Chapter -1

Ian's POV

I was watching the view through my window, standing in my cabin on the 30th floor. The city sprawled beneath me, lights flickering like dying embers against the dark horizon. I wasn't unhappy. I wasn't happy either. Just... existing.

My hands rested in my pockets, my stance relaxed but unmoving. The large monitor on my desk remained on, filling the silent room with the hum of an ongoing news broadcast. The headlines flashed across the screen, each word clawing at the edges of my mind:

BREAKING NEWS: YOUNG WOMAN COMMITS SUICIDE OUTSIDE HER WORKPLACEEVELYN WINSLOW, 27, SETS HERSELF ON FIRE

The footage played on loop—blurry, distant, but unmistakably real. The figure of a woman, gasoline-soaked, igniting herself into an inferno of despair. The crowd's screams, the frantic attempts to stop her, the sirens wailing too late. Every sound, every image seared itself into my mind, refusing to fade.

That name. That face.

Evelyn Winslow.

The sound of her name was ringing in my ears, relentless and sharp. A memory I thought long buried clawed its way back up, suffocating me with the weight of the past. My jaw clenched. My grip in my pockets tightened.A scoff left my lips, bitter and hollow.

"God damn, Evelyn. Best of luck."

I actually knew that girl. Ten years ago. Pathetic. She finally did it. She finally ended her life. She deserved it.

The thought came unbidden, laced with anger I couldn't place. How could someone be so weak, so fragile, that they thought death was the only option? What kind of person surrenders to despair like that? Shame on her.

She was my first love. But expectation and reality are two different things.And I don't want to know why she died.

While I was lost in my thoughts, a sharp knock on the door pulled me back to reality.

"May I come in, sir?"Lily's voice—polite, professional—barely registered in my mind. My gaze lingered on the screen for a second longer before I exhaled, forcing myself to shift gears.

"Yes, come in, Lily."

She stepped inside, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. I turned away from the window and walked back to my chair, sinking into it with a practiced ease.

"What's the plan today?" I asked with a small smile, masking the turmoil brewing inside me. Lily stood straight, a tablet in her hands, her expression calm as always. "Sir, your meeting is scheduled—"

"I want to know all the details about this girl's death."

I cut her off before she could finish, my voice firm, leaving no room for argument. Silence stretched between us for a moment. Lily hesitated, but I didn't look at her. My eyes remained fixed on the screen, where Evelyn Winslow's name burned like an unshakable ghost.Lily hesitated. "But sir... your meeting?"

I didn't look at her. My fingers drummed against the desk, my patience already thinning.

"Cancel it. Reschedule."

A pause. I could sense her shifting on her feet, debating whether to question me further. She knew better.

"Understood, sir."

I finally glanced up. Lily's expression remained neutral, but I caught the slight furrow of her brows—the only indication of her surprise. She had worked for me long enough to know I never canceled meetings. But today was different.

I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly. "I want a full report on Evelyn Winslow's death. Everything. How, when, why." My voice dropped lower. "And I want it fast."

Lily gave a small nod before turning on her heel, her tablet clutched tightly in her hands as she walked toward the door.As the door clicked shut behind her, my eyes drifted back to the screen.

Evelyn Winslow.

Dead.

At first, I didn't want to know why she died. I told myself I didn't care. That it didn't matter.But no matter how much I tried to push it away, she lingered. That girl—Evelyn Winslow—still stayed in my heart like an old scar that refused to fade.

I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "You cheater, Evelyn." You left, just like that. Took the easy way out. After all these years, after everything... this is how it ends?You deserved it.Or at least, that's what I told myself. Then why the hell did it feel like something inside me had just shattered?