Chapter 1 – The Fall of Adrian Lancaster

Adrian Lancaster had everything a man could desire—wealth, power, and an undeniable charm that made people turn their heads the moment he entered a room. Women admired him, men envied him, and the world seemed to bend at his feet. Wherever he went, he was treated like a king, adored for his breathtaking beauty and the effortless confidence he carried.

Tonight was no different. The grand ballroom of the Lancaster estate was alive with music and chatter, glittering under the golden chandeliers. His fiancée, Seraphina Vale, clung to his arm, dressed in a stunning sapphire gown that complemented her delicate features. “You truly are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen,” she whispered against his ear, her lips curling into a smile.

Adrian smirked, reveling in the way her eyes glowed with admiration. “And you, my love, are the most exquisite woman in this room.”

They were perfect together—at least, that’s what the world believed. People often spoke of them as the ideal couple, envying their effortless elegance and the fairytale life they led. But beneath the surface, Adrian had always sensed something hollow in their love. The way Seraphina’s eyes lingered on his face, the way she praised his features more than his mind—it was as if she loved the idea of him, not the man within.

He brushed the thought away. This was his life, his reality, and he had no reason to doubt it.

But fate had other plans.

As he raised his champagne glass for a toast, a strange dizziness clouded his mind. His vision blurred, and for the briefest moment, a sharp, burning pain spread across his skin.

Adrian stumbled, the glass slipping from his fingers.

Something was terribly wrong.

At first, Adrian dismissed it as exhaustion. The demands of running his family’s empire, the endless social events, and the weight of expectations—it was enough to drain any man.

But as the days passed, his condition only worsened. A deep, aching fatigue settled in his bones, making even the simplest tasks feel like a burden. His skin, once smooth and flawless, itched and burned with an intensity that left him breathless.

Then came the moment that changed everything.

Standing before his mirror, Adrian adjusted the cufflinks of his tailored suit, preparing for an evening meeting. But as he lifted his gaze, his heart stopped.

The reflection staring back at him was wrong.

At first, it was subtle—the skin along his jawline appeared darker, uneven. But as he leaned closer, dread coiled in his stomach. His once-pristine complexion was marred with strange, rough patches, like a sickness crawling beneath his skin. His lips felt cracked, his cheekbones sharper, almost hollowed.

“What the hell…?” He ran a hand over his face, the sensation foreign, unnatural.

He turned away from the mirror, inhaling sharply. It had to be stress, something temporary. But deep down, a sliver of fear nestled in his chest.

By the end of the week, the changes had become impossible to ignore. His once-admired features twisted into something unrecognizable. The servants began avoiding his gaze. His mother’s concerned expressions turned into barely concealed horror. And when he reached for Seraphina’s hand one evening, she recoiled as if he had become a monster.

The world that once adored him now looked at him with disgust.

And it was only the beginning.

The diagnosis came with little comfort. The doctors were baffled—an unknown virus, an affliction no one could explain. “There is no cure,” they told him grimly, their eyes filled with pity. “We don’t know if your condition will worsen or remain as it is.”

Adrian sat in cold silence, the words sinking into him like a dagger.

His father barely looked at him, his once-proud gaze now filled with shame. “You must stay out of sight,” he ordered. “We cannot allow this to ruin our family’s name.”

It wasn’t concern. It was damage control.

His mother wept, but she never reached for him, never held him the way she used to when he was a child. His siblings barely spoke to him, as if afraid his condition might be contagious.

But the final blow came when Seraphina entered his study that night, her usual warmth replaced with icy detachment.

“This… isn’t working anymore, Adrian,” she said, her hands twisting together. “I can’t— I can’t be with you like this.”

He stared at her, waiting for her to take it back, to say she didn’t mean it. “You once said you loved me,” he murmured.

Her lips trembled. “I loved who you were. But this… this isn’t you anymore.”

She walked away without a second glance.

Adrian sat in the suffocating silence of his mansion, realizing the truth. They had never loved him—they had loved his beauty, his perfection. And now that it was gone, so were they.

For days, Adrian wandered his home like a ghost, his heart hollow, his spirit fractured. He had built his life around admiration, around people who worshipped him. But now, stripped of the very thing they valued, he was nothing to them.

One evening, as the city lights twinkled outside his window, Adrian made his decision.

He packed a small bag, filled only with essentials. He didn’t need the wealth, the luxuries—they had never truly belonged to him. He left behind his fine suits, his expensive watches, the remnants of the life he once lived.

When dawn arrived, he walked through the grand halls of his family estate one last time, his footsteps echoing in the emptiness.

No one stopped him. No one asked where he was going.

As he stepped outside, the cold morning air bit at his skin. He turned his back on the towering estate, the city that had once adored him, and walked toward the unknown.

If the world had no place for him, he would find one himself.

And so, Adrian Lancaster vanished, leaving behind a life that had never truly been his.