The room was quiet.
Chloe sat on the edge of the bed, her body still trembling from the kiss. She stared at the window, watching the city lights shimmer in the distance. The beauty of Paris seemed like a lie now — like the whole city was hiding a darkness that only a few people could see.
She felt Lucas's presence behind her.
He didn't sit on the bed. He stood by the door, watching her.
Chloe turned her head slowly.
"Why did you kiss me?" she asked.
Lucas's expression was calm. "Because you needed to know I was real."
Chloe frowned. "I don't want you to be real."
Lucas's eyes softened for a moment. "You don't know what you want yet."
Chloe stood up.
"I want to go home," she said.
Lucas's gaze didn't move. "You don't have a home anymore."
Chloe's breath hitched.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Lucas stepped closer.
"You can go back to your apartment," he said. "But you won't be safe there."
Chloe's heart pounded.
She shook her head. "That's not true."
Lucas's eyes were intense. "It is."
Chloe's voice shook. "Why are you doing this to me?"
Lucas's jaw tightened. "I'm not doing this to you."
Chloe stared at him. "Then who is?"
Lucas's eyes flickered.
Then he walked toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You," he said softly. "You are."
Chloe pulled away. "What?"
Lucas's expression was serious.
"You're not a normal person," he said.
Chloe felt her blood run cold.
"What are you talking about?" she whispered.
Lucas walked to the window and stared out at the city.
"You have something inside you," he said. "Something that makes you special."
Chloe's heart pounded.
"What is it?" she asked.
Lucas turned back to her.
"A gift," he said. "A gift that people would kill for."
Chloe stared at him. "What gift?"
Lucas's eyes narrowed. "The ability to remember."
Chloe frowned. "Remember what?"
Lucas walked closer and sat on the edge of the bed.
He looked at her with a serious expression.
"You have memories that aren't yours," he said. "Memories from someone else."
Chloe's body went cold.
"That's impossible," she whispered.
Lucas's voice was low. "It's not impossible. It's true."
Chloe's mind raced.
She had always thought she was ordinary.
She had always thought her life was normal.
But now, Lucas was telling her something that sounded like a fantasy.
A fantasy that was terrifying.
Chloe took a step back.
"How do you know this?" she asked.
Lucas's gaze was intense.
"Because I've been watching you," he said. "And because I know what Elise is capable of."
Chloe's hands trembled. "What does Elise have to do with this?"
Lucas stood up.
"Elise is the reason you're here," he said. "She wants what you have."
Chloe swallowed.
"What do I have?" she asked.
Lucas walked toward the mirror on the wall.
He stared at his reflection for a moment, as if he was looking at someone he didn't recognize.
Then he turned to Chloe.
"You have the ability to remember a life that was stolen," he said.
Chloe's heart raced.
"A life that was stolen?" she repeated.
Lucas nodded.
"Someone took your memories," he said. "And replaced them with a new life."
Chloe stared at him, unable to speak.
Her mind felt like it was falling apart.
"Who would do that?" she whispered.
Lucas's expression darkened. "Someone who wanted to hide the truth."
Chloe's eyes widened.
"What truth?" she asked.
Lucas's voice was quiet. "The truth about Elise."
Chloe's heart pounded.
"What about Elise?" she asked.
Lucas's gaze was distant.
"Elise was once a woman I loved," he said. "But she became something else."
Chloe felt her stomach twist.
"Something else?" she whispered.
Lucas nodded.
"She became dangerous," he said. "She became obsessed with power."
Chloe's eyes narrowed. "And you?"
Lucas's expression hardened.
"I tried to stop her," he said. "But I failed."
Chloe swallowed.
"Why did she choose me?" she asked.
Lucas's eyes met hers.
"Because you look like her," he said.
Chloe felt a cold shiver.
"What?" she whispered.
Lucas stepped closer.
"You are the spitting image of her," he said. "The only difference is that you're not her."
Chloe's heart hammered.
"Then why am I here?" she asked.
Lucas's voice was quiet. "Because she wants to use you."
Chloe's mind raced.
"Use me for what?" she asked.
Lucas's gaze dropped.
"For revenge," he said.
Chloe's breath caught.
"Revenge against who?" she asked.
Lucas's eyes hardened.
"Against me," he said.
Chloe stared at him.
"You mean… she wants to hurt you?" she asked.
Lucas nodded. "She wants to destroy everything I've built."
Chloe felt her throat go dry.
"And she thinks I'm the key?" she asked.
Lucas nodded again. "Yes."
Chloe's heart pounded.
"Why would she think that?" she asked.
Lucas's eyes softened.
"Because you're the only one who can bring back the memories," he said. "The memories that she lost."
Chloe's mind raced.
"What memories?" she whispered.
Lucas's expression was serious.
"Memories of a promise," he said. "A promise that was made in blood."
Chloe stared at him.
"What promise?" she asked.
Lucas's voice dropped. "The promise to protect her."
Chloe's eyes widened.
"You promised her?" she whispered.
Lucas nodded.
"I promised her that I would protect her," he said. "But I failed."
Chloe's heart pounded.
"And now she wants revenge," she said.
Lucas's gaze was intense.
"Yes," he said. "And she's using you to get it."
Chloe's mind was spinning.
She didn't know what to believe.
She didn't know if Lucas was telling the truth.
She didn't know if Elise was real.
But she knew one thing:
Her life was not what she thought it was.
She had been living a lie.
Lucas walked closer.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Chloe," he said. "Do you trust me?"
Chloe's heart hammered.
She stared into his eyes.
"I don't know," she said honestly.
Lucas nodded slowly.
"That's good," he said. "Because you shouldn't trust me yet."
Chloe frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Lucas's gaze hardened.
"I mean," he said, "you need to learn the truth for yourself."
Chloe's eyes widened.
"How?" she asked.
Lucas reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key.
He held it up.
"This key opens a room in my house," he said. "A room that holds the truth."
Chloe stared at the key.
"What truth?" she asked again.
Lucas's voice was calm. "The truth about your past."
Chloe's hands trembled.
She looked at the key, then at Lucas.
"What if I don't want to know?" she whispered.
Lucas's expression softened.
"Then you can leave," he said. "But you won't be safe."
Chloe's heart pounded.
She thought of her apartment.
She thought of the woman in red.
She thought of the photos.
She thought of Lucas's warning.
She thought of the promise she made.
She thought of the kiss.
She thought of the strange warmth she felt when he touched her.
She realized she had no choice.
She nodded slowly.
"Show me," she said.
Lucas's eyes darkened with something Chloe couldn't read.
"Good," he said.
He turned and walked toward the door.
Chloe followed.
They walked down the dark hallway, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the mansion.
Lucas stopped in front of a door.
It was heavy and made of dark wood.
He placed the key into the lock.
The door opened with a slow creak.
Chloe's heart pounded.
The room inside was dark.
Lucas stepped inside first.
Chloe followed.
The door closed behind them.
The room was filled with old furniture, covered in dust. The air smelled like old books and forgotten memories. In the center of the room was a large mirror.
Chloe stared at it.
The mirror was old, with a silver frame that looked like it had been carved by hand.
Lucas walked toward it.
He placed his hand on the mirror.
The glass shimmered.
Chloe gasped.
The mirror began to show images.
Images of a woman.
A woman with the same face as Chloe.
But older.
Different.
She was wearing a red dress.
Her eyes were filled with anger.
Chloe's heart pounded.
"That's her," Lucas whispered.
Chloe stared at the image.
Her mind went blank.
She didn't know what to say.
She didn't know what to feel.
The woman in the mirror stared back at Chloe.
Her lips curled into a smile.
A smile that Chloe recognized.
Because she had seen it before.
In the lounge.
In the crowd.
In the darkness.
The woman in the mirror raised her hand and pointed at Chloe.
Then she spoke.
"Welcome back," she said.
Chloe's body went cold.
She didn't know if she was dreaming.
She didn't know if she was awake.
But she knew one thing:
The truth was about to destroy her.