Chapter 1
The soft glow of a bedside lamp illuminated Sonia Brooks' room.
Curled up beneath her blanket, a novel rested in her lap while her phone lay in her hand.
At nineteen, Sonia had everything most people dreamed of.
A loving family.
A luxurious home.
A place at Crestwood International University, one of the most prestigious universities in the country. Yet there was one thing she valued more than all of that.
A stranger.
A stranger she had never met.
A stranger she had never seen.
A stranger known only as...
Shadow.
A notification suddenly appeared on her screen.
Her lips curved into a smile.
Shadow: You're awake.
Sonia: And how exactly did you know that?
Shadow: Because every night at this time, you're either reading a novel or staring at the ceiling thinking too much.
Sonia laughed softly.
The annoying thing was that he was right.
After nearly eight months of chatting, Shadow somehow knew her better than most people around her.
He knew her favorite books.
He knew she loved writing stories.
He knew she secretly burned cookies whenever she tried new recipes.
And somehow, he always knew when she was upset.
Even when she never told him.
Sonia: You make it sound like you're spying on me.
Shadow: Maybe I am.
Sonia: That's creepy.
Shadow: You still talk to me anyway.
A smile escaped her lips.
For a moment, she wondered what he looked like.
Was he tall?
Short?
Handsome?
Ordinary?
She had no idea.
They had made a simple rule when they first met online.
No photos.
No video calls.
No real names.
Just honest conversations.
And somehow, that had worked.
Until tonight.
A new message appeared.
Shadow: Can I ask you something?
Sonia: Sure.
Several seconds passed.
Then his message finally arrived.
Shadow: Do you believe two people can know each other without ever meeting?
Sonia frowned.
That was an unusual question.
Sonia: I think so.
Shadow: What if they've already met?
Her heartbeat quickened slightly.
Sonia: Then they'd know.
Shadow: Not always.
Sonia sat upright.
Something about his words felt different tonight.
Before she could reply, another message appeared.
Shadow: What would you do if I suddenly appeared in your life tomorrow?
A nervous laugh escaped her.
Sonia: Depends on whether you're a serial killer.
Shadow: Fair enough.
Sonia: Seriously though, why are you asking all these weird questions?
For nearly a minute, there was no reply.
Then finally...
Shadow: Because tomorrow changes everything.
Sonia stared at the screen.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
But before she could type another word...
Shadow went offline.
She blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Gone.
No explanation.
No goodbye.
Nothing.
Sonia placed the phone on her chest and stared at the ceiling.
Tomorrow changes everything?
What was that supposed to mean?
Unknown to Sonia Brooks, somewhere across the city, a young man stared at his own phone and smiled.
Tomorrow.
After eight long months.
He would finally meet her.
And if everything went according to plan...
She would have absolutely no idea who he was.
...
The morning sun poured through the large windows of the Hayes mansion, painting golden patterns across the polished floor.
Richard Hayes stood in front of his mirror, adjusting the sleeves of his expensive black shirt.
To everyone else, he was just Richard.
The confident, wealthy, charming guy everyone at Crestwood International University knew.
But there was another side of him that nobody knew about.
A side that spent late nights talking to a girl who had never seen his face.
A side that smiled whenever a notification from Sonia appeared on his phone.
His eyes moved to the screen beside him.
Sonia: Good morning, Shadow. I hope you slept well.
A small smile appeared on his face.
He quickly typed back.
Shadow: Good morning, Sonia. I slept well. I hope you did too.
A few seconds later, her reply came.
Sonia: I did. But I have a feeling today is going to be different.
Richard stared at the message.
Because she was right.
Today was the first day of a new semester at Crestwood International University.
And for the first time...
He would see Sonia in real life.
He had known her thoughts, her dreams, her fears, and the little things that made her happy.
But he had never seen her face.
Not because he didn't want to.
Because he wanted their friendship to be real.
Not based on his family name.
Not based on his money.
Just him.
Just Richard.
He typed one final message.
Shadow: Maybe today you'll meet someone unexpected.
Sonia replied almost instantly.
Sonia: That sounds mysterious. Should I be worried?
Richard smiled.
Shadow: No. Maybe you should be excited.
Crestwood International University was alive with students.
New conversations filled the halls.
Friends reunited after the break.
Freshmen walked around nervously, trying to find their classrooms.
Sonia walked through the entrance holding her books close to her chest.
She looked around the beautiful campus, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
A new year.
A new beginning.
She didn't know that somewhere nearby, someone was watching her.
Richard stopped walking.
For a moment, everything around him became quiet.
The girl standing near the fountain...
The girl with the same gentle expression he had imagined countless times...
It was her.
Sonia Brooks.
The person behind all those late-night conversations.
The person who made him laugh when he had difficult days.
He finally found her.
But he didn't approach her.
Not yet.
Because he wanted to know one thing.
Would she like Richard Hayes...
Or only Shadow?
Sonia checked her phone and saw a new message.
Shadow: How's your first day going?
She smiled.
Sonia: I just arrived. This place is bigger than I imagined.
Before she could put her phone away, she accidentally bumped into someone.
Her books fell to the ground.
"Oh, I'm sorry," a deep voice said.
Sonia looked up.
A handsome young man was standing in front of her, holding one of her books.
His eyes met hers.
For some reason...
She felt like she had seen him before.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Sonia nodded quickly.
"Yes. Thank you."
The young man smiled.
"I'm Richard."
She smiled politely.
"Sonia."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Neither of them knew...
That the person standing in front of them was the answer to a secret they had both been waiting to discover.
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End of Chapter 1.
