CHAPTER ONE — THE PERFECT WIFE

Elara walked into the gala knowing she was already late enough for people to talk but not late enough for them to think something was wrong. Timing mattered in Lumine Bay. Too early meant eager. Too late meant trouble. Exactly ten minutes late made you look important.

She counted fifteen heads turning the moment she entered. Some smiled. Some whispered. None surprised her.

Her assistant had begged to accompany her, but Elara refused. She hated pity disguised as professionalism.

“Mrs. Moretti,” someone called almost immediately.

She turned. It was Mr. Collins, a real-estate magnate who enjoyed being overly friendly. He approached with that wide grin that never reached his eyes.

“You look lovely tonight,” he said.

“Thank you.” She gave a polite nod. “How’s your wife?”

“Oh, at home,” he replied quickly, as if that wasn’t the part that mattered. “Is Damon coming?”

There it was. The question she expected before she even stepped out of her car.

“Business kept him away,” she said, keeping her voice steady.

Collins gave a half-laugh as if he knew more than she did. “That man will work himself into an early grave one day.”

Elara held her smile but didn’t respond. People loved acting like they knew her husband. They didn’t. She didn’t either, not fully.

Maybe no one did.

She excused herself and drifted deeper into the hall. It was crowded enough to hide in plain sight, yet somehow she still stood out. The Moretti name had that effect. People made space for her like she carried a visible crown on her head.

“Mrs. Moretti, you came alone?” a woman asked from behind her.

Elara didn’t bother turning. “Yes.”

“A shame,” the woman murmured.

Elara finally faced her. “For who?”

The woman blinked, startled. “I… I meant no offense.”

“Of course,” Elara said softly. “None taken.”

The woman moved away quickly.

Elara let out a small breath. She wasn’t normally sharp with anyone, but tonight felt heavier than usual. Maybe because she’d sent Damon three messages since morning and he hadn’t replied. Not even his usual one-word responses.

She spotted her assigned table near the stage. Only one chair beside hers. Damon’s chair. She hesitated, glanced at it, then sat.

A waiter appeared. “Drink, madam?”

“I’m fine with water.”

He poured it and left. Elara took a sip, then set the glass down and stared at the entrance again, even though she knew Damon wouldn’t walk through it. He didn’t attend galas unless it served a direct purpose. Charity made him impatient.

The host stepped onto the stage, microphone in hand. “Thank you all for being here tonight… ”

Elara turned out. Her attention drifted to the bag in her lap. She opened it and checked her phone. Still nothing.

She rested the phone down, her fingertip lingering over the screen a second longer than necessary.

A man at another table leaned over to whisper something to his partner, and the partner gave Elara a pitying look.

She turned away.

When the crowd clapped for the opening remarks, Elara used the distraction to slip out of her seat. She didn’t need to watch speakers congratulate themselves for their generosity. She needed air.

She walked out to the hallway, heels tapping quietly on the marble floor. No one followed, thankfully. The hallway was emptier than the hall, just a few staff members passing with trays.

Her phone buzzed. She fished it out quickly before she realized it was just a reminder for an appointment next week. She dismissed it.

She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

“Mrs. Moretti?”

Her eyes snapped open. It was the event director.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “Just needed a minute.”

“Of course. If you need anything, please ask.”

She nodded, and he walked off.

After a brief pause, she pushed herself away from the wall and headed out of the building. She didn’t plan to return. She’d shown her face. That was enough.

The valet saw her immediately. “Your car will be here in a moment, ma’am.”

She nodded. She kept her bag clasped close to her ribs, more from habit than anything else. The night air wasn’t cold, but she crossed her arms anyway.

The car stopped in front of her. She got in.

“Home, madam?” the driver asked.

“Yes. Thank you.”

He pulled away smoothly.

Elara stared through the window, watching the streak of lights blur past. She could hear distant music from the gala she’d left behind, laughter, applause, people enjoying a world she didn’t truly belong to, though she’d been an ornament in it for years.

She loosened the bracelet on her wrist, the one Damon gave her early in their marriage. The clasp had been loose for months and she kept forgetting to fix it. That felt symbolic.

Her phone vibrated.

She grabbed it immediately, half irritated with herself for hoping.

But this time it wasn’t a reminder.

Unknown number.

She frowned and opened the message.

Your husband built an empire of enemies. You’ll be the first to fall.

Her heart jumped painfully against her ribs. She read it again, slower.

Her husband. Enemies.

You’ll be the first.

Her fingers tightened on the phone. She checked the number, but it was masked completely. No contact name. No previous messages.

She tried to reply.

Who is this?

The message failed instantly.

She tried again. It failed again.

Then the entire thread vanished.

Gone, as if it had never existed.

Her breath stalled.

She stared at the blank screen, waiting for another buzz, another message, something. But nothing came.

She laid the phone on her lap, palms now damp.

The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Everything okay, ma’am?”

“Yes,” she said too quickly. Then she softened her voice. “I’m fine.”

He didn’t push.

She pressed the back of her head to the seat and inhaled slowly. Damon had enemies, but that wasn’t new. People envied him, feared him, hated him.

But targeting her?

No. That didn’t make sense.

She rubbed her temples. Maybe it was some political rival trying to scare them. Or a journalist fishing for reactions. Or—

The car slowed. They’d reached the Moretti estate.

The driver stepped out and opened her door. She thanked him faintly and walked toward the entrance, trying to shake the message out of her mind.

Inside, she headed straight upstairs. 

She dumped her bag on her bed and reached inside.

A folded piece of paper sat between her wallet and compact.

She froze.

She definitely hadn’t put anything like that inside.

Her fingers felt stiff as she pulled it out. A plain white note, folded twice, edges creased like someone had done it in a hurry.

She opened it.

Your husband built an empire of enemies.

You’ll be the first to fall.

Her stomach flipped violently.

This wasn’t the text.

This was a physical note.

Someone had been close.

Close enough to touch her bag.

She sat on the bed, note between her fingers, her pulse racing in her ears.

She hadn’t left her bag anywhere long enough for someone to slip this in.

Except—

When she went to the hallway.

When the director approached and distracted her for a moment.

When the waiter nearly bumped into her.

When she greeted that woman who apologized too quickly.

Her mind flashed through faces, movements, and moments.

Someone had timed it perfectly.

She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, note still in her hand.

She wasn’t imagining things.

She wasn’t overreacting.

Someone wanted her attention.

Or her fear.

She kept staring at the words. They didn’t feel like a joke. They felt precise.

Your husband built an empire of enemies.

That part she believed.

You’ll be the first to fall.

That part

she couldn’t ignore.

She straightened slowly, palms trembling.

The message was clear.

Someone didn’t just want to threaten Damon.

They wanted to warn her.

Or worse.

They wanted her to know she wasn’t safe