A flawless stranger

The night air was cool, but Ezekiel felt as if he was burning up. He was just inches away from her, the woman who had filled his thoughts for the last three years.

“I know it’s you, Lorna.”

Vespera reacted instantly, her instinct to protect herself kicking in against someone she barely knew. It wasn’t guilt that made her flinch; it was sheer fear. She stepped back sharply, her heels resounding against the stone.

“Lorna?” she echoed, her voice trembling as she stared at him, her eyes wide with alarm, like someone confronted with a danger in a shadowy alley. “I... I don’t know who that is. Mr. Sterling, you need to back off.”

But Ezekiel stood his ground, his thoughts racing back to a moment before the accident. It was a private memory, just for him and Lorna.

He recalled the small, unique scar on her collarbone, one she had always kept hidden, overlooked by a family that never paid her much mind.

If only he could just see that spot, he’d know for sure.

“Stop pretending,” he said hoarsely, reaching out. He wasn’t thinking about the gala or his reputation; he just wanted to slip off the neckline of her stunning emerald dress, itching to uncover that mark.

“What are you doing?!” Vespera yelled, her panic palpable. She slapped his hand away, breathing heavily. “Help! Jerry!”

“Ezekiel!”

Jerry Gray charged onto the terrace, confusion and anger etched across his face. He had no idea what was unfolding; all he saw was his main investor, a man known for his cold demeanor, cornering a woman and trying to touch her dress.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Jerry demanded, stepping between them and pushing Ezekiel back with a hand on his chest. “You’re harassing my guest? Is this how the great Ezekiel Sterling behaves?”

Vespera quickly moved behind Jerry, grasping the silk at her throat, looking shaken, her eyes glistening with tears of fear. “Jerry, he... he’s calling me names. He’s acting like he knows me. I’ve never seen this man before tonight!”

Jerry turned his head slightly to comfort her. “It’s okay, Vespera. I’ve got you.” Then he faced Ezekiel, lowering his voice to a dangerous whisper. “I don’t care how much you’ve invested in my project. This woman just got here from abroad. She’s my friend and the star of my upcoming series. If you touch her again, I’ll pull your funding myself.”

Ezekiel stood there, frozen, barely processing the word “star.” His eyes were locked on Vespera’s neck. In the turmoil, her dress had shifted just enough.

Her collarbone was smooth and untouched.

There was no scar. There was no mark. Just flawless skin.

“It’s not there,” Ezekiel murmured, his voice hollow.

Vespera looked at him, a mixture of horror and pity on her face, as if she were gazing at a madman. “Jerry, please... let’s go inside. I want to leave.”

“We’re leaving,” Jerry snapped at Ezekiel. “Keep away from her, Sterling. Get some help.”

As Jerry led Vespera away, she didn’t look back. She leaned into him, every bit the frightened, innocent woman who had just faced a stranger’s trauma.

Left alone on the terrace, Ezekiel’s hand fell limply to his side. His heart screamed that it was her, yet the chilling absence of the scar and the vacant look in her eyes made him feel like he was losing his grip on sanity.

He stayed there long after the sound of Vespera’s heels faded away, the moonlight seeming to mock him, casting a glow over the empty terrace. He glanced down at his hand, the one that had brushed against her warm skin.

It still trembled.

The absence of the scar hit him like a physical punch. It was a mark he had traced with his own finger countless times, a small, crescent-shaped reminder of a childhood accident that Lorna had once called her “secret brand.”

But Vespera Nightingale’s skin had felt like polished gem. It was flawless.

“Kiel?”

The voice sliced through his spiraling thoughts. Lynn Astor stepped out from the shadows of the archway, her red dress catching the wind.

Her eyes were rimmed with red, her face a mask of controlled rage and hurt. She had witnessed the whole exchange from the doorway. And yes, she had called Jerry.

“What was that, Ezekiel?” she asked, her voice quivering. “You chased a stranger out onto the terrace and tried to... to strip her? In front of Jerry Gray?”

Ezekiel didn’t meet her eyes. He was still focused on the doorway where Vespera had vanished. “She looks just like her, Lynn. The voice, the eyes... even the way she tilts her head.”

“It’s just a coincidence!” Lynn snapped, finally losing her temper. She marched up to him, grabbing his arm to force him to look at her. “Lorna was a plain, stuttering girl who couldn’t even look anyone in the eye. That woman... that Vespera... she’s an actress. She’s stunning. She’s strong. She’s nothing like that pathetic shadow of a sister I had!”

Ezekiel clenched his jaw. “Her body was never found.”

“Because the river took her to the ocean!” Lynn’s voice rose, desperate to ground him in her reality. “You’re seeing what you want to see because of guilt. You feel bad because you didn’t love her enough when she was alive, so now your mind is crafting her into every beautiful face you see.”

She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to an urgent whisper. “She didn’t recognize you, Kiel. Did you see her eyes? Not a flicker of memory there. Just fear. You scared her. If she were Lorna, she would’ve cried or screamed or hit you. But she looked at you like you were a monster.”

Ezekiel shut his eyes. Lynn’s words made sense. They were the only rational thing in this wild situation. If Lorna had survived, she would have come back seeking vengeance, or at least shown some sign of the pain he had caused her.

But Vespera’s eyes had been hollow. Empty.

“She has no scar,” Ezekiel whispered, his voice cracking.

Lynn’s grip on his arm loosened, relief flashing across her face. “Exactly. Lorna had that ugly mark on her collarbone. You saw it yourself, this woman is flawless. She’s a stranger, Ezekiel. Let it go.”

She reached up, trying to smooth the lapel of his suit, her tone turning sweet and persuasive. “Let’s go home. I heard from a friend that she's the new lead actress for Jerry's series called the 'Darkness Behind Me'. Tomorrow, when the announcement happens and her face is plastered on every billboard, you’ll see how crazy you’re being. She’s just a girl Jerry found in Europe. Nothing more.”

Ezekiel allowed her to lead him away, but his mind lingered on that terrace. It felt like he was walking through a dream where everything was askew.

If she wasn’t Lorna, then why did standing near her feel like tearing his soul apart?