‘Nashville’ Season 4 Spoilers: Is Rayna Leaving Deacon? Find Out Who She Has ‘Sparks’ With

“Nashville” Season 4 might begin with tragedy. Deacon (Charles Esten) was last seen getting a liver transplant during which he may have died. New spoilers indicate that even if he does survive, his relationship with Rayna (Connie Britton) might not be safe. A new musician, Markus Kane (Riley Smith), might steal her heart.

Markus will sign to Rayna’s label after a successful career with a band. The rocker is hoping to launch a solo career, but he’ll cause some trouble along the way. Markus “is about to make Rayna's life a living hell … until sparks start flying between them, of course,” E! Online reports. “Because what man hasn't fallen under Rayna's spell?!,” the entertainment site comments.

The news that Markus (who E! Online refers to as Marcus Keen) will be a love interest is shocking because Rayna is in love with another man. What does this mean for Deacon? Rayna finally got together with the guitarist in Season 3, just as he was diagnosed with life-threatening liver cancer. If he dies in the season premiere, it seems awfully fast to move on. If he survives the season premiere, though, this could indicate that a breakup is on the way.

The idea that Markus in particular is a new love interest seems surprising given that he doesn’t have the highest respect for Rayna. “Markus realizes how much Rayna’s fledgling company needs his solo album to be a hit,” TV Line reports. “That’s when his controlling, narcissistic side comes out.” That doesn’t seem like a man the songstress would fall for. Maybe his character grows over the course of “Nashville” Season 4, or perhaps these “sparks” are a little one-sided. Deacon and Rayna fans will have to hope the country veteran doesn't return those feelings.

Whether Rayna decides to actually mix business with pleasure has not been revealed yet, but her ex-fiance Luke (Will Chase) will do just that. As previously reported, Luke will hire a consultant named Gabriella to help Will (Chris Carmack) deal with coming out publicly. Luke will fall fast for the straightforward businesswoman.

“Nashville” Season 4 premieres on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC. What do you think will happen with Markus and Rayna? Sound off in the comments section below!