In the shadowy corners of a city that never sleeps, two souls bound by fate dance on the edge of obsession and desire. Elara, a fiercely independent artist, has spent years building a life defined by her passion for painting. Though she thrives in her world of color, she feels a haunting emptiness-a void from her past that refuses to be filled.
Unbeknownst to her, Nathaniel, a brilliant yet troubled psychologist, has fixated on Elara. Their paths crossed when he attended one of her gallery showings, where he became entranced not just by her artwork but by the raw pain underlying her vibrant canvases. Nathaniel's admiration erupts into a dangerous obsession. He stalks her, learning her habits, her friends, her struggles-every thread of her existence intertwining with his own.
When Jane Madarang's neighbor Natalie kills herself and leaves behind cryptic instructions, it's up to Jane and her classmates to unearth deadly secrets.
*****
Natalie Driscoll is dead.
She threw herself out a window and left her neighbor Jane to unravel their town's darkest secrets. Following Natalie's instructions leads Jane to three other high school students who all have something to hide. The four of them must carry out Natalie's final errand while solving the mysteries written in her diary. But the secrets they unearth may be far more dangerous than what they ever imagined.
Content and/or trigger warning: This story contains scenes of suicide, violence and murder that may be triggering for some readers.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]