Chapter 5 5

The rhythmic hum of the car engine filled the silence between them, thick with unspoken words. The night stretched long and restless, the coastal highway bathed in the glow of streetlights.

Ava sat rigid in the passenger seat, her fingers digging into the leather upholstery as she stared at the illuminated screen of her phone. The image still burned in her mind-her apartment, her sanctuary, now tainted by the presence of someone lurking in the shadows.

She shivered involuntarily.

Beside her, Ethan's hands were tight on the wheel, his knuckles white. The controlled power in his grip mirrored the storm brewing beneath his carefully composed exterior. He hadn't said a word since they'd rushed out of the hotel, but the sharpness in his gaze, the way his jaw ticked, spoke volumes.

"Ethan," she finally said, her voice quieter than she intended.

He didn't respond immediately. His focus remained on the road, navigating the darkened streets with the precision of a man who needed to be in control.

Then, without looking at her, he asked, "How long?"

Ava frowned. "How long what?"

"How long have you been getting these messages?"

She hesitated, chewing the inside of her cheek. She had spent so much time ignoring them, convincing herself they were empty threats-just remnants of a past she had buried. But tonight proved otherwise.

"A few weeks," she admitted.

Ethan exhaled sharply. "Jesus, Ava."

"I didn't think-"

"That's the problem." His voice was low, simmering with restrained anger. "You didn't think. You should've told someone. You should've told me."

She snapped her head toward him. "Told you?" A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "Ethan, let's not pretend we're something we're not. You bought my café out from under me. You made it perfectly clear where we stand."

His grip on the wheel tightened. "That's not the same."

"Isn't it?" She folded her arms, turning away. "I stopped expecting you to protect me a long time ago."

The silence stretched, heavier this time.

Ethan's jaw clenched. "Like it or not, you're under my protection now."

Ava scoffed. "I don't need-"

He cut her off with a sharp look. "Yes, you do."

There was something in his tone that made her pause. It wasn't arrogance or possessiveness. It was something else. Something raw.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Whoever it is... they know where I live."

Ethan's expression darkened. "They've always known."

The words sent a chill through her.

Always.

She wanted to believe he was wrong. That this wasn't something long-planned, something orchestrated. But deep down, she knew better.

The message. The shadow in the photo. The uneasy feeling she had been carrying for weeks.

This wasn't random.

Ava shifted in her seat. "So, what now?"

Ethan pulled onto a quieter street, the city lights fading behind them. "Now, we get answers."

She frowned. "How?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned into a private road leading to a high-rise building. Not just any high-rise-Hawthorne Tower.

Ava's stomach twisted. "You're taking me to your office?"

"It's secure," he said simply.

"That's not an answer."

Ethan parked the car and turned toward her. His gaze was steady, unwavering. "You want the truth? We find it together."

Ava hesitated. Everything in her told her to run-to fix this on her own, the way she always had. But there was something about the way Ethan was looking at her, something different.

Like he wasn't just doing this out of obligation.

Like he actually cared.

She exhaled slowly. "Fine."

He nodded once, then stepped out of the car.

Ava followed, the weight of the night settling heavy on her shoulders.

She wasn't sure what terrified her more-the danger lurking in the shadows...

Or the fact that for the first time in years, she wasn't facing it alone.

Inside Hawthorne Tower, Ethan pulls up old surveillance footage from the café's street. What they see sends a chill down Ava's spine-a familiar face she thought she'd never see again.