dow. She was back at her apartment-alone, somehow. She didn't remember how she got there. Only fragments of the night

Her red dress was on the floor, still damp, her heels carelessly discarded

in the rain. Don't worr

fear, but with a strange th

Her life had been a well-written script up until now: polished, predictable, arranged by her

hone

ngagement announcement is g

e phone acro

to Adebayo Industries. A man she'd seen once at a gala

headed out. She needed

ucked away beneath a cascade of bougainvillea. Sh

apparently, wasn't

time? Fate must be

ns and a black button-up that made his presence no less co

e you my addr

"You didn'

m. "What do you

at out. But I know one thing-you're more

You know about

r. And I know Jide Adeba

know me," s

I know you hate wearing masks. And I know you came t

ced through h

you?" she

rward. "Someone

etween them. And in that silence,

e," he said. "No st

honest," M

to me be

nst everything she knew, everything s

city lights glittered like stars that had lost their way. They talked-not lik

ut Mara learned that Dante had once been something else-someone

ho he was. All she knew was that he made he

everything rare, c

to discover just how expens

teps, Dante's phone buzzed. He

g alright?

mile. "Yeah.

er of worry. The shadows

lay in bed staring at the

re playing a dangero

t up, re-reading the me

Who is

rep

dark had taken notice of her. Something that had not

hing to do