Enigma by RuNyx

Here is a summary with spoilers for Enigma by RuNyx

In a prologue, a young woman has been attending Mortimer University, but for some reason she decides to end it all. She jumps off the edge of a cliff, leaving everyone behind to wonder why.

Young Salem Salazar has always been an interesting child. While other girls wanted to play with dolls, she wanted to dissect things and had a fascination with things that were dead. Because of this hobby, she was always an outcast to the other children and often called a freak. Even more so, her family was worried, especially when compared to her older sister Olivia, who was the perfect child. Things in Salem’s life change drastically when Olivia goes to Mortimer University and ends up committing suicide. Not long after, her father does the same thing.

Fast forward years later, Salem is old enough to go to Mortimer University, and she has a few purposes as to why. It is a great school for forensic science, which she plans on going into, but she also believes that her sister’s death was not suicide, but rather that something forced her to do it. By going to that particular university, she hopes to find a lot more information.

During her first week there, Salem discovers a dead girl on the beach. As she is examining the body, another person arrives, Caz Vanguard, who gives her some cryptic warnings, and Salem ends up leaving the body and Caz behind. Caz continues to find ways to always be around Salem. He joins some of her classes, is a teacher’s assistant for Dr. Merlin, and even starts to find out what paths she takes to her classes. It bothers Salem so much that she goes out of her way to avoid seeing Caz. Also during her first week, Salem visits the headmaster and convinces him to bring back a scholarship, one that is in her sister’s name, but strangely, the last winners have all died. She wants to go for the scholarship as well.

Salem decides to use her time well by interviewing and investigating anyone she can think of. Her trusty sidekick is her murder board, where she puts all her information. One thing she wants to figure out is a secret society, one that she managed to join before she even went to school. But everyone tells her they have no idea what it is. She also visits a nearby police station, where one lady tells her about another mysterious death a few years back, of a young boy who was a journalist and ended up committing suicide by jumping off the lighthouse.

One evening, Salem decides to visit Dr. Merlin’s office to see if she can find anything of her sister’s. She finds her sister’s necklace and what seems to be other girls’ belongings. While she is in there, Dr. Merlin arrives, but Caz suddenly appears and helps hide her. The two get closer that night, especially when they share a bed and Salem feels comfort in having someone next to her. When they both wake, they decide that they should share some secrets, so they do, and they realize that what they are both doing is actually some of the same things. They offer to help each other when they can, thus starting their tentative relationship. Salem does feel something is wrong when she shows Caz the murder board. He is very silent, but he does not want to talk about it yet. She later finds out that the boy who jumped off the lighthouse was his brother.

The two continue to investigate together and it brings them closer and closer. After they share a kiss, plus a little more, Salem invites Caz to stay with her whenever he wants. She slightly regrets that when Caz tells her that his real last name is something different, a name that makes Salem sad, because a few years back her father murdered Caz’s parents. He reveals he does not mind and does not hold that against her or her family. Caz then talks more about his brother. His older brother was actually hired by Salem’s father. His job was to take care of Olivia while at school. If she was safe, Salem’s father would pay for both brothers’ schooling.

One morning, really believing that Dr. Merlin is the reason for everything, Salem goes to his office but finds him with one of her classmates doing something unsavory. Later that day, the same girl drowns herself and her body is never found. It traumatizes Salem a little, but Caz is there to help her as well. Finals week comes and goes, and it is time for Caz’s final project, which is an art gallery. He admits all of the art is due to his muse, Salem. Salem’s mother is also there to witness everything, and she loves Caz.

That night, Salem and Caz solidify their relationship, with Caz even saying that one day he wants to marry her. But there is still one last secret. Caz goes out and makes Salem promise not to follow. She does not plan on it, but she ends up in the same place as him as a secret society ritual is happening. Because Salem shows up, she becomes part of the ritual, and they tell her that Caz was only used to try to get him to love her. She knows it is a lie but plays along. After everything is done, Dr. Merlin disappears, and the secret society now has a less deranged policy.

Five years later, the two have graduated and are healing. And five years after that, they officially get married.