Chapter 1 - Finding Madeline

The magnificent event center shimmered in the light of a thousand small lights, with each crystal in the massive chandelier overhead capturing and scattering beams in a kaleidoscope of colors. Deep red, midnight blue, emerald green, and gold reflections flashed across the towering walls, creating a surreal atmosphere throughout the hall.

Every element was meticulously constructed for an amazing evening, from the elaborately interwoven tablecloths to the gorgeous arrangements of white roses and baby's breath that adorned each table.

Velvet drapes, pushed back to reveal towering windows, framed the night sky outside, where stars blinked dimly in contrast to the dazzling indoors.

Guests were already coming in, their laughter and talk creating a soft buzz in the air. Sebastian remained cool in those early moments, certain that everything was proceeding as planned. He stood near the door, nodding at familiar faces and welcoming old friends and family, occasionally looking to the empty spot by his side.

It was early, after all, Madeline was probably still getting ready, and she'd walk through those doors at any time, glowing and lovely.

But as time passed and more people arrived, Sebastian found himself checking his watch more frequently.

The serenity he had felt at first began to vanish, replaced with a gnawing sense of unrest. He took a long breath, attempting to calm the tense energy within, the lights from the chandelier above appeared stronger, almost overwhelming, creating odd, dancing patterns on the floor. He turned away from them, anxious to find Madeline.

At first, he attempted to reassure himself. It was still early in the night, and Madeline enjoyed making an entrance. But as the hall filled and rumors spread among the guests, Sebastian couldn't ignore the uncomfortable churning in his gut.

He checked his watch again and grumbled barely audible above the rising murmur of voices. Without further hesitation, he began weaving through the crowd, his gaze darting from face to face as he approached each person with a query that rapidly became more frantic,

“Excuse me, have you seen Madeline?”

People shook their heads one by one.

As guests became aware of his rising nervousness, they responded with polite smiles, sympathetic glances, and even a few embarrassing laughs. Despite their best efforts to comfort him, nobody had seen her.

He rushed over to a group of Madeline's acquaintances near the entrance, his heart hammering,

“Excuse me” he said, barely concealing the tension in his voice,

“Have any of you seen Madeline?”

They exchanged uncertain looks before one of them responded,

“No, I thought she was with you, Sebastian. Isn’t she supposed to be making her way down soon?”

Sebastian swallowed and mustered a tight smile, nodding in gratitude before stepping away.

His heart raced in his ears as he sought to figure out where she was, his eyes spanned the hall, becoming more desperate with each passing second. He needed to find her, she had to be here someplace, perhaps hidden behind one of the magnificent floral arrangements or waiting outside for some fresh air.

At the far end of the corridor, he noticed her younger brother, a teenager engrossed in his phone, oblivious to the distress on his face. Sebastian moved over, his sneakers tapping forcefully on the polished floor.

“Hey” Sebastian said, doing his best to keep his voice steady,

“Have you seen Madeline?”

Jared looked up, his brow furrowing as he considered the question,

‘Uh, I saw her in the dressing room a while ago” he replied, glancing down the corridor,

“But that was, like, an hour ago. I figured she’d already come down”

Sebastian felt a stab of dread when he heard his response. Thanking him, he turned and walked down the corridor toward the dressing rooms, each step taking him farther from the event's warm warmth and laughing.

The corridor was quieter and darker, and the echoes of his hasty footfall filled the silence, exacerbating the uneasiness gnawing at him.

He approached the door to the room Madeline was supposed to be in and knocked. The silence on the other side seems to press against him, dense and stifling, he pounded again, but harder this time.

“Madeline?” His voice echoed in the empty hallway, no response.

Panic erupted in his chest as he attempted to turn the handle, only to discover that it was locked. He put his ear against the door, searching for a sign, with his heart racing, any sound that would tell him she was just inside, possibly taking a break. However, there was only silence, he hammered on the door, desperation gripping him.

“Madeline, open the door!” he shouted, his voice cracking as his fist thudded against the wood,

“Madeline, open the fucking door, please!”

When there was still no answer, he stepped back, his chest heaving as he considered his alternatives. Without thinking, he leaned forward, pressed his shoulder against the door, and forced it open. The door creaked, the lock broke, and he stumbled into the room, breathless with anticipation, the room was empty.

Her perfume's subtle fragrance remained in the air, mixing with the exquisite scent of flowers on a neighboring table, the gown she was supposed to wear hung neatly in the corner, untouched. His eyes wandered around the room, eventually stopping on the open window, where the curtains swirled in the breeze, reaching out like phantom fingers.

His throat clenched as he took in the scene, she was gone. Sebastian spun around to see his best friend, the best man, come into the room, his face blanched with concern,

“Sebastian, there you are” his friend panted, eyes darting around the empty space before focusing on the open window, the fluttering curtains, and the stunned expression on Sebastian’s face,

“But...where is Madeline?”

Chapter 2 - A Wavering Engagement

Madeline looked up at the clock on the wall of the living room, its ticking sound loud in the solitude. She sighed slowly, attempting to quiet the torrent of ideas running through her mind,

“Sebastian, where on earth are you?” she muttered. It was a few weeks before their wedding, and today, as planned, was going to be the day they chose color themes together. She'd been looking forward to it for weeks.

They had agreed, and he had repeatedly reassured her of the importance of today, he had sworn not to miss it for the world, yet, here she was, all dressed up and waiting.

She had woken up to the sound of the shower earlier that morning. The idea that he was already getting ready and that they would soon be leaving the house to begin the day together had given her some peace of mind.

She yawned and stretched before noticing the to-do list she had made the previous evening on the table next to her. Her enthusiasm bloomed once more as she picked up the list and quickly reviewed their plans for the day.

Sebastian's phone lit up on the nightstand next to her at that very moment after pinging with a notification. Curious to find out who was messaging him at such an early hour, she instinctively reached for it, but before she could even view the message, his hand sprang out from behind her and grabbed the phone as soon as her fingers touched the screen,

“Oh, good morning” she’d said with a small laugh, startled but brushing it off, but his attention remained fixed on his phone, and he merely nodded absently. It took him a few seconds to look up, blinking as though he had just become aware of her presence

“Morning” he replied in a preoccupied voice before turning to go to his closet. There was a tiny jolt of disappointment in her as he held the phone tightly.

“I’ll quickly shower and get ready” she’d said, hoping to bring him back to their plan for the day.

But he’d turned, his brow furrowing,

“Whoa, slow down, I have to get something important done quickly” His tone was almost dismissive, and she paused, a little taken aback.

“But we…” she started, the words coming out softer than she’d intended,

“I know” he interrupted, his voice sharp,

“I’ll be back soon, I promise. I just need to close a deal with a client”

He had walked up to her then, pressing a quick, casual kiss to her cheek before grabbing his keys,

“I won’t be long” he’d said, sounding almost rushed, and then, just like that, he was gone.

The door behind him clicked shut, leaving Madeline standing there feeling disappointed.

"Our wedding plans are important too” she said in a whisper, but the silent room drowned out her words. The thrill she had experienced just seconds before vanishing as she slid down the side of the bed, she felt the weight of disappointment bearing down on her.

There was stillness for a few moments until she made herself get up and sit at her laptop, intending to use work as a diversion. She was a reporter, and even though her thoughts were elsewhere, she had deadlines to meet. Sebastian was still connected into his account when she unlocked her laptop.

He had spent the night before retrieving and printing several documents from her PC. At the bottom of the screen, a pop-up notification caught her attention just as she was ready to log him out. When she saw the message from a strange number, her eyes grew wide, the words made her heart skip a beat,

“I still feel your kisses, I see you in my dreams. How could I forget what it was like to have you inside of me?”

As Madeline reread the sentences, her stomach churning, her mind racing, she froze. Almost as fast as it had come, the message vanished, and while clicking about, she discovered that he had somehow remotely logged out through his phone. She bit her lip as she tried to take in what she had just witnessed.

It was such an triggering, personal message that obviously didn't seem to be related to a business transaction. As she sat back in her chair with her heart racing, she shut down her laptop. Perhaps there was a rational explanation for It, at least she hoped there was.

Maybe those were old texts, saved from before he had ever met her, years ago, that was also possible. She was aware that some messages would end up on devices for much longer than anyone had planned due to backups. She inhaled deeply, trying to relax herself and think clearly.

The words, however, troubled her. They felt...fresh, personal. And even so, there was something odd about Sebastian's actions that morning, his quick departure without giving it any thought, the way he grabbed his phone from her hand, the preoccupied expression in his eyes, along with the way he'd always come home late at night with the same excuse of meeting with a client or closing some deal.

A deep ache settled in Madeline's chest as her eyes shifted to the engagement ring on her finger. It seemed heavier than ever before, the ring that had once represented so much promise and affection.

Every small thing she and Sebastian chose for her wedding would be a memory they would cherish forever, and she had always dreamed that the planning process would be joyful. And then, doubt started to creep into the gaps where confidence had been as she sat there, her palm trembling a little as she caressed the ring.

She was aware of the dangers of making snap judgments, therefore she refrained from doing so. However, the uneasiness was like a shadow that pressed closer and deeper with each minute that went by.

Each click seemed louder than the last as she sat there in the silence of her living room, gazing at the clock as the hands slowly moved forward. She had begun the day full of hope and enthusiasm, but now it seemed like every second she spent was pushing her further into a tempest of uncertainty, her mind spinning in all directions.

What if there’s more going on than I know? she thought.

Chapter 3 - Who's Emily?

Madeline gradually shook off the emotion and disturbance in her heart, she wasn't going to sit here all day feeling heavy-hearted about him when it could be for nothing. She concluded her job for the day and forwarded it to the editorial team for review before it was published.

She then proceeded into the bathroom and took a bath before exiting and changing into a simple dress and heading down to the kitchen. She made coffee, she liked coffee, and she always required it to start her day enthusiastic and powerful. She drank it quickly, not wanting to spend any time being idle, before her thoughts wandered off.

After coffee, she got into her car and headed down to the wedding planner's to select a motif. She parked on the road and strolled into the building, headed to the studio space.

“Hello” she was greeted by the bubbly and lively event planner,

“Hi” Madeline said trying to be lively as well,

“You must be Madeline” the lady said and Madeline nodded,

“Yes, I am”

“Please, come this way” she said showing her in, Madeline took a seat and another lady walked up to her with a large book in her hand with a smile.

“Good morning Miss” she said smiling as she sat beside her,

“Hi, good morning” Madeline said, returning the smile.

Just then, the initial lady that had welcomed her walked up to them, she seemed to be the owner of the brand,

“If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting I must attend, Rayna here would be of great service to you” she said

“Oh that's alright” Madeline replied,

“It was lovely seeing you, Madeline” she said and Madeline nodded before returning to Rayna. As the lady stepped out the revolving door, Madeline observed her hugging someone familiar, it was Sebastian's best friend, Liam. They had a brief discussion before she moved away and Liam entered,

“Hey Maddie” he said as he sat beside her,

“How do you know her?” She asked quietly, nodding to the lady that walked away,

“An old classmate of mine from highschool” he said,

“Oh. what are you doing here anyway?” She asked and he chuckled,

“I'm trying to set up my new place, so I came here to check out some interiors” he said.

Just then, another lady walked up to him to attend to him as she led him to the interior decor section.

After picking out her color's and finishing with Rayna, Madeline stood up to leave and she noticed Liam was done too, they both headed out of the building.

“So what are you up to now?” He asked as they walked to the park.

“I'll just head back home, you know” she shrugged,

“Sebastian?” He asked,

“He headed out earlier for a meeting” she said

“Well, I'll be going for lunch with a couple of friends, wanna join us for lunch?” He asked, and since she had nothing else to do, she nodded, saying yes, after all, she was simply going to stay at home all day doing nothing.

They arrived at the restaurant where Liam's friends were, and she recognized a few more of Sebastian's friends as well as other strange faces. They greeted them as she and Liam took their seats, and the table was full of vibrant chatter and conversation, she laughed as some of the amusing ones cracked jokes.

“Yall remember how Sebastian was stuck up on Emily that he'd always have us beg her on his behalf?” One of the guys, Aaron said and the guys laughed, Madeline smiled faded immediately,

“She had him blocked everywhere, he really started writing her emails” another replied and they laughed again,

“I bet he still does, he could never get over her, his first love….” Aaron was saying when Liam cleared his throat and glared at him,

“This is Sebastian's fiancee, Aaron” he said and the air was awkwardly silent

“Oh my, I thought she was your girl” Aaron said and turned to Madeline,

“I was just running my mouth, I bet he hates her with passion, we all do” he said and turned to everyone,

“Don't we, guys?” He asked and everyone nodded in agreement as they ate, Madeline chuckled uncomfortably before glancing at Liam,

“Sorry about that” he whispered to her.

Lunch with Liam's friends came to an end and they all said their goodbyes and everyone began to disperse as they short get-together came to an end,

“Take care, Maddie. I guess I'll see you…”

“Liam, who's Emily?” She asked and Liam lowered his head immediately, not knowing how to answer on Sebastian's behalf,

“Sorry about Aaron, he's a blabbermouth”

“And that's a good thing, but that's not what I asked”

“Who's Emily?”

Chapter 4 - Empty Promises

Madeline was brushing her hair back and applying her skincare products as she was wrapping up her bedtime routine when she heard the front door creak open and close. As the slow, uneven footsteps approached, she looked toward the bedroom doorway and listened.

Sebastian was standing at the doorway, his body resting slightly against the doorframe, when she turned around,

“Hey, Maddie” he said with a faint slur in his voice. She could tell he had had a few drinks because of the blurry expression in his eyes and the subtle whiskey scent on his breath.

She nodded slightly to him but didn't say anything, refocusing on her skincare regimen. She grabbed her moisturizer and used gentle, well-practiced strokes to massage it into her skin. Pushing off the doorframe, Sebastian approached her and put his arms around her waist from behind.

She felt his warm breath against her skin as he buried his face in the bend of her neck and took a deep breath,

“Mmm” he moaned softly at the scent she was wearing.

Madeline's countenance remained neutral as she continued to stare into the mirror. She applied the final touches to her face with firm hands before carefully peeling herself from his grasp and going about her routine.

Sebastian stayed by her side, moving more slowly than normal and keeping his eyes half-closed. With a slight, uneven smile, he took a small, tasteful gift bag and held it out to her, she carefully considered it and raised an eyebrow,

"What's this?"

"Go on”he said, nodding at the bag,

“Open it”

Madeline paused and ran her fingers over the ribbon before yanking it open. A stunning silver gown with a delicate, opulent fabric that shimmered in the light was within. She gasped a little and held it up, her eyes widening in amazement.

"It’s for tomorrow” he said, his words slightly muddled but his smile warm,

“There's an evening party tomorrow evening to celebrate our boss’s birthday. I want you to come with me”

“Really?”

The corners of her mouth raised into a smile, she gazed up at him, her eyes melting. He nodded with a tinge of pride on his face. The thought made her happy, and she looked down at the dress once more, stroking the silky material with her fingertips.

She hadn't anticipated spending the evening with him, much less something so considerate. She briefly experienced the same thrill she had experienced with him before. But Sebastian had already slipped to the bed, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed on the mattress. In a matter of moments, he was already asleep, breathing heavily, and his arm was slackly spread across the sheets.

Madeline folded the gown delicately and set it on a chair, letting out a quiet sigh. Looking back, she saw Sebastian lying on the bed, his phone glinting as it fell out of his grasp. She hesitated a moment before moving stealthily to access the phone. After tapping the screen, she discovered that he had changed the password, which made her heart sink.

After trying several of his typical combinations, she was unable to get into it. She threw the phone back where she had found it, pulled the blanket over him, and got into bed herself, frustrated.

The dress, the supper tomorrow, and the sparkle in his eye as he gave her the gift were all on her mind as she sat next to him. She made an effort to allow it to calm the tension that had been rising inside of her, at least for tonight.

Madeline awoke to beautiful, golden sunlight pouring through the curtains the following morning. She slowly regained consciousness as her lashes filtered the sun's rays that flashed against her face, causing her to blink.

Sebastian stood next to her, already dressed, fiddling with his tie in front of the mirror. His face was glowing as he greeted her, looking over his shoulder,

"Good morning, beautiful”

She managed a small smile,

“Good morning”

He turned, his face lighting up as he held his arms out,

"How do I look?"

Madeline smiled faintly, though a lingering exhaustion from last night’s doubts still hung in her expression,

“You look handsome, as always”

Sebastian smiled and walked across the room to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead before leaving. For a minute after he had gone, she laid there thinking about the silver dress. Perhaps this evening would serve as a reminder to them, a chance to reignite the enthusiasm that had seemed to fade over the past few months.

With her laptop open on the dining room table, she worked from home all day, going through her emails and tasks. Although she could work from the office, she preferred the flexibility of working from home because it allowed her to be in her thoughts as frequently as she wanted, her job as a reporter kept her busy.

Before she realized it, her laptop's clock read 5:00 p.m., and it was time to begin preparing for the dinner party. She took her time getting ready, putting on the lovely dress and arranging her hair in a stylish bun. She felt like herself again, strong, self-assured, and eager, as the dress suited her flawlessly and gracefully emphasized her shape.

After applying just enough cosmetics to highlight her looks, she gathered her things and waited for the ride Sebastian had promised to set up. Her phone buzzed shortly after, and she noticed the message verifying her driver's arrival.

A tiny flutter of excitement grew in her chest as she walked out of the house after taking one final glance in the mirror.

She expected to see Sebastian waiting for her when she arrived at the event, so she got out of the car and glanced around.

She looked around the room at the faces of the people who were interacting with each other. However, as she continued to explore the event, she was unable to find him. She recognized some familiar faces, friends of Sebastian’s and Liam's she’d met over lunches and work gatherings.

She approached one group, smiling politely as they greeted her,

"Hey, have you seen Sebastian?" she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.

They exchanged looks, shaking their heads,

"Sorry, haven’t seen him yet”

She thanked them and feigned a smile before turning to return to the entrance. She took out her phone, phoned his number, and waited breathlessly until the line rang, it rang a few times before going to voicemail.

She made another attempt, but the outcome remained the same, she clenched her hand and stared down at her phone, frustration building inside her,

“Sebastian, where are you?” She whispered.

The cold evening air brushed against her bare arms as she turned and paced back and forth along the steps that led outside. Just as she was ready to give him a final call, she heard a voice behind her,

"Don’t break a leg yet” the voice teased, and she turned, startled,

“The party’s just getting started”