Chapter 2 2

The night air was thick with the scent of salt and damp pavement as Ava locked up the café. The echo of her own footsteps against the cobblestone street felt heavier than usual, as if the weight of Ethan's sudden reappearance had settled into the very ground beneath her.

Her fingers tightened around her phone. The anonymous message still glowed on the screen.

"You're not safe, Ava. Get out while you can."

She glanced around, her pulse a steady thud in her ears. The streetlights flickered, casting long, distorted shadows.

Who sent it? And why now?

The timing was too perfect, too precise. First, Ethan buys the café. Then, this warning.

Coincidence?

Not a chance.

Ava exhaled and tucked the phone into her pocket. She refused to let fear dictate her life. Not anymore.

She started toward her apartment above the café when a sleek black car pulled up beside the curb. The tinted window rolled down, revealing Ethan's impassive face.

"Get in." His voice was smooth, commanding.

Ava scoffed. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Ava." He sighed, rubbing his jaw. "Just get in the car."

"Why?" she snapped. "So you can gloat some more? Tell me how you're stealing my home, my business-"

"It's not safe."

Her breath hitched.

Those words. Almost the same as the message.

Ethan's jaw ticked, his gaze flickering toward the street behind her. "Get in the damn car, Ava. Now."

Ava's instincts screamed at her to run, to push back, to tell him she didn't need him.

But then she saw it.

A black SUV, parked down the street, its engine idling. The windows were too dark to see inside, but something about it sent a chill down her spine.

Ava hesitated.

Ethan reached across and pushed open the passenger door. "Please."

It was the please that did it.

She slid inside.

The door clicked shut. The moment it did, Ethan hit the gas.

The interior of the car was as suffocating as the tension between them. Ava kept her hands clenched in her lap, refusing to acknowledge the way Ethan's presence still affected her.

"You mind telling me where we're going?" she asked.

"You'll see."

She shot him a glare. "Cryptic as ever, I see."

He didn't respond. Instead, his fingers tightened around the steering wheel, his jaw locked.

Minutes later, he pulled into the underground garage of a high-rise hotel-the Hawthorne Grand, one of the most luxurious buildings in the city.

Ava let out a dry laugh. "Let me guess. You own this, too?"

Ethan cut the engine. "I do."

"Of course you do."

Before she could argue, he was out of the car, rounding to her side and opening the door. Ava didn't move.

Ethan exhaled, his patience clearly thinning. "You're staying here tonight."

Ava turned to him sharply. "Excuse me?"

He leaned against the car, crossing his arms. "I don't know who sent that message, but I have a feeling it's not an empty threat."

Ava bristled. "And why do you suddenly care about my safety?"

A muscle in his jaw twitched. "Because despite everything, I still-" He stopped himself, exhaling sharply. "Just trust me on this."

"Trust you?" she scoffed. "After what you did to me?"

Ethan's gaze darkened, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "You really think I betrayed you, don't you?"

Ava's stomach twisted. "I don't have to think, Ethan. I know."

His expression turned cold. "Then I guess we have a long night ahead of us."

Before she could protest, he took her wrist-gently, but firmly-and led her toward the elevator.

She knew she should fight back, walk away, refuse his so-called protection.

But deep down, she had a sinking feeling Ethan wasn't the only ghost from her past lurking in the shadows tonight.

And that terrified her more than anything.

As the elevator doors closed behind them, Ava's phone buzzed again.

Another message.

This time, there was only one word.

"Run."