Elara thought she buried the past the day Kade Mercer vanished without a trace. Years later, she's built a quiet life from the ruins-until a man named Liam appears, wearing Kade's face but speaking in riddles. What begins as a haunting resemblance spirals into a dangerous unraveling of secrets, lies, and a love that never truly died.As Elara digs deeper, she uncovers a world of covert operations, betrayal, and a powerful syndicate willing to kill to stay hidden. Kade-now living under an alias-claims he left to protect her. But when an engagement ring that isn't hers surfaces, and a fire destroys his apartment, Elara is forced to question everything: Who is this man? And who was he, really, before he disappeared?With the help of Rowan, a loyal friend and former detective, Elara and Kade go on the run, hunted by the very people he once trusted. But the deeper they go, the more dangerous the truth becomes. Cassandra, Kade's former handler and the woman who once held his loyalty, resurfaces with a chilling obsession-and a plan to destroy everything Elara thought she knew.As the past collides with the present, Elara must decide whether love is enough to rebuild what was lost-or if some betrayals cut too deep to forgive.The Stranger I Loved is a gripping romantic suspense novel about identity, sacrifice, and the quiet strength it takes to choose love after everything has burned.