Chapter 2 No.2

Ellie POV:

The chill from last night had morphed into an icy dread that clung to me through the morning. Damon had left for work, kissing my forehead, oblivious to the chasm that had opened beneath my feet. I sat alone in our sparkling clean kitchen, the silence deafening, punctuated only by the frantic beat of my own heart.

The memory of the scar, his scar, confirming his identity, was a physical blow. My stomach twisted. How could I have been so blind? So naive? The man I loved, the man I was going to marry, was living a double life.

I pulled out my laptop again, fingers trembling as I typed in "The Den." The site was still there, a digital abyss I couldn't tear my eyes from. I scrolled through the videos, a sick compulsion driving me. My gaze snagged on the chat log, scrolling endlessly beneath the live streams. Messages, dated days, weeks, months ago. This wasn't a one-off. This was a pattern.

A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I had to know everything. I needed proof, undeniable, irrefutable. My mind, usually focused on harmonious color palettes and functional layouts, was now consumed by a single, terrifying question: Why?

I called my office. "I won't be in today," I managed to say, my voice raspy. "Feeling worse."

The lie felt hollow, but necessary. I couldn't face anyone, not when my world was crumbling. My hands, still shaking, pulled up the anonymous email again. Who sent it? And why now, just a week before the wedding? Was it a warning? A malicious attack?

I stared at the screen, the pixelated faces of masked strangers taunting me. I replayed the video of "Damon." Over and over. His mannerisms, his movements, the way he tossed his head. Every detail screamed him. The sick irony was not lost on me – I was an interior designer, trained to notice the smallest details, to create harmony. Now, those same skills were picking apart the grotesque disharmony of my own life.

I felt a phantom pain in my chest, like my heart was being wrung out. It wasn't just the betrayal of Damon. It was the crushing weight of the 'why.' What kind of man did this? What kind of relationship did I think I had?

The afternoon dragged on, each minute an hour. My head throbbed. I tried to distract myself, to clean, to read, to do anything, but the images from "The Den" were burned into my retina. I couldn't escape them. It felt like I was trapped in a glass box, watching my life unravel without being able to stop it.

As dusk settled, casting long shadows across our living room, a new thought, colder and sharper than the dread, pierced through me. If this was Damon, who was the woman? She was always masked, a rabbit, a cat, a deer. The masks were different, but her body language, her laugh...

My phone buzzed again, jangling my nerves. It was Katina, my maid of honor, my best friend since kindergarten. "Hey! Wedding stress getting to you? Damon just told me you called out sick."

My blood ran cold. Damon told Katina? Why? And why did her voice sound so... normal? So innocent? It was a simple, everyday interaction, but in my current state, every word felt loaded with hidden meaning. I suddenly saw Katina's innocent face, her bright eyes, her easy laugh, through a new, chilling lens. My suspicion, once focused solely on Damon, now expanded, a cancerous growth in my mind.

"Yeah, just a bug," I lied, my voice tight. "Listen, can you... can you come over? I really need to talk."

Katina, bless her heart, was there in twenty minutes, a bottle of my favorite wine and a sympathetic smile on her face. "Girl, you look like you've seen a ghost," she said, pouring us both a glass. Her touch on my arm was warm, comforting. Too comforting.

"I think Damon's cheating on me," I blurted out, the words tasting like poison.

Katina's eyes widened, a perfect picture of shock. "What? No way! Damon? He adores you, Ellie. That's absurd!" She shook her head, her voice indignant. "Who told you that? Some jealous ex?"

Her reaction was too perfect, too immediate. My eyes, now accustomed to dissecting every detail, noticed a subtle tightening around her mouth, a flicker in her eyes that vanished as quickly as it appeared. A new, terrifying possibility began to form in the darkest corners of my mind. It was absurd. It was impossible. But what if?

"I... I saw something," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Something online." I hesitated, wanting to show her, needing her validation, but fear held me back. Fear of what I might find next. Fear of losing everything.

She scoffed, taking a sip of wine. "Ellie, you're stressed. This wedding has you on edge. Damon loves you. He just told me how excited he is." She paused, then added casually, "He's even been working extra hours on a surprise for you, you know. A secret housewarming gift for your new home. Something romantic."

A housewarming gift? My mind flashed back to the masked man on "The Den" talking about property, about our new home. My head spun. The wine, or the shock, was making my vision blur. The room felt suffocating. I needed air. I needed answers.

"I need to lie down," I said, pushing myself up from the couch. Katina nodded, her expression still concerned, still perfectly innocent. I walked to the bedroom, the weight of her presence, her 'concern,' pressing down on me. I felt like I was drowning in a sea of lies, and the deepest betrayal was yet to come. The thought was so cold it burned.