Zoe's breathe seized.
Her fingers curled tight around the sink's edge like it was the last thing keeping her from falling apart. The cold tile bit into her knees, grounding her in a reality she wasn't ready to face. Her vision blurred.
And still..,
He was there.
Leaning against the doorway like he hadn't just risen from the dead.
Like he hadn't vanished five years ago without a trace.
Like he hadn't ruined her.
"Hello, Zoe," Marcus said again, his voice smoother now. Rich. Familiar. That kind of slow drawl that once curled around her like silk... and strangled like rope.
Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
He stepped forward.
And she flinched so violently her shoulder hit the wall.
"Don't," she rasped. "Don't come any closer."
Marcus froze. Hands lifted. Palms open.
But that smile
That lazy, knowing smirk
Nothing about him had changed.
"You're not real," she whispered, her voice breaking. "You're not, You died."
He let out a low chuckle, squatting down until his eyes met hers. "Funny thing about ghosts," he murmured. "They only stay dead when no one's looking for them."
Tears streamed down her cheeks, hot and unstoppable. "What do you want from me?"
"Closure," he said softly. "Maybe revenge. Maybe just… you."
She scrambled to her feet, clutching the towel tight around her shaking body. "Get out. You have five seconds before I scream this whole damn building awake."
He just raised an eyebrow, calm as poison. "And scream what, exactly? That the ex who vanished after stealing half a million dollars just showed up in your bathroom like some bad dream?"
Her chest banged so hard it felt like her ribs might snap.
"Still sharp as ever," he said, standing slowly. "But I didn't come to fight."
"Then why are you here?"
He stepped closer, his eyes darker than she remembered. "Because Ethan and Mason think they've got you trapped between them. But they've forgotten one thing."
"What's that?" she spat.
"I knew you first."
Zoe stormed into the hallway, her pulse hammering so loud it drowned out her thoughts. Her phone buzzed from the floor where she'd dropped it, the photo of her sleeping, exposed and vulnerable, still glowing up at her like a curse she couldn't shake.
Marcus picked it up before she could. Held it between two fingers.
"Hmm," he said, eyeing the image. "He used to take these of you back then, too. Do they still say it's 'for memories'?"
Her stomach turned violently.
He tossed the phone onto the couch. "Don't worry. This wasn't Ethan."
She narrowed her eyes. "Then Mason?"
Marcus's smile twisted. "Mason didn't take that photo either. But he did hire the man who did."
Her skin itched with ice.
"Who?" she whispered.
"I'll tell you," he said. "But I want something in return."
Her silence was enough answer.
They sat across from each other on the couch, two enemies locked in a battle that never really ended. Zoe's fingers wrapped tight around a mug of tea she couldn't bring herself to drink. Marcus leaned back, casual and arrogant, like a man with nothing left to fear.
"Ethan and Mason weren't just rivals," he began. "They were partners."
Zoe blinked. "What?"
"In college. In business. In secrets. They started a tech company together when they were twenty, before Ethan ever got into real corporate."
"No, Ethan's company is his own"
"Sure," Marcus said. "Now. But Mason was the original brain. Ethan was the influence. They built the bones together."
Zoe shook her head. "You're lying."
"Ask Ethan what really happened to 'Equinox AI.' Ask him who betrayed who. Who got bought out. Who got left holding the bag."
Her hands trembled.
"And while you're at it," Marcus added casually, "ask Mason what happened to the files from that beta testing scandal. The ones that got buried when a certain whistleblower went missing."
Her blood turned cold.
"Who, who was the whistleblower?"
Marcus didn't blink.
"You were," he said.
Her mug shattered on the floor.
She stood slowly, dizzy with anger. "You're insane."
"Am I?" he said, standing too. "Then why do you remember nothing about the night I disappeared? Why do you still have gaps in your memory from that month?"
Her lips parted.
No sound came out.
He stepped close, so close she could feel the heat of his breath.
"You were drugged," he whispered.
"No"
"You filed the report. You uploaded the files. You tried to expose everything they were hiding. And someone made sure you forgot it ever happened."
Her vision spun. Her knees buckled.
Marcus caught her.
"Don't touch me!" she screamed, shoving him away.
He let her fall to the floor, but his eyes didn't change. Still calm. Still terrifying.
"Why now?" she gasped, tears running her face. "Why come back now?"
"Because they're both lying to you," he said. "And because someone wants you out of the picture again. For good this time."
Her phone buzzed again on the floor. She didn't dare look.
Marcus crouched beside her.
"I can help you, Zoe," he said. "But if you want the truth… it's going to destroy everything."
She closed her eyes, her body shivering.
"I already have nothing left to lose."
He smiled faintly. "That's when you're most dangerous."
Meanwhile… across the city…
Mason stared at the security feed.
The footage was blurry around the edges, but sharp enough to catch Marcus slipping into Zoe's apartment. His hands curled into tight fists.
"Son of a bitch," he muttered.
He picked up his phone. "Get me the original files. Every connection Marcus had to Equinox AI. Every hidden record. I want to know what he's told her."
The voice on the other end hesitated. "Are we burning the project?"
Mason's jaw tightened. "Not yet. But if she remembers what we did… then yes. We burn everything."
Elsewhere...
Ethan stood in front of a glass wall, staring out at the rain.
His assistant entered quietly.
"We have movement," she said. "Marcus is alive. He made contact."
Ethan's hands curled into fists.
"Does she know?" he asked.
"Not yet. But if she starts asking questions…"
He didn't turn. Just stared into the dark city like it held all his worst memories.
"Then make sure she doesn't find the answers."
Back in Zoe's apartment...
She stalked back and forth across the kitchen, restless and caged.
Marcus sat at the counter, calm as ever, sipping tea she had no memory of preparing.
"You were supposed to be dead," she said, her voice flat and empty.
"And you were supposed to be protected," he replied. "Funny how life works."
She turned on him. "Why did you run back then? Why didn't you fight?"
"Because I didn't have you."
She froze.
His voice softened. "They made you forget, Zoe. But I didn't. Not for one fucking second."
She stared at him.
At the man she once loved.
At the man who vanished.
At the man who might be the only one telling her the truth.
Or her biggest liar yet.
Her phone lit up again.
Unknown Number:
You've been warned. Walk away now. Or your past won't just ruin you. It'll bury you.
Marcus read the message over her shoulder.
His lips curled.
"They're scared," he murmured. "That means we're close."
Zoe's eyes were wild and charged.
"I want everything," she said.
Marcus's gaze sharpened. "Even if it means war?"
She nodded.
"Then get dressed," he said. "We start tonight."