Chapter 005

I was in so much shock that I just stood there, staring Alistair like he was a map to be studied.

Mom clicked her tongue. "Maisie, don't just stand there. It's rude." She looked from me to Alistair, her smile apologetic.

Alistair just smiled gently back at her. "It's alright," he said in a warm, soothing sound that made my skin crawl. "She must be tired."

He was calm. He was polite. He was standing in my living room as if he hadn't been in a hotel bed just a little while ago.

"Your mom told me about last night," Alistair continued smoothly. "She said you didn't come home and I was worried. So I waited."

He took my hands, just as he always did, apologizing softly. " I'm sorry about yesterday alright? I promise, it's not what you think."

I quickly pulled away, shocked and confused. His touch felt the same. His scent... The same cologne. Everything felt familiar.

"Maisie, stop standing there like a statue and offer him something?" My mom’s voice was sharp, a tone she used when I was embarrassing her in front of important guests.

Dad nodded. “Alistair drove all this way to see you, to make sure you’re okay after your… episode. Show him to a seat.” He said ‘episode’ as if I’d thrown a fit, as if I were mentally unstable—not like I’d just discovered my fiancé was a stranger hiding behind a mask the night before.

No one noticed the confusion on my face. My thoughts were in chaos, trying to match the furious, possessive man from the hotel with this calm, perfect man standing in front of me now. I kept waiting for him to make a mistake, to mention the bar, the whiskey, the mask.

But he didn't.

Instead, he turned his gentle smile back to my mother. "It's okay, Mrs. Whitlock. Really. She's under a lot of stress." He paused, then delivered the line with perfect, devastating kindness. "Wedding nerves. It's to be expected."

I blinked at him.

Everything was happening so fast, and his performance was so flawless that for a terrifying second, I wondered if I had hallucinated it all.

Was I cracking under pressure?

Without listening to my parents who were both telling me to sit down and behave, I grabbed Alistair’s arm, and started to pull him away.

“Maisie! What are you doing?” my mom gasped.

“Even if you need to talk as a couple, shouldn’t you go to your room and sort it out properly?” my dad said, clearly embarrassed by how rough I was being.

I ignored them. I kept a tight hold on Alistair’s arm and pulled him across the living room, down the hallway, and out the front door onto the porch. I didn’t stop until we were alone.

The second the door clicked shut behind us, I exploded. "What game are you playing?" I frowned.

Alistair didn't shake me off. He just stood there, letting me hold his arm, his expression calm. He looked down at my hand on his sleeve, then back at my face.

Just as he wanted to speak, his phone rang.

"Can I pick this?"

Before I could react, he had already answered the call. Just like that. As always, I was the least important thing in his life.

“You disgust me.” I turned my back on him and headed for the door, going back into the house.

His voice followed me from behind. “By the way… in three days, I’ll pick you up at six in the evening. Mom and Dad want you to come over so we can have dinner together as a family.”

I didn’t turn back. I closed the door quietly behind me, cutting him off completely.

Inside, dad was speaking in a low, serious voice on the phone. Mom was arranging the dining table, her eyes lifting to look past me, clearly expecting to see Alistair.

“He’s busy. He’s gone home,” I said flatly before heading straight to my room. I shut the door behind me and released a long, exhausted breath.

My mind replayed everything that had just happened, leaving me more confused than before.

“I couldn’t have imagined that… could I?”

*****

Three days passed faster than I was ready for.

I had told Chloe everything. Every strange detail. The man, the mask, the voice. She listened quietly, then sighed.

"Maisie…You were drunk that night... Isn’t it possible your mind… mixed things up? That stress and alcohol made you see what you were most afraid of?

But I knew the truth.

It was him in that room.

No matter how much I tried to doubt myself, the memory was clear. Alistair’s face.

That evening, I dressed simply. It was just dinner with a fiancé I didn’t want and a family I needed to be honest with so there was no need for fancy dresses.

Tonight, I would end it.

That was my mission.

Alistair held my hand as he led me into the Grimshaw mansion. His touch felt light, polite, but I pulled my hand away the moment we stepped inside.

His parents were their usual warm selves.

"Maisie!" Mrs. Grimshaw beamed and wrapped me in a hug. "Thank you for coming, dear. You look lovely."

I forced a smile and hugged her back.

"I actually came to cancel this engagement," I told myself silently.

Hopefully, I wouldn’t lose my courage before the words left my mouth.

Mr. Grimshaw gave me a firm nod. "Good to see you. Let’s not linger in the hall."

We had just turned to move further into the house, my words almost spilling out, when another voice broke the silence.

It came from behind us.

Deep. Low. Calm. It was the kind of voice that made the tiny hairs on your arms stand up and your skin tighten with a sudden, unexplainable chill.

"Am I late?”

Everyone turned.

So did I.

A man stood near the entrance, sunglasses on, his brown hair slightly messy. He wore a face mask that hid the remain of his face.

"Hunter?" Mrs. Grimshaw said. "You came? We weren’t sure you’d make it back in time."

Hunter. The name was unfamiliar, but the way she said it, the way both Grimshaws now focused on him completely, told me he was important. And known.

Hunter moved forward. His walk was a slow, confident prowl, so different from Alistair’s careful, controlled walk. When he reached us, he didn’t stop. He went straight to Alistair and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Alistair stiffened. I saw it clearly—his whole body went tense, and his polite smile hardened into something tight and fragile.

"You could have called," Mr. Grimshaw said. "We would have sent someone to pick you up at the airport."

Hunter didn’t answer right away. He slowly stepped back from Alistair then removed his sunglasses.

I was stunned.

His eyes were different colors. One deep blue. The other dark brown.

Those mismatched eyes scanned the room and, for a heartbeat, locked directly onto mine.

Then, still holding my stunned gaze, he reached up. With a deliberate slowness that made my heart pound, he hooked a finger under the edge of his face mask.

He pulled it down.

The world stopped spinning. Sound faded. The air turned to ice in my lungs.

I turned slowly to look at Alistair.

Then back at Hunter.

My heart slammed so hard it hurt.

They were the same.

Not similar.

The same.

Same jaw. Same mouth. Same nose. Same everything.

It was like looking at Alistair through warped glass.

"W– what…" I whispered, my voice cracking.

Alistair’s face was pale now.

Hunter smiled slightly.

"Did you miss me, brother?"