Stepsister Elise Hart moves into the Whitlock house with her mother and is at war with her stepbrother Dante from the very first day. At school she endures Vera's daily bullying, and her only comfort is “Nightfall,” the online boyfriend who keeps promising to protect her — never knowing that Nightfall is Dante himself. Then a single necklace sets off a cruel mix-up: Dante mistakes the bully Vera for “Lighthouse,” the true love he has been chasing, and for that false love he pushes Elise deeper and deeper into ruin, until he finally turns a knife on her. Only when he hears her cry “I'm Lighthouse!” does he realize who he has hurt — but it is far too late. Scarred and betrayed, Elise leaves for a school abroad, while Dante stands at the airport watching her plane rise into the night, condemned to live the rest of his life in regret.
