Chapter 6: The Enemy Inside the House
The sound of footsteps outside my apartment was louder than the storm.
That was the terrifying part.
Rain could be ignored.
Thunder could be explained.
But footsteps meant someone was coming.
Someone who knew exactly where I was.
I stood frozen in the middle of the room, staring at Adrian Vale.
Minutes ago, I had wanted him gone.
I had seen him as a threat.
A stranger who broke into my home and spoke about my unborn child like he had a claim over him.
But now, as his expression changed from confidence to alarm, I realized something.
Adrian was afraid.
And men like Adrian Vale did not scare easily.
“Who are they?”” I whispered.
He didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes moved toward the apartment door.
Then the broken window.
Calculating.
Searching for an escape.
“Adrian.””
His jaw tightened.
“They’re not supposed to know where you are.””
My heart sank.
“Meaning?””
“Meaning someone told them.””
The words felt heavier than they should have.
Someone.
Someone close enough to know.
Someone who knew where I disappeared.
Someone who knew about the baby.
My mind immediately went to Damon.
And I hated myself for it.
Because even after everything, a part of me still wanted to believe he wasn’t capable of betraying me.
Adrian noticed the expression on my face.
“Don’t.””
I looked at him.
“Don’t what?””
“Don’t make the mistake of trusting the wrong Vale.””
Anger flashed through me.
“You don’t get to say that.””
“Why?””
“Because you’re a Vale too.””
For the first time, he had no quick response.
The silence was enough.
A sharp bang echoed from the front door.
Someone hit it.
Not knocked.
Hit.
My body reacted before my mind did.
I grabbed the nearest object on the table.
A heavy glass candle holder.
Adrian looked at me.
“What are you doing?””
“Protecting myself.””
His expression almost softened.
Almost.
“You really are different.””
“I don’t need your approval.””
“I know.””
Another bang.
The door shook.
Then a voice came from the hallway.
“Evelyn Vale.””
A chill moved through me.
The voice was unfamiliar.
Calm.
Professional.
That somehow made it worse.
“Open the door.””
I looked at Adrian.
“Who are they?””
He moved toward me.
“Stay behind me.””
I laughed once.
A sharp, humorless sound.
“Now you want to protect me?””
His face tightened.
“I know you don’t trust me.””
“You’re right.””
“But right now, that doesn’t matter.””
The door shook again.
“They’re not here to negotiate.””
I wanted to hate him.
I wanted to believe he was just another monster from Damon’s world.
But fear recognized fear.
And Adrian was genuinely afraid.
The lock on my door clicked.
Someone was opening it.
My heart stopped.
Then suddenly, Adrian grabbed my arm.
“Window.””
I pulled away.
“Don’t touch me.””
“Evelyn, listen—”
“No.””
“You want to survive?””
The urgency in his voice stopped me.
“Then move.””
For one second, I considered refusing.
Then the door opened.
And three men stepped inside.
They were not police.
They were not security.
They wore dark clothing, no logos, no identification.
The kind of people who wanted to disappear after they were done.
The man in front looked at Adrian.
Then at me.
Then at my stomach.
His eyes narrowed.
“There she is.””
I felt sick.
Adrian moved in front of me.
“You’re making a mistake.””
The man smiled.
“No, Adrian.””
He stepped farther into the apartment.
“We made mistakes twenty years ago.””
My blood ran cold.
Twenty years.
The same timeline connected to Damon’s father.
The same secret.
The same night.
“You know who we are,” the man continued.
Adrian’s face became unreadable.
“Yes.””
“Then you know why we’re here.””
Adrian didn’t move.
“You’re not taking her.””
The man laughed quietly.
“That’s exactly what Damon said.””
My breath caught.
“Damon?””
The man looked at me.
“Yes.””
My heart dropped.
“He knows we’re here?””
Nobody answered.
And that silence was enough.
Damon had known.
Maybe not about tonight.
But about them.
About this danger.
About everything.
My anger returned.
All the confusion.
All the pain.
Because once again, I was the last person to know.
“You knew,” I whispered.
The words weren’t directed at the men.
They were directed at Damon.
Through the phone.
Because I knew he was still listening.
“Damon.””
No answer.
“Did you know?””
The silence lasted too long.
Then his voice came quietly.
“Yes.””
My eyes burned.
“You knew someone could come after me?””
“Yes.””
“And you still let me walk away alone?””
“I thought I was protecting you.””
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
The man in front watched me carefully.
“You really didn’t know.””
I looked at him.
“Know what?””
“That your husband spent four years making sure nobody found you.””
My chest tightened.
Four years.
The words bothered me.
“Four years?””
The man smiled.
“Damon has been looking for you.””
I stared at him.
“That’s impossible.””
“Is it?””
He glanced around my apartment.
“At first, he thought you left because you hated him.””
My heart hurt.
“Then?””
“Then he found out why.””
I couldn’t breathe.
“What does that mean?””
The man’s smile faded.
“It means your husband discovered the pregnancy.””
My hand moved instinctively over my stomach.
No.
That wasn’t possible.
I had hidden it.
I had left before telling him.
“How?””
Nobody spoke.
Then Adrian answered quietly.
“Clara.””
My eyes widened.
The phone call.
The warning.
The woman who knew too much.
“Clara told him?””
Adrian looked away.
“She tried to protect you.””
“From Damon?””
“No.””
His voice became grim.
“From everyone.””
A sudden crash came from the hallway.
The men turned.
A distraction.
Only for a second.
But Adrian reacted instantly.
“Now.””
He grabbed my hand.
This time, I didn’t pull away.
We ran.
Not toward the front door.
Toward the fire escape.
The freezing air hit my face as we climbed down.
Behind us, voices shouted.
Footsteps followed.
I hated that Adrian was helping me.
I hated that the man I distrusted was the one pulling me away from danger.
But survival didn’t care about pride.
Halfway down the stairs, my phone slipped from my pocket.
It hit the metal platform below.
I stopped.
“Leave it.””
Damon’s voice came from the speaker.
Even now, he was still connected.
“Evelyn.””
I looked down.
The phone screen was cracked.
But his name was still visible.
I don’t know why I did it.
Maybe because I was angry.
Maybe because I needed answers.
Maybe because despite everything, I needed to hear him.
I picked up the phone.
“Damon.””
A pause.
Then:
“I’m here.””
My throat tightened.
“You lied to me.””
“I know.””
“You knew about this.””
“Yes.””
“You knew I was in danger.””
“Yes.””
The honesty hurt.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?””
His answer came immediately.
“Because I knew you would leave.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Evelyn, if you knew the truth, you would have stayed because of me.””
The wind moved around us.
The city lights blurred through my tears.
“And you thought lying was better?””
“No.””
His voice cracked.
“I thought losing you was better than watching you die.””
I closed my eyes.
For one moment, I saw the old Damon.
The man who held me when I was sick.
The man who remembered every tiny detail about me.
The man who loved me.
But then I remembered the mansion.
The words.
The pain.
“You don’t get to decide that for me.””
“I know.””
“Damon—”
“I know.””
His voice became softer.
“I was wrong.””
Behind me, Adrian looked up.
“Evelyn.””
His expression changed.
The fear returned.
“We have to move.””
I looked down the alley.
A black vehicle had stopped at the end of the street.
The same men.
More of them.
They had followed us.
Adrian grabbed my arm.
“We’re out of time.””
I looked at my phone one last time.
“Damon?””
“Yes?””
The words came before I could stop them.
“Did you really never love me?””
Silence.
A long, painful silence.
Then his answer came.
“No.””
My heart broke again.
But before I could react, he continued.
“I loved you so much that I destroyed everything trying to keep you safe.””
I stopped.
The alley went quiet.
Adrian pulled me forward.
The men were getting closer.
And for the first time in four years, Damon Vale and I were running from the same enemy.
But as we disappeared into the darkness, one question remained.
May you like
If Damon had spent four years searching for me…
Why had he never once found the courage to tell me the truth?
