Chapter 1 Return to Shadows

**Chapter 1 — Return to Shadows**

The Seattle rain pelted against the windshield as Henry's driver navigated the winding road leading to what would be my new home. I stared out at the blur of evergreens, feeling as though I was entering another world entirely—one of wealth and privilege that still felt foreign to me despite the diamond weighing down my left hand.

"Almost there, darling." Henry squeezed my hand, his eyes crinkling at the corners when he smiled. At fifty-two, he was twenty years my senior, but his confidence and warmth had drawn me to him from our first meeting at the charity gala where I'd been working as an event coordinator.

The car slowed as we approached the wrought-iron gates that opened automatically, revealing a sprawling modern mansion nestled among towering pines. Glass and stone melded together in an architectural statement that screamed old money and new taste.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Wilson," Henry said, bringing my hand to his lips.

Home. The word felt hollow. Six months ago, I'd been Olivia Chen, struggling event planner with student debt and a cramped apartment. Now I was Olivia Wilson, wife to one of Seattle's most influential tech investors. The whirlwind romance had swept me off my feet, but standing before this mansion, reality crashed down on me.

"It's magnificent," I whispered, the appropriate response for a woman whose husband had just presented her with a multi-million dollar home.

The front door opened before we reached it, and a slender woman in her sixties greeted us with a warm smile. "Mrs. Wilson, I'm Martha, the housekeeper. We're so pleased to welcome you."

I returned her smile, grateful for the kindness in her eyes. "Thank you, Martha. Please, call me Olivia."

"The staff has prepared a small welcome gathering in the main living room," she continued. "Mr. Wilson's son arrived earlier today as well."

I froze. Henry had mentioned his son from his first marriage would be joining us this weekend, but I'd been so consumed with the wedding and the move that I hadn't given it much thought. All I knew was that he was in his late twenties and worked for Henry's company on the East Coast.

"Wonderful," Henry said, guiding me through the marble-floored entryway. "I've been looking forward to introducing you two."

The living room was a cavernous space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Puget Sound. A handful of staff members stood near an elegantly arranged table of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. But my eyes were drawn to the lone figure standing by the windows, his back to us as he gazed out at the view.

"Nathaniel," Henry called out. "Come meet Olivia."

My heart stopped as the figure turned. The glass of scotch in his hand nearly slipped as our eyes met, and I felt the blood drain from my face.

No. It couldn't be.

But it was. Nathaniel Wilson—my college boyfriend, the man I'd loved desperately at twenty-two, the man whose child I'd aborted six years ago after he'd disappeared without a trace.

"Olivia," he said, his voice deeper than I remembered but still unmistakably his. "What a pleasure to finally meet my new... mother."

The word hung in the air like poison. My new stepson was the man who had once whispered promises of forever against my skin.

"You two haven't met before, have you?" Henry asked, oblivious to the electric current running between us.

"No," I lied, finding my voice. "It's nice to meet you, Nathaniel."

He approached with the predatory grace I remembered so well, extending his hand. "The pleasure is all mine."

As our hands touched, memories flooded back—his fingers tracing patterns on my bare back, tangled in my hair, intertwined with mine as we planned our future. A future that had evaporated when he vanished without explanation, leaving me alone with a positive pregnancy test and a shattered heart.

"Nathaniel just closed a major deal in New York," Henry said proudly. "He'll be staying with us for a few weeks before heading back."

Weeks. I would be living under the same roof as Nathaniel for weeks.

"Congratulations on the deal," I managed to say, withdrawing my hand from his grip.

"Thank you, Olivia." My name on his lips felt like a violation. "I'm looking forward to getting to know the woman who captured my father's heart so... quickly."

I didn't miss the implication in his tone, and from the slight narrowing of his eyes, neither did Henry. But my husband simply clapped Nathaniel on the shoulder and reached for a glass of champagne.

"To new beginnings," Henry toasted, raising his glass.

The evening progressed in a blur of small talk and feigned pleasantries. I excused myself early, claiming jetlag from our honeymoon in Bali. Henry kissed me goodnight, promising to join me soon after he and Nathaniel caught up on business matters.

Our master suite occupied the entire east wing of the second floor. I stood under the rainfall shower, letting hot water cascade over me as if it could wash away the shock of seeing Nathaniel again. What cruel twist of fate had brought us here? Had he known who I was when his father announced his engagement? Had he kept silent, planning this moment?

I slipped into a silk nightgown and sat at the edge of the massive bed, my mind racing. The door to the bedroom was closed, but I hadn't locked it, expecting Henry. When a soft knock came, I called out, "Come in."

The door opened, but it wasn't Henry who stood in the doorway. Nathaniel leaned against the frame, his eyes traveling slowly over my body in a way that made me acutely aware of the thin fabric clinging to my skin.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed, grabbing a robe from the foot of the bed and wrapping it tightly around myself.

"I wanted to see if it was really you," he said, his voice low. "Of all the women in Seattle my father could have married, he chose you. Fate has a twisted sense of humor, doesn't it, Liv?"

"Don't call me that," I snapped. "You lost that right when you disappeared six years ago."

A shadow crossed his face. "Is that what you think happened? That I just disappeared?"

"What would you call it? You were there one day, talking about our future, and gone the next. No calls, no messages. Nothing."

"And you moved on quite efficiently, didn't you?" His eyes flicked to the wedding ring on my finger. "How long did it take you to fall for my father's money after I was gone?"

The accusation stung like a slap. "You know nothing about my life or what I've been through. Get out of my room before Henry comes up."

"Henry's in his study on a conference call with Tokyo. He'll be there for hours." Nathaniel took a step into the room, and I instinctively backed away. "Don't worry, I'm not here to expose you. Your secret is safe with me... for now."

"There's no secret to expose. We dated in college. It ended. That's ancient history."

His laugh was cold. "Is that the version you're going with? Nothing about the child you were carrying when I left? My child?"

My breath caught in my throat. "How did you—"

"Know?" He moved closer, close enough that I could smell the faint scent of scotch on his breath. "I have my ways, Liv. I know everything. About the clinic in Portland. About how you didn't even try to contact me before you made your decision."

Tears burned behind my eyes. "I tried for weeks to reach you! You changed your number, moved out of your apartment. You vanished!"

"And yet here we are." He reached out, his fingertips ghosting along my cheek in a touch so light I could have imagined it. "You, married to my father. Me, your stepson. It's almost poetic."

I slapped his hand away. "Get out. Now."

He stepped back, a smirk playing at his lips. "As you wish... Mother."

Nathaniel turned to leave, but paused at the doorway, looking back at me with an expression I couldn't read. "Sweet dreams, Olivia. I'll see you at breakfast."

After he left, I locked the door and collapsed onto the bed, my body trembling. What had I gotten myself into? My past and present had collided in the most catastrophic way possible, and I was trapped in the middle.

Just as I was about to turn off the light, my phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number:

"Mom, I miss you."

I stared at the screen, my heart pounding against my ribs. How had he gotten my number? The message was followed by another:

"We have so much to catch up on. Six years is a long time. Sleep well."

I turned off my phone with shaking hands and lay in the darkness, listening to the rain against the windows. Henry would be up soon, and I would have to pretend everything was normal. That I hadn't just discovered my stepson was the man who had broken my heart years ago. That I wasn't keeping secrets that could destroy my new marriage before it truly began.

As I drifted into an uneasy sleep, one thought kept circling in my mind: Nathaniel hadn't returned to Seattle by coincidence. He was here for a reason. And whatever that reason was, I was certain it would bring nothing but shadows back into my life.