Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 518

"Finnian, I've sent the files you requested to your email..."

"Alright, got it."

Finnian was about to hang up when he heard his assistant hesitate, stammering on the other end of the line.

"What is it? Spit it out!"

His assistant braced himself. "That student, Jared Quinn... he... he looks exactly... like you."

Finnian's brow furrowed sharply, a heavy sense of dread pooling in his stomach. He didn't wait to hear the rest. He hung up and immediately opened his email app.

The file was comprehensive. He tapped on the attachment labeled with Jared's photos without a second thought.

The resolution wasn't great, clearly scraped from an old university webpage, complete with a faint watermark in the corner.

The man in the photo was wearing a plain white t-shirt, standing in front of the Northampton University library.

He looked young, his features clean and bright. There was a gentle curve to his lips, capturing the shy, effortless confidence of youth.

Finnian stared at the face for a very long time.

He stared until the screen automatically dimmed, only to tap it back to life.

He raised a hand, unconsciously touching his own cheek.

The face in the photo was identical to his own.

For a fleeting, disorienting second, he thought he was looking at an old photo of himself from a few years ago.

Finnian sat frozen, feeling as though a bolt of lightning had struck him from a clear sky. A suffocating chill seeped into his bones, freezing the blood in his veins.

Suddenly, Sienna's face flashed in his mind. He remembered the sheer joy and absolute infatuation in her eyes whenever she looked at him.

He had always believed she truly loved him.

But now, it was agonizingly clear. Every time she looked at him, she was just searching for the ghost of someone else.

Finnian let out a sudden, hollow laugh. The sound was ice-cold, the amusement never reaching his eyes.

He scrolled further down to the traffic accident report.

[Jared Quinn, 29. PhD candidate in Architecture at Northampton University. Passed away on April 17th last year due to injuries sustained in a traffic collision at Broad St & Market St. The offending vehicle was a heavy-duty freight truck.]

He stared at that line of text, his thumb hovering over the screen.

*April 17th last year?*

That was the exact day they met.

It felt as though a blunt object had slammed against his skull. With a dark, stormy expression, he swiped to the next page.

With the show currently airing, Nora's popularity was skyrocketing. A beautiful woman who actually possessed undeniable talent easily won the hearts of young female fans. Her follower count was rising at a pace that rivaled Leo Hamilton's.

The street had been cleared by the production crew, but throngs of fans still pressed against the barricades, holding up their phones to record.

By the time Nora arrived, the cameras and lighting rigs were already set up across the avenue.

Director Warren was discussing camera angles when he spotted her. His eyes lit up, and he hurried over. "Nora, you look fantastic today! Your complexion is absolutely glowing."

Nora smiled politely. "You're too kind, Director."

"I'm serious. Your skin looks better than ever. You're even more radiant than our last studio shoot."

Nora felt a flush of embarrassment at the praise. She let out a dry laugh, her eyes instinctively darting toward the cameras.

Today's shoot involved interactive street tasks. She was grouped with Leo Hamilton and Julian Vance.

Leo was dressed in a black hoodie, a baseball cap pulled low over his striking eyes. He was leaning against a streetlamp, reading his script. When he saw Nora approach, he shoved the papers into his pocket and tilted his head with a smirk.

"Nora, you're looking a little too refreshed. What kind of miracle vitamins are you taking?"

Nora didn't miss a beat. "Beauty sleep."

Leo chuckled, leaning in closer. "Sleeping with Mr. Lancaster, you mean?"

"Leo!"