Chapter One – The Party

Lisa POV

The wine glass sweats in my hand, cold droplets sliding down the stem like they want to escape as badly as I do. My grip tightens, knuckles whitening, as if holding on harder might keep me grounded.

The stool beneath me creaks when I shift. Too loud. Everything about me feels too loud in this glittering hall, even though no one is looking my way.

Which is fine.

Better than being seen.

Crystal chandeliers hang overhead, scattering diamond-shaped light across people who belong here people who have never eaten without silver cutlery or worn clothes that weren’t tailored to perfection. Their laughter rings sharp and effortless, the kind that reminds you exactly where you stand.

Or where you don’t.

Then my gaze finds him.

David.

My boyfriend.

My anchor.

My undoing.

He sits at a round table near the center of the hall, surrounded by people who matter. His suit fits him like it was made for him alone, every detail deliberate. He looks confident. Comfortable.

Like he belongs here.

And beside him sits Annette.

She smiles at almost everything he does, her attention lingering on him a second longer than necessary. When he speaks, she tilts her head, earrings catching the light, her hand resting just a little too close to his arm.

Something burns in my chest.

Stop it, Lisa.

You’re overthinking again.

This is why David has grown distant. Because I notice things. Because I can’t be easy, can’t laugh without wondering what it means. Because I don’t belong in his world of polished smiles and effortless conversations.

He’s loved me for three years. He gave me a job when no one else would me, with nothing but a high school certificate and a history of failures.

I should be grateful.

And yet here I sit, invisible, watching him laugh with people who understand him while I shrink into the background like furniture.

Maybe I should go to him.

No. That would only make things worse.

But staying here, clinging to my glass like a ghost, makes me feel smaller by the second.

I stand.

My heels click against the polished floor, sharp and unforgiving, announcing my presence when I want silence. Still, I force my legs forward, my pulse hammering as I approach their table.

Annette notices me first.

“Lisa?” Her smile twitches. “What are you doing here? I thought you were sitting over there.”

She points behind me.

David turns. His expression goes blank. That familiar flicker appears in his eyes the quiet, cutting question I know too well.

Why are you here?

“I…..I was getting bored,” I say, forcing a smile that trembles. “Thought I’d come find you.”

Annette’s lips curve, sweet and sharp. “Oh dear. There are only five seats here, and we’re all taken. Where would you sit?”

Her voice is polite.

Her eyes are knives.

I look at David, silently begging him to say something. Anything.

He looks away.

“You know how tight things get,” he says casually. “I don’t want anyone feeling uncomfortable. Especially you. You handle this kind of thing better than the rest of us.”

The words pour ice down my spine.

“Oh,” I whisper. “Right. I’ll just… wait over there until it’s time to leave.”

“Yeah,” he says, relief flickering across his face. “That’s fine.”

I turn away before my smile cracks.

Back on the stool, I stare into my wine as minutes stretch into something heavier. Annette’s laughter drifts through the room, sharp and constant. David’s voice follows, easy and familiar.

You handle this better.

Do I?

Or have I just learned how to disappear quietly?

A shadow falls across my lap.

“Lisa.”

I look up.

David stands beside me. Annette lingers behind him, pale and fragile, one hand pressed to her forehead like she might faint at any moment.

“She’s not feeling well,” David says, his hand resting on her arm. “She doesn’t have a ride home. I’ll take her.”

My stomach drops. “Oh… okay. You could drop her off on the way and then”

“No.” His voice cuts sharply. “I can’t leave her alone. She’s sick.”

“What about her brother?” I ask, softly.

His eyes harden. “Stop being childish. Take a cab. I’ll meet you at home.”

The kiss he presses to my cheek burns like a warning.

Then he’s gone.

Just like that.

The night air slaps me as I step outside cold, fresh, empty. My phone buzzes in my hand.

Sorry, ma’am. There’s an issue with your ride. No other options available.

Of course.

The road stretches ahead, silent and dark. Guests are gone. Cars have scattered. I hug my arms around myself and start walking, heels crunching against gravel, the wind whispering through tall grass like it knows something I don’t.

Then

Headlights.

They curve around the bend, slow and deliberate. The car pulls over beside me. The window slides down.

A man looks out.

A dark mask covers the upper half of his face. Only his mouth and eyes are visible steady, unreadable.

“Good evening, Lisa,” he says.

I freeze.

I have never told him my name.

…..

/AN/

What do you think about David?