CHAPTER SIXTEEN:BECOMING THE PREY.

Elena was barely conscious, her head slumped forward as she whimpered in the darkness. I crouched beside her, tilting her chin up.

"Don't worry," I whispered. "I'm not leaving you."

I ran my fingers through her hair, smoothing it down.

"I'm becoming you."

Her swollen eyes widened in terror. "No… you can't—"

I pressed a finger against her lips. "Shhh… Leon will never know the difference. He'll think I'm you. And you?" I smirked. "You'll rot here, alone."

She sobbed, but I had no time for her tears.

I stripped her of her expensive clothes, slipping them onto my own body. The fabric clung to me, the scent of her perfume lingering in the air. I copied her makeup, her hairstyle, every little detail until the woman staring back at me in the mirror was no longer me—

It was her.

Elena, the perfect wife. The woman Leon adored.

I grabbed my things, gave Elena one last glance, and locked the room behind me.

It was time to go home.

Leon was furious when I arrived, his sharp eyes scanning me as I walked into the mansion.

"Where the hell have you been?" he snapped.

I forced a tired sigh, dropping my purse on the table. "A hotel. I needed space."

He narrowed his eyes. "Without telling me?"

I bit my lip, lowering my gaze like Elena would. "I just… I didn't want to fight, Leon."

His expression softened. He stepped forward, pulling me into his arms.

I had to fight the urge to recoil.

"You scared me," he murmured, kissing the top of my head. "Don't ever disappear like that again."

I melted into his embrace, faking the perfect act. "I won't."

I buried my face in his chest—hiding the wicked grin stretching across my lips.

This was just the beginning.

Leon had no idea what was coming.

Playing Elena wasn't just about looking like her—I had to become her.

So, I studied her.

Her mannerisms, the way she spoke, the way she moved. I let myself sink into the role, weaving a new version of Elena—one with a hunger for blood.

At first, Leon seemed amused.

"You've changed," he said one night as I twirled a knife between my fingers. "You're… darker."

I smiled, pressing the blade against my palm just enough to sting. "Maybe I always was."

I saw the flicker of intrigue in his eyes. He liked this side of me.

Good.

That meant he'd trust me enough to let his guard down.

And that's when I started digging.

I listened carefully, piecing together conversations when they thought I wasn't paying attention.

One night, I found old documents in Leon's study. My blood ran cold as the truth unraveled before me.

The lawyer who accused me? Elena's brother.

Leon's fake mother? Elena's real mother.

His fake father? Just a hired guard—one who had been protecting Elena her entire life.

And his fake sister? She was long gone, "settled" and removed from the equation.

Everything was a lie.

Leon wasn't the mastermind.

Elena was.

But now, she was nothing.

She was tied up in a dark room, forgotten and rotting.

And I had taken her place.

Elena's mother was a woman of elegance, but I saw the fear in her eyes whenever I held a knife.

I used it to my advantage.

Whenever she annoyed me, I'd drag the cold blade along her skin—never cutting deep, just enough to make her wonder if I would.

One night, she spoke out of turn.

I gripped her chin, forcing her to look at me. "You don't like me anymore, do you?"

She swallowed hard. "You're not the same."

I smiled. "Oh, but I am."

Then, I pressed the tip of the knife against her arm. She whimpered, shaking her head.

"Please…" she whispered.

I let the blade linger—just long enough to remind her who was in control—before pulling away.

"Next time," I murmured, "I won't be so merciful."

She wouldn't dare cross me again.

Leon was falling for the act.

He thought I was Elena, slipping into madness.

He had no idea the real monster was standing right in front of him.

And soon, I would make him pay.