faeni

Following a horrific car accident, Adeline Moore awakens from a months-long coma with no memory of her life, her identity, or the family who insists they love her. As she struggles to make sense of the fragments around her, she's met with an unsettling reality—her fiancé, Luke, is cold and distant, and her younger sister, Hazel, seems far too close to him.

As flashes of memory return—snippets of arguments, uneasy emotions, and inexplicable grief—Adeline begins to uncover the truth: Luke and Hazel were having an affair even before the crash. Shattered by the betrayal, she’s dealt a second blow when her family rallies around Hazel, dismissing Adeline’s pain and blaming her for not being “the same” since waking up.

Isolated and unsure of who she used to be, Adeline makes a bold decision—she doesn’t want her old life back. She wants truth. She wants freedom. She wants to start over. With quiet resolve and growing clarity, she begins to rebuild her life—this time, on her own terms, and far from those who broke her.

The Second Life of Adeline Moore

Adeline stepped out of the taxi, nerves bubbling in her chest. Her fingers clutched her bag tightly as her gaze lifted to the towering glass doors of Waylen Company. Today marked the start of her new life.

And yet—of course—he was there.

She spotted Luke by the entrance, arms crossed, scowl locked in place like he'd been waiting just for her.

"Of course he's here," she muttered under her breath.

He stormed toward her. "So you've decided to show up."

Adeline didn't break stride. "Move, Luke."

"On purpose." Her voice was cool. "What do you want?"

"You think you can just walk away from everything and show up here? At my company? Are you stalking me now?"

"I applied. I got hired. I didn't even know you worked here until after," she shot back. "So maybe the world doesn't revolve around you."

"Don't play dumb, Adeline," he growled, stepping into her path. "This is pathetic. Is this your way of crawling back into my life?"

She met his glare without flinching. "God, you really believe that, don't you? That I'd go through all this—for you? I don't want you, Luke."

His expression twisted. "You don't talk to me like that."

But before it could fall, a hand caught his wrist mid-air.

Luke staggered, eyes wide. "What the—?"

A tall man in a tailored suit stood beside them. Calm. Composed. Cold.

"Touch her," the man said, voice like steel, "and you're done."

He shoved Luke's arm away with quiet force. Luke stumbled, hitting the pavement with a startled grunt.

"Elias—" Luke scrambled to his feet, panic flashing across his face. "This isn't what it looks like—she—"

Elias didn't look at him. He calmly retrieved a small sanitizer bottle from his coat pocket and cleansed his hands with slow precision.

"You're shouting at an employee," he said flatly. "At the front doors of our company. You raised your hand against her."

Luke paled. "I—I didn't mean—"

Elias's voice dropped into something razor-thin. "Don't sully the Waylen name with your tantrums. We don't tolerate this here."

Luke wilted. "Yes, sir," he muttered.

Still, Elias didn't spare him a glance. His eyes turned to Adeline. "You're the new hire. Adeline Moore?"

He turned and strode toward the building without waiting.

Adeline glanced once at Luke—still frozen in place—then followed.

The Gatekeeper