Chapter 1 :The Past Catches Up

Seraphina had spent the last three years perfecting the art of disappearing.

She had learned how to blend in, how to live without leaving a trail. She had abandoned everything—her old name, her wealth, and most importantly, her past.

The quiet town of Willow Creek had been the perfect hiding place. Here, she wasn’t Seraphina Devereaux, wife of a ruthless billionaire. Here, she was just Sera Lane, a waitress at Evergreen Café, earning just enough to survive.

And survival was all that mattered.

At least, until today.

A strange feeling had settled in her chest the moment she stepped into work that morning—a tight, suffocating unease that she couldn’t shake. It was irrational, she told herself.

Until the café door swung open.

And she heard his voice.

"You thought I wouldn’t find you, wife?"

Seraphina’s entire body froze.

The world around her faded—the quiet chatter of customers, the scent of roasted coffee beans, the soft jazz playing in the background. Everything disappeared except for the man standing at the entrance.

Lucian Devereaux.

Her past had just walked through the door, draped in power and fury.

He hadn’t changed—not in the way that mattered. He was still impossibly tall, his broad shoulders commanding attention even in a room full of people. His jet-black hair was perfectly styled, not a strand out of place. But it was his eyes—the cold, stormy gray eyes that had once looked at her with passion—that now burned with something far more dangerous.

Rage.

Disbelief.

And worst of all—possession.

Seraphina’s grip tightened around the coffee pot in her hands, her knuckles turning white. This isn’t happening.

She forced herself to breathe, to think. There were customers here. He wouldn’t cause a scene, not in a place like this.

Right?

But Lucian Devereaux had never been a man bound by rules.

He took a slow step forward, his expensive black leather shoes clicking against the wooden floor. The café fell into an unnatural silence as the air shifted—everyone could feel the tension.

Seraphina had one chance. One moment to pretend.

She lifted her chin, masking the sheer panic tightening her chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, keeping her voice steady.

Lucian’s lips curled. Not in amusement. Not in warmth.

In warning.

"Lying won’t work this time, Seraphina."

The way he said her name—the name she had buried three years ago—sent a shiver through her.

She hadn’t heard anyone say it since she left. Since she disappeared. Since she had sacrificed everything to protect—

No. She swallowed hard, forcing those thoughts away.

Lucian Devereaux wasn’t just a ghost from her past.

He was the one person she couldn’t afford to face again.

And yet, here he was.

"You've been hiding from me," he continued, his voice calm, deliberate, and terrifying. "I let you disappear once. That was a mistake I won’t be repeating."

Seraphina felt her throat tighten, but she refused to show weakness.

"You’re mistaken," she said evenly. "My name is Sera. I don’t know who you—"

Lucian moved so fast she barely saw it coming.

One moment, she was standing behind the counter. The next, he was towering over her, closing the space between them, his presence suffocating. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded document.

Seraphina’s stomach dropped.

Lucian placed the paper on the counter and slid it toward her with slow, deliberate movements.

She already knew what it was.

But still, her trembling fingers hesitated before flipping it open.

And there it was.

Her worst nightmare in black ink.

A marriage certificate.

Her name—Seraphina Devereaux. His name—Lucian Devereaux.

The proof that no matter how far she had run, she had never truly been free.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Lucian tilted his head slightly, his gray eyes darkening with something unreadable. "You’re still my wife, Seraphina. And I’m taking you back."

Her entire world tilted.

This couldn’t be happening.

No, she had covered her tracks. She had been careful. She had made sure that no one—not even Lucian—could ever find her.

But he had.

How?

Her pulse roared in her ears as her mind raced. Did he know why she left?

Did he know who she was protecting?

No. He couldn’t. If he did, this wouldn’t just be about dragging her back to his world. It would be so much worse.

Seraphina’s chest tightened as the weight of reality settled over her.

Lucian wasn’t giving her a choice.

And this time, there was no escape.