He didn't chase after her.
Not because he wasn't fast enough—but because he was frozen.
Nathaniel Valez, the man who ruled cities with silence and burnt kingdoms with a stare, stood in the middle of his ruined wedding like a broken statue.
The blood-red note was still pinned to his chest.
"This was just the rehearsal. Wait for the real show."
The priest had fled.
Guests were in hysterics.
Cameras rolled long after the chaos.
Celeste was gone—rushed to the hospital under heavy sedation.
And Nathaniel?
He just stared at the scorched remains of the cathedral aisle, haunted by the phantom in the red dress.
A phantom with a voice he thought he'd buried.
One Hour Later – Private Estate
Dano burst into the security room, flanked by two of Nathaniel's men.
"We pulled CCTV from all exit routes. She slipped through the side chapel. No facial match on the database, but…"
He dropped a flash drive on the marble desk.
Nathaniel turned slowly, his eyes unreadable.
Dano clicked the remote, bringing up footage.
A woman in a red dress—barefoot now—strode down the stone hallway, confidence oozing from her every step.
She looked right at the camera.
Paused.
And smirked.
Then disappeared into the fog.
"That smirk," Nathaniel murmured.
"Recognize her?"
His fingers flexed at his sides.
"…No."
But it was a lie.
Something inside him did.
Not the face, not the voice.
But the feeling.
That cold crawling beneath the skin. That pull at his ribs.
He knew her.
And if it was really her… it meant the dead didn't stay buried anymore.
Elsewhere – Abandoned Theater, 3rd District
Alfreda peeled the blood-red dress off her body and threw it into the corner.
It was soaked in perfume, power, and pain.
Aurelio stood in the shadows, arms crossed.
"She saw you."
Alfreda smirked. "That was the point."
"She's your sister."
"She was my rival."
He stepped closer.
"She was your blood."
Alfreda met his gaze coldly.
"And he was my heart. Until they both let me burn."
Silence.
Then Aurelio's voice dropped.
"You're playing with fire."
"I am fire."
She turned to the corkboard on the wall—photos, pins, red thread, and one central target:
Nathaniel Valez.
Flashback – Six Years Ago
The ballroom glowed gold.
Alfreda danced barefoot across marble tiles, her laughter echoing as Nathaniel chased her with a champagne bottle.
"You're drunk," he teased.
"I'm alive," she whispered.
He caught her by the waist.
"You always say that like it could change."
"It could."
He looked into her eyes.
"You trust me, don't you?"
"More than life."
She didn't know then that life would be the first thing he'd steal.
Present – Hospital Room
Celeste stirred beneath ivory sheets, her eyelids fluttering open.
Nathaniel sat by her side.
But his mind was miles away.
"She's alive," Celeste whispered, her voice raw. "I saw her…"
He said nothing.
"She said you owe her a life, Nathaniel."
Still, he was silent.
"Was it true?" Her voice cracked. "Did you love her?"
He looked at her now, gaze unreadable.
"I buried her, Celeste."
"That's not an answer."
He stood.
"I buried her because I had no choice. But she dug herself out."
Final Scene – Rooftop, 11th District
Alfreda lit a cigarette, wind whipping her hair like a storm.
Below her, the city pulsed—oblivious.
"She's rattled," Aurelio said behind her.
"She should be."
"What's the next move?"
She exhaled smoke into the moonlight.
"I want him to feel the fire in his bones."
"And then?"
She smiled darkly.
"Then I take his kingdom."