One stormy night, as thunder growled and lightning split the sky, Mark awoke to find Jessica gone. Her side of the bed was cold, her belongings eerily untouched. Panic surged through him as he stumbled through the house, calling her name—only to be met with silence.

In that moment, Mark understood the true nature of his nightmare. It was not the specter of Laura haunting him, nor the fear of discovery, but the realization that he was utterly alone, trapped in a web of his own making.

As rain pelted the windows, he returned to the pier one last time, hoping for absolution or perhaps the finality of justice. There, standing at the water’s edge, was a solitary figure. As Mark approached, heart thudding with a mix of fear and hope, the figure turned. It was Laura.

Her eyes, once filled with warmth, now held a cold determination. She had returned, not as a specter seeking vengeance, but as a survivor demanding justice. And Mark knew, as he faced the woman he had betrayed, that his nightmare had only just begun.