Chapter 3 Ghost Notes And Promises

The door slammed shut again above them, and silence fell like ash in the room.

Lily stood frozen, Gabriel still tense beside her, his chest rising and falling in sharp rhythm. He hadn't moved since Sebastian disappeared-like part of him was still waiting for the shadow to return.

"That was the man who ruined your life?" she asked softly.

He nodded once, jaw tight.

"Why does he think you owe him?"

Gabriel exhaled hard and finally looked at her. "Because once, I let him shape my voice. I let him own it. My songs, my name, my future. All of it." His gaze was raw. "He's the reason Mara's dead."

The words hit like a blade.

Lily stepped closer, heart pounding not just with fear now-but something deeper. Protective. Unreasonably fierce.

"What happened to her?"

Gabriel's hand ran down the edge of the broken piano. His fingers trembled, but he covered it quickly. "She was everything I wasn't-braver, smarter. She saw the lies before I did. Tried to get us both out of the deal we'd signed." He paused. "Sebastian made sure she didn't."

Lily's blood ran cold. "He killed her?"

"No," Gabriel said, but his voice was bitter. "But he might as well have. She overdosed. Alone. After they blacklisted us both, after the threats started. After she realized she couldn't protect either of us."

"And you blame yourself," Lily whispered.

He didn't answer. He didn't have to.

She walked to the ancient tape deck, the one that had played Mara's voice. "Do you still hear her?" she asked.

"Every night." His voice cracked.

The storm outside was still raging. But down here, in this ruin of a music hall, it was a different kind of thunder that echoed-grief, secrets, need.

"I'm not her," Lily said quietly. "But I won't walk away from you."

Gabriel turned then. "You should. You don't know what I've done to survive."

"Then show me."

He stared at her, almost like he was daring her to flinch. When she didn't, something shifted between them-hotter than before, sharper. Not just attraction. Challenge.

He crossed the space between them in three long strides and grabbed her face, pulling her into a kiss that was punishment and confession wrapped in one. It wasn't sweet. It was messy and hungry and filled with the kind of desperation that didn't ask for permission.

She kissed him back harder.

His hands found her waist, then her thighs, lifting her up onto the old piano bench. Her legs wrapped around him without thought, as if her body had already made the decision her mind hadn't.

Gabriel's lips left hers only to find the curve of her throat, biting down gently as she gasped. Her fingers tugged at his shirt, slipping beneath it, mapping out the taut lines of his stomach like a lover and a thief.

"This shouldn't be happening," he growled against her skin.

"But it is."

"I'm not safe for you."

She pulled his face back to hers. "Good."

The moment shattered like a dropped note.

A loud crash from above jolted them apart. Gabriel stepped back, eyes wild, hair a mess, chest heaving.

"Someone's still here."

Lily slid off the bench, nerves tingling. "Sebastian?"

"I don't know. But we can't stay."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the back hallway. They ducked through another hidden door and emerged into a shadowy stairwell that led to the back exit of the theater. It smelled of rust and old perfume.

Outside, the storm had quieted to a low growl.

Gabriel looked both ways before pushing open the heavy steel door. They stepped out into an alley littered with soaked flyers and neon reflections from the nearby dive bars.

Lily's heart pounded as they walked briskly toward the street. "Where are we going?"

"To somewhere no one can follow."

They reached his motorcycle-sleek, black, dangerous. Gabriel handed her a helmet.

"You trust me?" he asked.

She slid it on. "Not at all."

He smirked. "Good."

The engine roared to life, and they tore through the wet streets of the city. Every turn was reckless. Every red light a dare. Lily clung to him, her pulse beating faster than the wind that screamed past them.

They ended up at a high-rise near the water. Not luxurious. But quiet. Discreet.

Inside, the apartment was spare-exposed brick, steel beams, instruments on every surface, and a wall lined with records and old cassettes. It didn't feel lived-in. It felt haunted.

Gabriel tossed his keys on a battered desk. "You're the first person I've brought here since Mara."

Lily stepped out of the helmet. "And you're still trying to scare me away."

"I don't have the luxury of letting people in."

"Then why am I here?"

He turned to face her. "Because I couldn't let you go."

The air between them ignited again.

This time, it was slower. More dangerous.

He walked toward her, backing her up against the wall. His fingers tangled in her hair. She met him halfway, their mouths crashing together, all fire and fury.

She tugged his shirt up, revealing scars-long and thin, slicing across his ribs like music left too long in silence.

"Did he do this?" she asked.

Gabriel nodded. "When I tried to break the contract."

Lily touched one, reverently. "You stayed silent all this time?"

"Until you walked in and ruined everything."

She smiled against his mouth. "You're welcome."

They didn't make it to the bedroom. The wall was enough. The cold bricks against her back, his heat pressing against her front. He lifted her easily, mouth never leaving hers.

It wasn't just lust.

It was need.

And fear.

And something that felt dangerously close to beginning again.

After, they lay tangled on the worn leather couch, skin against skin, sweat still cooling between them. Gabriel's arm draped across her stomach like a vow. His voice was softer now, but no less intense.

"I haven't played with anyone since Mara."

"I'm not her," Lily whispered again.

"I know." He kissed her temple. "That's what scares me."

They both drifted into silence-until Lily saw it.

A single envelope, resting on the piano across the room.

Her name on it.

In sharp, familiar handwriting.

She sat up slowly, skin prickling. "Gabriel..."

He followed her gaze.

And froze.

"That wasn't here before."

Lily crossed the room, legs trembling. She picked up the envelope and opened it.

Inside: a torn photograph.

Half of Mara's face.

And a note.

"Do you hear her too?"

The room fell into dead silence.

Lily looked at Gabriel.

"Someone's watching us."

His eyes met hers-and what she saw there wasn't just fear.

It was recognition.