But now, with the end of her contract finally in sight, Kiara felt a glimmer of freedom. The thought of leaving SilverMoore, of walking away from the city that had become a prison, filled her with a rare sense of possibility. She could finally begin again, start fresh, and rebuild a life on her own terms.
As she packed her things in the apartment she’d once shared with Ethan, Kiara’s hand brushed against a small velvet box tucked away in a drawer. Her heart skipped when she saw it. The ring—Ethan’s gift to her just before their move. She hadn’t looked at it in months, but now it was all she could see.