Lukas stared at the envelope.
For a second, he debated whether to call Rachel back.
Instead, curiosity got the better of him.
He picked it up.
The paper felt old, its edges slightly worn, as though it had been carried around for years.
Written across the front were the same four words.
For Rachel... Before It's Too Late.
He frowned.
"This wasn't here before."
The mansion doors closed in the distance.
Rachel had already left.
Lukas looked toward the entrance, then back at the envelope.
His conscience told him to wait.
His instincts told him otherwise.
Slowly...
He opened it.
Inside was a single handwritten letter.
He unfolded it carefully.
"Rachel,"
"If you're reading this, then I've already failed to keep my promise."
Lukas's eyes narrowed.
"I know you'll hate me for disappearing without an explanation."
"But one day, you'll understand why I had no choice."
"Don't waste your life searching for me."
"Live the life I wanted you to have."
"Be happy."
"And if fate is kind enough to let us meet again..."
"I'll apologize properly."
The letter ended there.
No signature.
Nothing.
Only one small symbol in the corner.
A crescent moon.
Lukas folded the letter back into the envelope.
His heart felt unexpectedly heavy.
Whoever wrote it...
Had known Rachel better than anyone.
Just then, footsteps echoed through the hallway.
The butler stopped when he noticed the envelope.
His usually calm expression shifted ever so slightly.
"Young Master Lukas..."
"You shouldn't have that."
"You know what it is?"
The old man remained silent.
After a long pause, he sighed.
"I was the one who delivered that letter six years ago."
Lukas's eyes widened.
"What?"
"But Miss Rachel never opened it."
"What do you mean?"
"She refused."
The butler looked toward the window.
"She believed that if she opened the letter..."
"...it would mean accepting that person was truly gone."
Lukas lowered his gaze to the envelope.
"So Damien brought it back."
"Yes."
"He kept it all these years."
Lukas was about to ask another question when his phone rang.
The screen displayed Rachel's name.
He answered immediately.
"Rachel?"
Her breathing was uneven.
"Lukas..."
Before she could finish, a loud crash echoed through the speaker.
Then...
The call ended.
Lukas's face turned pale.
Without thinking, he grabbed his keys and ran out of the mansion.
Something was terribly wrong.