Chaper 1
Aiden Carter had always believed the ocean had a memory. Every wave that crashed against the shore carried whispers of the past, echoes of things long forgotten. That was why he came here—to this quiet coastal town where the world moved slower, where the sea could drown out the noise in his head.
He had rented a small cottage at the edge of the beach, far enough from town to avoid unnecessary conversations. People had a way of asking questions, of digging into places he preferred to keep buried. Here, he could write, exist, and forget. At least, that had been the plan.
Then he saw her.
She was standing barefoot in the sand, the wind teasing strands of dark hair across her face. There was something strangely familiar about her, though Aiden was certain they had never met. She turned slightly, and for a brief moment, their eyes locked—deep brown meeting stormy gray. A flicker of something passed through him, a feeling he couldn’t name.
He should have looked away. He should have walked past her like any other stranger. Instead, he found himself hesitating.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Her voice carried over the wind, soft yet certain.
Aiden blinked, realizing she was talking about the ocean, not herself. He nodded. “Yeah. It is.”
She smiled, but there was something wistful in it, like she knew a secret he didn’t. “It never changes, yet it’s never the same.”
Aiden wasn’t sure why, but her words sent a shiver down his spine. He had spent years writing poetry, playing with metaphors, yet he had never heard someone capture a feeling so perfectly.
“I’m Liana,” she said, extending a hand.
For the first time in a long while, Aiden hesitated before answering. His name suddenly felt too small, too insignificant in her presence. Still, he shook her hand, ignoring the way his skin tingled where it met hers.
“Aiden.”
Liana’s lips curved upward, as if she had already known. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Finally.
The word clung to the air between them, unspoken questions hanging in its wake. Aiden didn’t ask them—not yet. But something told him that meeting Liana wasn’t a coincidence. And for the first time since coming here, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to forget.
