The next morning, Erica woke to the soft murmur of voices just outside her room. She sat up slowly, her muscles protesting the movement. Sophia appeared a moment later, pushing the door open with a gentle knock. “Good morning,” she greeted, her tone bright but professional as always. “How are you feeling today?”“A bit better,” Erica lied, forcing a smile.Sophia approached the bedside, checking her vitals with the efficiency of someone who had done this countless times. “Julian left early this morning,” she said offhandedly. “He said he’ll be back later this afternoon.”Erica nodded absently, her mind drifting. Julian’s absences had become more frequent, and his explanations more vague. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was keeping something from her—something deadly. And the more she thought about his suggestion to leave town, the more uneasy she became. As Sophia finished checking her vitals, Erica’s phone buzzed on the nightstand. She glanced at the screen and saw her grand
The tension in the air was palpable as Erica sat alone in the dimly lit living room, her fingers curled around the blanket draped across her lap. Outside, the sky had darkened into a heavy, foreboding gray, and the wind howled like a distant warning. Sophia had left for the evening, leaving Erica alone in the house for the first time since she’d returned from the hospital. It should have felt peaceful, but instead, there was an unsettling silence that seemed to crawl under her skin.Her thoughts were restless, circling back to her conversation with Julian earlier that day. His insistence on leaving still weighed heavily on her mind, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. There was a secret he was keeping, and the more she tried to ignore it, the more it gnawed at her.Erica’s phone buzzed on the coffee table, pulling her out of her thoughts. She reached for it, hoping it was her grandfather with more information. Instead, the screen flashed with an unfa
The sun was setting, casting long shadows through the windows of Erica’s living room. She sat on the edge of the couch, her hands gripping the edge of the cushion as if it were the only thing keeping her tethered to reality. Every sound outside, every creak of the house, made her jump. Her mind raced through the conversation she’d had with her grandfather earlier that day, the eerie phone call. And then there was Julian. The man she thought she knew, the man she loved, was now an different person. Was he involved in whatever dark dealings surrounded his business? Was he protecting her or leading her into a trap?Her phone buzzed on the table, jolting her out of her thoughts. The screen lit up with a message from an unknown number. Her pulse quickened as she unlocked it and read the text:*We’re watching. Don’t leave the house.*Her breath caught in her throat. She scanned the room as if expecting to see someone lurking in the shadows. This was no coincidence. Someone was tracking he
Erica sat upright in her bed, staring at the darkness outside her window. The world felt colder since Sophia’s visit, every shadow a reminder that danger was closer than ever. Her home, once a sanctuary, now felt more like a prison. The nurse, once a source of comfort, had revealed her true intentions, and Erica couldn’t shake the sense of vulnerability that lingered. She glanced at the door of her room, the soft light from the hallway spilling under the crack. She knew the nurse, the new one Jonathan had arranged after Sophia’s departure, would be checking on her soon. But that did little to ease the restlessness gnawing at her. Someone was after her, and they weren’t going to stop until they succeeded.Her fingers fidgeted with her phone as she debated what to do next. Julian hadn’t come by in days, and part of her feared what that might mean. The more she thought about it, the less sure she was of where his loyalties lay. Was he being held back by something beyond his control? Or
Amanda hadn't called the police, despite the fear that coursed through her veins. Instead, she called Jonathan—Erica's grandfather—and Julian. The weight of the situation demanded action, but it wasn’t something law enforcement could easily handle, not with the complexities of Erica’s world now tangled with Julian’s.The car that pulled up to the gates wasn’t a police cruiser, but a sleek black sedan, its engine barely making a sound as it approached. The door swung open, and Julian stepped out. His movements were swift and purposeful, the kind of urgency that only came from someone whose entire life had been spent navigating crises. His face was a mask of concern, but beneath that, his thoughts were racing. He had known this moment would come eventually—the moment when his carefully constructed facade would crack and the truth would spill out. He had hoped to avoid it, but now it was inevitable.Julian hurried into the house, his eyes immediately scanning the room for Erica. When he
Julian sat in his dimly lit study, the only light coming from the low-burning fire in the hearth. The room was quiet except for the occasional crackle of the flames, but his mind was far from peaceful. The confrontation with Erica weighed heavily on him. Her words had pierced deeper than any wound he’d ever suffered, but he knew it was only the beginning. Their trust was fragile, and rebuilding it would be no small task.But for now, his focus had to shift. The moment Erica had been taken to the hospital after the planned accident, Julian’s instincts had kicked in. He had his suspicions, and now, those suspicions had been confirmed. King had crossed a line.Julian knew exactly what King had done.The mercenaries he commanded were loyal to him, bound by years of carefully cultivated trust, fear, and respect. But King—King was different. He was brash, reckless even. The others followed orders without question, but King… he liked to think for himself a little too much. Julian had let it
The morning air was thick with anticipation as Erica slipped out of her home, careful not to alert anyone. The tension of the past few weeks had driven her to this moment, the lines between ally and enemy blurred beyond recognition. With each passing day, her instincts had screamed louder, urging her to act. She’d been the victim of too many plots, too many attempts on her life. She wasn’t going to wait for the next one.Her wounds had healed, but she still carried the weight of them as if they were freshly inflicted. Every ache reminded her of the fragility of life, of how easily she could have been lost. And now, with Julian’s secret life fully exposed and King lurking in the shadows, Erica could no longer afford to stay passive. She had to take matters into her own hands.No one knew the truth about her, not even Julian. Not about the years spent training under her father’s men, the long days of drills and grueling combat sessions, the intense survival exercises that had hardened h
**Chapter 22: Stepping into the Shadows**The evening air was thick with tension as Erica returned to her home. She slipped in through the back, careful to avoid any attention from the staff, the nurse, or worse—Julian’s men. She wasn’t ready to explain what she’d been doing or where she had gone. Not yet. Inside, the house was quiet. Only the soft hum of distant voices drifted in from the kitchen where the nurse and a maid were exchanging pleasantries. Erica walked past them with a calm, deliberate pace, her mind still racing from her discovery. Ophelia had been involved with her father’s dealings. That knowledge had shaken her, but it had also given her direction.She stepped into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. The darkness felt heavy, but she didn’t turn on the light. Instead, she crossed the room and opened the window, letting the cool night breeze sweep over her. Her mind was sharper now, clearer than it had been in days. She knew what had to be done, but there were s