Tella didn't get a wink of sleep that night. By daybreak, she had packed her bags and was ready to leave. Before leaving, she sent Leonard a message explaining her situation. Since he was abroad and in a different time zone, she didn't want to disturb him by calling.

To her surprise, Leonard called her immediately. "Where are you planning to go?"

"Holha," she responded. As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she had revealed her destination, and Dominic would soon find out.

Truthfully, she wanted to see Dominic, but she couldn't. It would have been best if they had never crossed paths again.

After a brief exchange, they ended the call. Right before she left, Bella took one last look at the rose in the corner of the courtyard, hoping it would still be blooming when she returned.

Bella took a direct flight to Holha to save time. Even though she tried to sleep on the plane, she was severely sleep-deprived.

After landing, she searched for nearby hotels. After confirming her booking, she received a text about a rental property. The location was nice, and the price was reasonable. Unfamiliar with the local rental market, she found the terms quite enticing. Della didn't doubt the text message; in the age of big data, receiving such messages was normal.

She saved the information and decided to get some sleep at the hotel before checking out the property in person the next day. Since she might be staying there for a long time, she wanted to be thorough. After all, not every landlord was as laid-back as Leonard.

Looking back, it was ironic. Bella had returned to the quaint town with nostalgia and high hopes, but ended up having to leave as quickly as possible.

The next day, she scheduled an appointment to view the apartment. Bella expected to meet a real estate agent, but to her surprise, the landlord only communicated via text. The landlord was rather odd; they instructed her to let herself in, saying the key was under the doormat.

When she arrived at the property, she wondered if it was too good to be true. This place could easily be worth double the price. It was in a high-end neighborhood, close to a school, and it was huge.

Bella would get to use all the rooms except the master bedroom. The only catch was that she couldn't sublet any rooms. Additionally, the landlord would occasionally visit, but she was fine with that.

Even though it was a great deal, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. Plus, she suspected that someone might have died in the house.

Bella hesitantly asked the landlord about any accidents or incidents, to which the landlord replied, "If you don't want to rent, get lost! It's your problem if the place is haunted by misfortune."

Bella had to rent it or she would be homeless.

It wasn't until the third day of her employment in Holha that Simon checked in on her. The first thing he said was, "You're in Holha already? Why didn't you tell me? I've been busy these past few days and didn't get a chance to check on you. Have you found a place to stay? I have a house here—" Before he could finish his sentence, she impatiently cut him off. "I didn't come here to mooch off you. I've already found a job and a place to stay. Don't bother me unless it's important!"

Bella hung up and was just about to peel an apple when she heard the doorknob banging. Caught off guard, she cut her finger, and blood started to drip. As soon as the door swung open, Bella gasped, "D-Dominic? What are you doing here?"

Not only was he there, but he also had the keys to her rented apartment. If he hadn't been standing right there, she would have thought she was hallucinating.

Dominic placed his black suitcase in the corner, loosened his tie, and responded calmly, "This is my house. Why wouldn't I be here? Didn't I tell you before I rented it to you that I would stay here sometimes? I'm on a business trip, so let's just stay out of each other's way during this time."

It took Bella five minutes to process this. It was a coincidence that her landlord in the small town turned out to be his friend, Leonard. Then, what were the chances that he was now her landlord, too? Bella felt like a puppet on a string with no way to break free. This time, she was certain he had planned this!

(The final promotional sentence should be removed as it is out of place in the narrative.)