Sky Valen
I open the door before he even knocks.
Ray stands there, out of breath like he ran the whole way, eyes scanning me like he already knows something's wrong.
And something is wrong.
Everything is wrong.
My hoodie sleeves cover the bruises on my arms—nothing from Ray, never him, but from the way I slammed into the wall trying to escape the shadow behind me. The man. The one my father sent.
"Sky," Ray says slowly. "You said 'come over.' You never say that. What happened?"
I just shake my head. Step aside. Let him in.
I don't speak until we're in the dark, until the door is locked and the curtain is drawn and he's sitting on my bed, watching me like I'm unraveling in front of him.
Because I am.
I slide down the wall, curl my knees to my chest, and stare at the floor. "He knows."
Ray stiffens. "Who?"
"My dad."
His jaw clenches. "What does he know?"
"Everything." I laugh, but it's hollow, bitter. "That I ride a bike. That I'm not perfect. That I see you."
Ray stands. "Sky—"
"He sent someone to follow me," I whisper.
He freezes.
I go on, because I have to, because if I don't say it now I never will. "Some man. Big guy. Wears a black coat. He's been around for weeks. I thought I was imagining it. But today… today I ran into him when I was leaving the library."
Ray moves across the room fast, kneels beside me. "Did he touch you?"
"No. He just looked at me. Said my father wanted me to know that he's watching. And that I should be careful who I keep company with." My voice breaks. "He meant you."
Ray's fists curl. "I swear to God—"
I reach for him, clutch the front of his hoodie. "You can't do anything. If he finds out we're together, like really together, he'll destroy you. Your dad. Your name. Your company. He'll find a way."
"I don't give a f*** about his threats—"
"Well, I do!" I snap. "Because I know what he's capable of. And I'm scared, Ray. I'm so scared."
He goes still.
And then, quietly, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
I laugh again, bitterer this time. "Because I thought I could protect you."
Ray pulls me into him. Just holds me. And that's what breaks me.
I cry. Not just a few tears—this isn't dainty, pretty crying. It's shaking, sobbing, gut-deep crying. The kind you only do when you've held it in too long.
He doesn't let go.
He doesn't say anything, either.
And maybe that's what makes it safe.
When I finally breathe again, voice raw, I whisper, "You should leave. Before it gets worse."
"No."
"Ray—"
"I said no." His voice is low, firm, terrifying in its softness. "I'm not walking away from you again. I did that once. I thought disappearing would protect you. I didn't know you were out here being hunted by your own family."
I just stare at him, red-eyed, trembling. "So what now?"
He cups my face. Wipes a tear with his thumb. "Now, I stop pretending this is casual. I stop pretending I can let you go."
I blink. "What does that mean?"
"It means…" He swallows. "I want you to be mine, Sky. Not in secret. Not just in the shadows. I want to date you. I want to call you my girlfriend. I want to fight your father if I have to."
I go quiet.
My voice is barely audible when I ask, "And if I say yes… what happens when he finds out?"
Ray looks me in the eye.
"Then let him come. But he'll have to go through me."
My breath catches.
Because for the first time in my life, someone is choosing me.
Not the version of me I perform for the world.
Not the polished, obedient, ideal daughter.
Me.
And maybe that's the only kind of love that matters.
The kind that stays when the war starts.