Prologue Evenie （Ev-en-nee） Lewis

“Babe… baby…”

I sighed as I shook my husband, Tyrion, attempting to wake him up. This man was the hardest sleeper I’d ever met. When he didn’t wake up, I stood to my full height, with my hands on my hips. I couldn’t help but smile at him holding our six-month-old daughter against his chest. Baby girl loved her daddy something serious.

I couldn’t blame her.

I loved this man too. We’d been together since we were sixteen, and I knew the moment I met him that he was my person. We got married at twenty-one while we were still two broke college students. At twenty-four, I found out I was pregnant with our baby girl, Summer Rose.

Tyrion’s grandfather gifted us his home as a graduation present, and we’d just finished renovating it ourselves. The timing was perfect because Summer Rose would have a beautiful home to grow up in. I couldn’t wait to fill it with the joy and laughter of more children.

“Tyrion,” I called again, shaking him.

Finally, he woke up, looking wide-eyed and crazy.

“Huh?”

“I swear you could sleep through a hurricane,” I said, shaking my head.

“What time is it?”

“Six. I was about to cook dinner, and I realized we were out of a few things. I’m gonna run to the grocery store.”

“I can go, babe.”

I waved him off. “I’ve got it. Besides, if you move Summer, she’s gonna have a fit. You know how she loves her skin to skin with you.”

He chuckled as he stroked her back. “We were knocked out, huh?”

“Snoring and all.” I leaned in to kiss the top of her head before kissing his lips. “I’ll be back in a little bit. I love you both.”

“We love you more.”

I walked away to grab my keys and purse. Before I even walked out the door, I could hear him snoring again. I smiled to myself and shook my head. That man.

The drive to the store took about twenty minutes since our home was located in the countryside. I climbed out of the car and went to grab a shopping cart before going inside. Mindlessly, I wandered around, looking for what I needed to prepare dinner.

Turning the corner, I ran smack into a hard body, almost knocking me to the ground. A hand reached out to grab me right before I fell.

“Shit!”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I wasn’t—Lisa?”

As I regained my balance, I looked up into the face of a scary-looking man peering down at me with wild eyes. He was dressed in dark clothing and wore a trench coat. The hair on his head was matted, and he was in desperate need of a shave. He looked at me as if he’d just seen a ghost. I took a step back from him, shaking my head.

“I’m not—”

“Lisa, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you.” He grabbed me, yanking me into his chest. “You said you wouldn’t leave me.”

“Get off of me!” I yelled, pushing him away. “I’m not Lisa.”

He blinked rapidly, as though he was really seeing me for the first time.

“I’m… I’m so sorry. My wife… she went missing a year ago. I’ve been looking for her everywhere.”

He fished around in his pocket and pulled out a wallet. Digging inside, he retrieved what looked like a photo. When he turned it around, I gasped.

“You look so much like her,” he said softly.

The woman in the picture could have been my twin. My grandmother always told me that everybody had a twin somewhere in the world, but this was a little creepy. I swallowed hard as I looked up at him.

“I’m sorry. I hope you find her. I have to go.”

I sprinted away from him. When I looked back, he was standing at the endcap, staring after me. Quickly, I darted down another aisle, then bobbed and weaved through a few spaces until I felt secure in the distance between us. After taking a few deep breaths, I continued with my shopping. At one point, I saw him leave the store. With a sigh of relief, I headed for the counter.

“Did you find everything okay?” the cashier asked.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Are you okay? You look a little flustered.”

“That man in the trench coat… he grabbed me. He thought I was his wife.”

“What?” She motioned for one of the bag boys. “Go make sure that man in the trench coat is gone. If he’s not, call the police.”

The boy nodded before jogging out the door. The cashier continued ringing me up, apologizing profusely. When the bag boy came back in, he let us know he didn’t see anyone but offered to walk me to my car. I accepted his help, and he grabbed my bags. As we made our way to my car, I searched my surroundings to make sure we weren’t being watched.

With me and my bags safely inside, I thanked the young man before pulling out of the parking lot. I was still more than a little creeped out at the weird interaction. Deciding to find something to distract me, I turned on some music. The sun had set, and the streetlights had come on. The further I drove out of town, the darker it became.

I’d just turned onto Highway 61 when a set of bright lights damn near blinded me. I looked in my rearview mirror, but I couldn’t see past the brightness. All I knew was the car was coming up on me fast. The next thing I felt was the impact of being rammed from behind. My car swerved into the grass, but I managed to pull it back onto the road.

Panic surged through me as I tried to speed up to get away. No matter how fast I drove, they were right on my ass. Again, I felt the impact of being rammed. This time, my car swerved and went completely off the road. I screamed as it flew into the woods. My head slammed into the steering wheel as the front of the car collided with a tree.

Everything around me went silent for a moment. My ears rang, and my head was pounding. As I came to fully, I realized the airbags had deployed. Smoke began to fill the car, causing me to cough. Just then, the door opened. The moment I thought I was being rescued, I felt a cloth covered hand cover my mouth and nose. A scent and taste I couldn’t describe infiltrated my system, causing my body to feel weak and heavy.

The fight I put up to free myself was useless, as I succumbed to the powerful substance.

“You promised you’d never leave me, Lisa…” I heard as I felt my body being pulled from the car. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you back, and I’m never letting you go again.”

Those were the last words I heard before everything faded to black.