The evening sun cast golden streaks through the dusty windows of Timeless Treasures, the antique shop Aria Moreau had grown up in. The shop had once been her mother’s pride and joy, its shelves lined with heirlooms from other eras, each piece with a story. But now, it felt more like a mausoleum—a collection of memories that threatened to crumble under the weight of unpaid bills and dwindling foot traffic.

Aria brushed a strand of her dark hair out of her face as she hefted another box onto the counter. She wasn’t sure why she was sorting through the attic; the chaos of old trunks and forgotten treasures had loomed overhead for years, untouched. Maybe it was the loneliness creeping in since her mother passed, or maybe it was the hope of finding something valuable enough to stave off the shop’s looming closure.

She opened the box with a groan, its flaps crinkled and stiff with age. Inside was a jumble of items—an old locket with a broken chain, a cracked porcelain teacup, and a bundle of yellowed envelopes tied together with a red ribbon. The envelopes caught her attention immediately.

The handwriting on the top one was elegant, the kind of script you only see in old movies. It read:

To S, with all my heart.

Curiosity prickled at her fingertips as she untied the ribbon and carefully unfolded the first letter. The paper was fragile, as though it might dissolve into dust, but the words were alive with emotion:

"Dearest S,
The days grow colder without you. I find myself walking by the harbour, searching for shadows of the past we once shared. If only I could undo the choices that tore us apart..."

The letter trailed into an unspoken sadness, and Aria’s heart clenched. Who had written these? And who was “S”?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the chime of the shop’s bell. Startled, she hurried downstairs, clutching the bundle of letters.

Standing in the doorway was a man, unlike anyone she’d seen in Azure Bay before. Tall and broad-shouldered, with dark, slightly tousled hair and piercing grey eyes, he looked like he belonged on the cover of one of the romance novels her best friend Lila devoured.

“Hi,” Aria managed, trying not to stare.

The man’s gaze swept over the shop’s cluttered interior, landing on her with a cool, assessing look. “Are you the owner?”

“Yes. Can I help you?”

“I’m Sebastian Hale,” he said, his voice deep and smooth, though there was a hint of something guarded in his tone. “I’ve just moved into the old mansion up the hill. I thought I’d stop by and see what the locals are selling.”

Aria blinked. So this was the infamous new resident everyone in town was whispering about. A wealthy recluse with a talent for writing heartbreakingly beautiful novels, Sebastian Hale was practically a legend—and now he was standing in her shop.

“Welcome to Azure Bay,” she said, her voice more steady this time. “Feel free to look around.”

He nodded, but his attention shifted to the bundle of letters still in her hand. “What’s that?”

“Oh, just... something I found upstairs,” Aria said quickly, tucking the letters behind the counter.

Sebastian’s lips twitched, almost imperceptibly, but he didn’t press. “I’ll let you know if I find anything interesting.”

As he moved toward a display of vintage clocks, Aria felt a strange flutter in her chest. She wasn’t sure what unsettled her more—the intensity of his gaze, or the fact that she’d instinctively hidden the letters from him.

She glanced back at the bundle, a question forming in her mind: could this mysterious stranger have any connection to the secrets she’d just unearthed?

Sebastian’s lips twitched, almost imperceptibly, but he didn’t press. “I’ll let you know if I find anything interesting.”

As he moved toward a display of vintage clocks, Aria felt a strange flutter in her chest. She wasn’t sure what unsettled her more—the intensity of his gaze, or the fact that she’d instinctively hidden the letters from him.

She glanced back at the bundle, a question forming in her mind: could this mysterious stranger have any connection to the secrets she’d just unearthed?