Customers came and went. A regular waved. Mrs. Hargrove from the flower shop dropped off a muffin. Life was simple here. Predictable.

Her phone buzzed with a news alert.

Cassian Rhys stuns fans on national talk show “I’m looking for the girl who once saved my life.”

Elara blinked, unimpressed. Another celebrity headline. Probably a stunt for attention.

She sighed and slipped the phone back into her pocket, turning to restock a shelf.

Meanwhile, far from Brindlewood, Cassian Rhys ran a hand through his hair in the backseat of his car, eyes scanning the forms piled on the seat beside him forms from over a hundred women claiming to be her.

He’d done the unthinkable. In a live interview, when asked if he was dating anyone, he smiled and said:

"No... but I’m looking for someone who once saved my life."

The flood had come within hours. Emails. Messages. False leads. Opportunists.

So Cassian did what any sane man trying to find a ghost from his past would do, he made a test.

A private meeting room. Blank forms. Questions only she could answer about that day, that lake, what she said, what he said.

Not a single one passed.

With a weary sigh, he leaned back as his manager spoke up from the front seat.

“Looks like no luck with the imposters, huh?”

Cassian stared out the window, jaw tight.

“Hire a private investigator. I’m done playing games.”

For the first time in years, the search was about to turn real.

And somewhere, in a quiet little town called Brindlewood, Elara Voss had no idea that her peaceful days were about to end.