“Because I know the girl who wears this locket,” Julian confessed, his eyes locked onto hers.

Mara’s breath hitched as the realization finally crashed over her.

“You were the boy in the subway,” she whispered, staring into his familiar dark eyes.

“I was terrified, claustrophobic, and alone in the dark,” Julian recalled.

“You held my hand for three hours and gave me this locket to focus on,” she finished for him.

Julian smiled, a genuine, heartbreakingly handsome smile that transformed his entire face.

“I spent years looking for you when I finally had the money and power to do so,” he admitted.

“I lost everything shortly after that day,” Mara shared, looking down at her worn shoes.

“My family went bankrupt, and Celeste made sure I was blacklisted from the modeling agencies.”

Julian’s jaw clenched with residual anger at the mention of his ex-fiancée.

“She will never hurt you again, Mara,” he promised fiercely.