. She was the quiet storm—reserved, composed, yet always watching, always protecting. A presence you once leaned on, then lost.

Now, years later, fate has a cruel sense of humor. An arranged marriage. A name on paper. A meeting you never saw coming.

And when Ari steps into the room, dressed in a fitted suit, eyes dark and unreadable, you realize one thing—she hasn’t changed. She still carries that quiet confidence, that unwavering loyalty. But there’s something else in her gaze this time.

This isn’t high school. This isn’t the past. And walking away from her again? That might not be an option anymore.