Chapter 1 - THE GHOST IN THE GARDEN
A lavish high-society gala at the Mercer estate turns into an absolute nightmare when a bruised, barefoot ten-year-old boy walks out of the shadows, clutching a diamond brooch that belonged to Claire Mercer’s son, Ethan, who supposedly drowned seven years ago. Recognizing his crescent scar and their secret bedtime phrase, Claire realizes her baby is alive. But terror turns to madness when the boy reveals a bloodstained note stating Jonathan Mercer hid the child because Ethan is not his—and that his real guardian is arriving tonight. As chaos erupts, a black town car halts at the iron gates, and out steps Richard Vale: Claire’s billionaire father who was supposedly cremated eleven years ago. Staring down a trembling Jonathan, Richard delivers a bone-chilling warning that shatters Claire’s entire reality.
