The night Zariah Monroe died, her name was everywhere.
Not for her talent.
Not for her beauty.
Not for the years she had spent climbing a world that never truly wanted her.
But for a scandal.
Her face filled every screen.
Homewrecker.
Gold digger.
Industry fraud.
The comments moved faster than she could read them.
Thousands.
Then millions.
People who had once praised her now tore her apart like she was entertainment.
Her agency had dropped her that morning.
Her contracts were canceled by noon.
By evening, brands were posting statements about "protecting their image."
And Ethan…
Zariah's fingers tightened around her phone as rain soaked through her coat.
The last message from him still glowed on the screen.
Ethan Carter:
You should have known your place.
Her chest tightened.
Three years.
Three years loving him.
Supporting him.
Using her connections to get him auditions.
Standing beside him when no one else believed in him.
And now he was the one giving interviews.
Saying she was obsessed.
Saying she lied about their relationship.
Saying she tried to trap him.
And Vanessa.
Her best friend since college.
The one who held her hand during her first casting rejection.
The one who cried with her when her career finally started rising.
Vanessa was trending too.
But not for betrayal.
For bravery.
For "exposing the truth."
Zariah laughed.
The sound broke halfway through.
Rain blurred the city lights around her. Traffic rushed past. Nobody looked twice.
Why would they?
To the world, she was already finished.
Her phone vibrated again.
Another notification.
Another headline.
Another piece of her life being taken apart.
Her vision swayed as she stepped off the curb.
Headlights.
A horn.
Screaming brakes.
Then—
Darkness.
Voices.
Distant at first.
Then closer.
"…she's breathing!"
"Call an ambulance!"
Sirens.
Cold pavement pressed against her cheek. Rainwater pooled beneath her face.
Her phone lay inches away, screen still glowing.
Another message.
Unknown number.
She forced her eyes open.
The words were simple.
You were too naive for this world.
Her chest rose once.
Then fell.
And the world went silent.
Zariah Monroe died at 11:42 PM.
Her name trended for twelve hours.
By morning, the internet had moved on.
Three years earlier.
Sunlight touched her face.
Warm.
Soft.
Zariah's eyes opened.
For a moment, she didn't move.
The ceiling above her was white.
Familiar.
Her heart began to pound.
Slowly, she sat up.
Her apartment.
Her old apartment.
The one she had lived in before her career took off.
Before Ethan.
Before Vanessa.
Before the scandal.
Her hands shook as she grabbed the phone on the nightstand.
The date glowed on the screen.
March 3rd.
Three years before her death.
Her breathing stopped.
Then started again.
Fast.
Sharp.
Real.
She stumbled out of bed and rushed to the mirror.
Her reflection stared back.
Younger.
Healthier.
No exhaustion in her eyes.
No weight of betrayal.
No quiet desperation.
Just Zariah.
Before everything broke her.
Her knees gave out.
She sank onto the floor.
For a long time, she just breathed.
Alive.
Alive.
Alive.
Tears fell silently.
Not from sadness.
From memory.
Ethan's voice.
Vanessa's smile.
The comments.
The headlines.
The message on her phone.
You should have known your place.
Her hands slowly curled into fists.
The trembling stopped.
Her breathing steadied.
When Zariah stood again, the woman in the mirror was no longer the same.
Her eyes were calm.
Cold.
Clear.
"This time," she whispered.
"No one destroys me."
That night, she didn't call anyone.
Not Ethan.
Not Vanessa.
Instead, she opened her laptop.
Created a new email.
Then a new account.
Username:
Ebon Nocturne
She stared at the blank page for a long time.
Then she began to type.
They buried me once
thinking darkness would finish the job.
They didn't know
I was born there.
She clicked Post.
Then closed the laptop.
Outside, the city lights flickered against the night.
Somewhere across the city, a man who controlled empires sat alone in his penthouse, scrolling through his phone.
He paused.
Read the poem again.
And for the first time that night.
Dominic Sterling looked interested.