The body was found in an abandoned theater on the east side, a place where velvet curtains still clung to the walls like faded ghosts. Jennifer stood outside the crime scene tape, her breath fogging in the cold air, her stomach knotted tight. She hadn't planned to come here as she hadn't been in the city in two years. She told herself she was only passing by. But the truth was, she needed to see it. Needed to know if the Phantom had truly returned. As she walked closer to the crime scene, her eyes locked with a young man staring from a window of the adjacent orphanage. She looked at him as a smile grew on her face, reminiscing on times where her life was simpler, full of dreams of starting a family, kids running around the yard, filling the air with laughter and joy.
Suddenly, that moment was interrupted by a loud shout across the street-

"Jennifer?"

The voice cut through the hum of sirens like a blade. She turned; and froze.

Seth stood a few feet away, rain dripping from the brim of his coat, his eyes locked on hers with a mix of shock and something sharper. He looked different; harder, leaner, but the intensity was the same. The kind that made her pulse stumble.

"Two years later, You finally decided to show up!!" He uttered

Jennifer paused, her head tilted to the ground

"I knew you were on the outskirts of Lakeshore, I could have brought you in at any time; but no, despite what you might think, I'm still your friend from the firm and I won't drag you down trying to find this son of a bitch!!" He added

"She looked up and smiled

"I didn't think you'd..." Her words faltered, tangled in the storm of memories. The last time she saw him, everything was burning; her life, her trust, her heart.

"I didn't think you'd be here either," Seth said, stepping closer. His voice was low, rough around the edges, like gravel underfoot. "You shouldn't be."

Jennifer swallowed hard. "Neither should you."

For a moment, silence stretched between them, heavy with things unsaid. Rain pattered against the pavement, and somewhere inside the theater, a camera flashed. Seth's gaze flicked to the crime scene, then back to her, sharp and searching.

"You've heard about the notes," he said; not a question, but a certainty.

Jennifer's eyes gleamed. "How do you-"

"I know things," Seth murmured, his tone softening. "And I know you're in danger."

She wanted to laugh, to tell him she didn't need saving. But the truth was, the fear in her chest was real, and the way he looked at her, like she was the only thing anchoring him to this world, made her knees weak.

"Is it him?" she whispered. "Amir?"

Seth's jaw tightened. "I don't know. But whoever did this..." He glanced toward the theater doors, where crimson silk peeked through the shadows. "It's not the Phantom. As much as I wished it was, it's someone trying to be."

Jennifer shivered, and Seth noticed. Without thinking, he shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. The gesture was simple, but it felt like a spark in the dark, a reminder of a time when he was her shield, her constant platonic beacon, at least from her point of view, before everything shattered.

His fingers brushed hers as he adjusted the collar, and the contact was electric; brief, but enough to send heat rushing through her veins. She looked up, meeting his eyes, and for a heartbeat, the world narrowed to just them. Rain. Breath. Memory.

Then a shout from inside broke the spell. Seth stepped back, his expression hardening, but his voice was softer when he spoke.

"Stay close to me, Jennifer. Please."

She nodded, though every instinct screamed to run. Not from the danger; but from the way her heart still betrayed her, even after all this time.