Chapter 1

Eleanor had already found it difficult to focus on anything in the art gallery as her phone seemed to burn in her hands with the unsettling messages she was receiving, her thoughts were focused on the messages when a bass-tone voice broke through her agony. "Lucas Sinclair, it's so lovely you could join me for the opening of the new gallery," the voice said.

Eleanor's gaze was fixed on her phone, as she didn't care to look at the person addressing her husband. "It's my pleasure, Sebastian. It's nice having you as my business partner," she heard as her husband paused, tapping her to his attention. "Please, meet my wife, Eleanor."

Eleanor took a deep breath as she lifted her gaze from the phone preparing to plaster a fake smile on her face. But as she looked up at the godlike figure standing in front of her, The smile that had once been effortlessly plastered on her face now changed to a pale complexion that seemed to be unconsciously visible . Her legs trembled beneath her, threatening to buckle at any moment, as her eyes focused on him, her memory jolted back to her previous life like never before. She stared up at Sebastian, her one-night stand from four years ago, and couldn't quite pocess anything at all.

"Are you okay, honey?" she felt Lucas's hands on her elbow, supporting her as she tried to gain her composure. "Yes, I'm fine, dear,"

she watched as Sebastian gestured to kiss her on the cheek as a greeting of formality. "You still look gorgeous as ever, grazioso," he whispered in her ears ending his sentence in Italian. His voice sent cold shivers down her spine as she unconsciously felt aroused and angry at the touch of his lips on her cheek.

"My wife here has always been a fan of your art, Sebastian," Lucas said, smiling at her. "Why don't you do her the honor of showing her around some of your art pieces while I take this call?" He excused himself, leaving Eleanor feeling like her only protection had slipped away.

"You planned this, right?" she accused immediately, her voice low and furious. "You knew all along I was Lucas's wife, so you became friends with him. You bastard." She glanced around, subconsciously checking if any of the other guests were listening to her gruesome conversation.

Sebastian scoffed, placing his hands on her back, and leading her away to view the other paintings. "Well, it's nice to know you're not thrilled to see me after the passionate night we had together four years ago. You chose to run away without any warning."

Eleanor jerked his hands from her back, her memories of that night still fresh in her mind. She had felt so connected to him as they shared a bed, only to wake up and decide it was a mistake. "And I came back," she paused, her voice betraying how resoundingly she had wanted to sound. "Alright!, I came back only to hear your hideous words about me sprouting out of that mouth of yours. And now you show up in my life when I'm already happily married. Be for real, Sebastian. God damn it."

Sebastian's eyes darkened, his lips audibly voicing out a curse. "You left me." His voice was barely a whisper, and Eleanor could have sworn she felt him sounding apologetic, but she was far too angry to care.

"I didn't come into your life to ruin anything, Eleanor," he said, gazing deeply at her with his Auburn blue eyes. "I'm just your husband's friend, nothing else, nothing more." He focused his gaze back on an eloquent painting, his brow furrowed. "It's not like I quite remember anything about that night at all. It was just a basic one-night stand." His tone was nonchalant and calm.

she watched as he strolled away from her, hands in his pocket, shoulders broadened, looking exquisite in his well-tailored suit. Her eyes stung with tears, her breath unstable as his words hit her right in her chest. She searched frantically for her husband as he walked towards her side. "Can we leave now, Lucas?" she practically begged

“What's wrong”, He looked at her worriedly but she didn't respond,she didn’t have any resounding reason why she wanted to leave apart not wanting to see Sebastian ever again

"Why don't you wait for me outside? Taylor will be waiting outside to pick you up, It doesn't seem right to leave the guests without saying my farewell. I'll be with you shortly."

With that, he kissed her on the cheek and left in a hurry, leaving Eleanor devastated. She grasped courage as she walked out of the art gallery, her head held up high, and her dress graciously swaying with her hips. The entrance of the art gallery was nestled between two larger buildings on a dimly lit, deserted street in New York City. The gallery's large doors and broad body guards signed a hint at an exclusive, invitation-only establishment, The quiet, dark road seemed to give her some sort of comfort

She called the supposed driver, Taylor to come pick her up at the front of the event as she decided to take a stroll down the quiet road of New York to clear her head.

As she walked out into the chill of the night air, the faint hum of the city in the distance only added to the sense of aloneness. The deserted street stretched out before her like a private walk, leading her deeper into the night, gazing up at the bright, beautiful night sky, her mind drifted to the last statement Sebastian made about her, and she felt a strange pain lingering in her heart

As she realized she was about a few meters from the art gallery she decided to go back before her driver got there,

She stood still as her phone buzzed with an unknown number.

She opens the message, her face a mixture of fear and confusion as she glances down at a photo of herself taken just now, she reads the caption that came along with the message “You look gorgeous, Elle”.

she gazed at the screen in disbelief as she looked up searching for who had sent the message, as she was about runnig back to the gallery in panick

A figure appeared from the darkness wearing a hoodie, his face lit up by the glow of a nearby streetlamp. She staggers back as the figure keeps advancing toward her, his features becoming clearer with each step. Eleanor's eyes widen as she tries to figure out who the masked figure is, her mind racing with confusion. As she watches the masked figure's face was twisted into a mischievous smirk, his eyes glistening with a threatening look that makes her blood run cold. Her phone slips from her trembling hands as she stares at him in horror.

"Marcus?!!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear, Her feet rooted to the spot

The figure takes a step closer, its smirk growing wider. "Yes," it says in a low, menacing tone, "Did you miss me, Elle?"