That Evening — Gu Sean
6:30 p.m.
Gu Sean checked his phone again.
Nothing.
7:00 p.m.
He paced the living room, every sound making his head snap up.
7:30 p.m.
Fear began to seep in—slow, poisonous.
He called. Straight to voicemail.
By 8:00, panic had fully set in.
Something was wrong.
He grabbed his keys and drove straight to the only place he could think of.
Ash's Door
Ash opened it mid-spiral, worry already etched into her face.
"She didn't come back?" she asked the moment she saw Gu Sean.
His silence was answer enough.
"No," he said hoarsely. "She said she'd be home."
Ash's heart dropped. "She hasn't been here since the trip."
Not again.
Nicole — Earlier That Day
Nicole stood on the dock, staring at the yacht, heart hammering.
You can do this. It's just business.
Lennel greeted her with a charming smile that never quite reached his emerald eyes. The meeting went smoothly—too smoothly. His flirtation sharpened as the wine flowed.
"No," Nicole said firmly when he pressed closer. "This is inappropriate."
His smile vanished.
The knife appeared.
Panic took over.
The ocean was there—wide, dark, unforgiving.
She jumped.
Cold swallowed her whole.
The past crashed back—waves, fear, helplessness.
I can't… I can't…
Gu Sean's hands shook as he stepped away from Ash's living room, phone pressed hard to his ear. Xan answered on the second ring.
"Has she contacted you?" Gu Sean demanded, barely keeping his voice steady. "After the meeting—did Nicole reach out at all?"
There was a pause on the other end. Too long.
"No," Xan said slowly, tension snapping into his tone. "She was supposed to be back hours ago." Keys jingled in the background. "Send me the client details."
Gu Sean's jaw clenched as realization hit them both at once. He rattled off the address, pulse roaring in his ears.
"That yacht dock," Xan said sharply. "I'm closer. I'm on my way—now."
The call ended without goodbye. Gu Sean was already moving, grabbing his coat, fear burning hot in his chest.
Two cars tore through the night from opposite directions.
And neither man knew who would reach her first.
She didn't know then that fear had already begun tightening its grip.
And miles away, two men who loved her in very different ways were about to realize the same terrifying truth—
Nicole was missing.
And the silence that followed was anything but empty.