Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life novel Chapter 1796

"Alright, time to get back to the usual grind. Whatever happens, it's not gonna change how things turn out," Fiona said, sipping her lemonade as she strolled out of the bistro.

On her way, she exchanged nods and smiles with a bunch of familiar faces. Being the sweetheart of Center College came with its own spotlight, and people couldn't stop buzzing about her and Tyler having meals together. Were they officially an item now?

Back at her dorm, Fiona found Amy at the desk, carefully applying her eyeliner, clearly prepping for a night out. Seeing Amy brought back memories she'd almost let slip.

"Fiona, you're finally back! I was starting to think you'd vanished for good!" Amy exclaimed, setting her eyeliner aside. She dashed over with a playful grin, linking arms with Fiona and pulling her inside. "Where have you and Shelly been hiding? You two are like Houdini!"

Fiona stayed quiet, a chill in her demeanor, realizing that she'd forgotten about Amy. After the two-invitation debacle, she had overlooked Amy, and Amy's absence at Josie's party was glaring. Plus, there was the whole Amy-and-Josie connection she hadn't fully grasped yet.

"Where’ve you been, Fiona? I found this killer Italian place. Let's hit it tonight, yeah? Shelly and the gang can tag along too."

Fiona didn't say a word, just gave Amy a brief look before heading to her bed. She hung her bag on the bedpost, but Amy wasn't done and grabbed her arm again.

"Not in the mood for Italian? No worries, there's this sushi joint that's the real deal..."

But Fiona wasn't buying it, her grip only tightened.

"Why does Jane have it in for me? We've got no beef, no reason for her to act like that. She grew up in New York with all the privileges, and I'm just passing through. Even if I shine, it shouldn't lead to this. Jane and Josie go way back, childhood buddies, so she wouldn't know that before Josie took on this new identity, she was supposedly lost at sea thanks to Jackson's schemes. The only explanation is Jane doesn't know the real Josie has been replaced for a while now."

At first, Fiona hadn't connected the dots, but bit by bit, the inconsistencies piled up. Jane and the real Josie were childhood friends, and Jane always mentioned Josie as the Larkin family's eldest daughter. But the Josie now wasn't the same friend Jane remembered from way back.