Chapter 5 The Man in the Shadows

The night felt endless. Bianca sat curled on the couch, staring at the curtains as if shadows themselves could leap inside. Every sound-the hum of the fridge, the distant bark of a dog, the faint whisper of cars passing by-felt amplified.

Dede refused to leave her side. She kept scrolling on her phone, muttering, "We should report this. Right now. I don't care how charming this guy was online-this isn't normal, Bianca. He knows too much."

Bianca wanted to agree. Her body screamed danger, every nerve burning. But her heart-traitorous, reckless-kept whispering another truth.

What if he's not just a stranger? What if there's a reason he feels so familiar?

She hated herself for it. Fear and longing churned in her stomach like poison.

The phone buzzed again. Bianca jolted, breath catching.

This time, no picture. No playful words. Just a simple, chilling line:

"Look outside."

Dede lunged forward. "Don't you dare."

But Bianca's feet moved on their own. Drawn by an invisible thread, she edged toward the window. Her hand hesitated on the curtain. Her pulse thundered in her ears.

With one swift pull, the fabric slid aside.

And there he was.

A lone figure stood across the street, bathed in the yellow glow of the streetlamp. Tall, broad-shouldered, still. His face was hidden in the shadows, but Bianca knew-it had to be him. Jace.

Her breath shuddered out of her.

Dede cursed under her breath. "Oh hell no. I'm calling the police."

Bianca grabbed her arm. "Wait."

"Wait? Bianca, he's standing there like some stalker from a horror movie! What else do you need?"

But Bianca's eyes stayed locked on the figure. He wasn't moving. He wasn't threatening. Just watching. Waiting.

As if he wanted her to come to him.

The phone buzzed again. "Don't be afraid. I came to prove I'm real."

Bianca's hand trembled as she held the phone. "He... he came for me."

"Came for you?!" Dede's voice cracked in disbelief. "Girl, wake up! That's not romance-that's obsession."

Yet Bianca couldn't pull her gaze away. For months, Jace had only been words on a screen, a voice in her head, a mystery she could never touch. And now-he was flesh, bone, shadow, reality.

Her heart betrayed her again. She wanted to see his face.

Dede paced, grabbing her jacket. "Fine. If you won't protect yourself, I'll drag you to safety."

But before she could pull Bianca away, the phone chimed once more. "One minute, Bianca. Step outside. Alone. Or I'll disappear forever."

Her chest constricted. Forever. The word sliced through her fear like a blade.

"Don't," Dede begged, clutching her hand. "He's manipulating you. This is how people end up on the news."

Bianca swallowed hard, torn between reason and a pull she couldn't explain. Every instinct said danger, yet her heart whispered: If you don't see him now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.

She slipped her hand from Dede's grip. "I just need to know, Dede. I have to see him."

Dede's eyes filled with panic. "Then I'm coming with you."

But when Bianca glanced back at her phone, a final line glowed on the screen: "Alone, Bianca. Or it ends tonight."

Her blood froze.

Slowly, with her heart in her throat, she stepped toward the door. Dede's protests followed, but Bianca's body moved as if under a spell. The world outside called to her, dangerous and irresistible.

She opened the door. The night air rushed in, cool and sharp, smelling faintly of rain and asphalt.

Each step down the stairs echoed like a drumbeat.

Across the street, the figure hadn't moved. He stood with his hands in his pockets, watching her, waiting.

Her pulse raced as she reached the edge of the curb. The street stretched between them like a line she wasn't sure she wanted to cross.

"Jace?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

The figure shifted. Slowly, he stepped forward, into the dim light.

Her breath caught.

Even half-hidden by shadow, he was breathtaking-sharp jawline, dark tousled hair, eyes that gleamed with something between danger and desire. The kind of man who could ruin you with a smile.

He was real. Too real.

"You came," he said softly, his voice exactly as she imagined-smooth, deep, a melody wrapped in mystery.

Bianca's heart stuttered. "Why? Why are you here?"

"To show you I'm not just words." His lips curved into a half-smile. "To remind you that some stories are meant to be lived, not typed."

Every rational thought screamed to run. But the world around her seemed to fade-the quiet street, the glow of lamps, even Dede's worried figure at the window. All that existed was him.

Jace.

He extended a hand. "Come closer."

Bianca hesitated, her breath shaking.

Before she could decide, Dede's voice rang from the doorway. "Bianca! Get back inside!"

Jace's eyes darkened. His smile lingered, but there was steel beneath it. "You shouldn't let other people write your story, Bianca. Only you can choose."

Her chest tightened. Torn in two directions, her heart pulled toward him even as her mind screamed to run.

For one suspended moment, the night held its breath.

Then headlights flared from down the street, a car speeding closer, its horn blaring.

Bianca gasped, stumbling back.

The car swerved, screeching to a halt inches from Jace.

And just like that-he was gone.

The headlights dimmed, the street empty.

No Jace. No shadow. Nothing.

Bianca's body shook violently as Dede rushed to her side, grabbing her arm. "I told you! I told you he's dangerous! Bianca, he's playing with you."

But Bianca's eyes darted around the empty street, her heart clawing against her ribs. He had been there. She had felt him. Heard him. Seen his eyes.

And now he'd vanished into the night like a phantom.

Her phone buzzed one last time. With trembling hands, she lifted it.

"Next time, Bianca, you'll follow me into the dark."

Her breath caught, terror and desire twisting inside her until she could hardly stand.

She had wanted proof Jace was real. Now she had it. And she knew, deep in her soul-this was only the beginning.