The alley behind Lijing Bay was dimly lit. Flickering streetlamps cast long, twitching shadows over the cracked pavement. Evelyn crouched on the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her slender frame trembled in the silence that followed the scuffle. Her elbow throbbed from the fall, a steady pain beneath torn fabric. The humiliation felt sharper than the physical hurt.
The man in front of her radiated danger. Even before she saw his face, she recognized him as soon as he spoke.
"Evelyn," he drawled, his voice low and hoarse, filled with a chilling tone. "You come back to this country just to be harassed by street rats. What should I do with you?"
Her stomach twisted.
No, it couldn't be...
She slowly lifted her eyes. Against the flickering streetlight, she could only see the silhouette of a tall man in a dark hoodie. But that voice was burned into her memory.
Liam Hart.
Her worst nightmare.
Her mouth opened, but just a whisper escaped. She couldn't find the words. The cruel irony of being mute in front of the man she feared most was not lost on her. Her heart raced, adrenaline coursing through her as fight or flight clashed inside her shattered soul.
She had seen him die. Or thought she had.
Liam crouched down to her level, tilting his head as if assessing her. His gloved fingers reached out—not to hurt her, but to brush dirt off her scraped elbow.
She flinched, nearly toppling backward.
He sighed. "Still afraid of me, huh?"
Afraid? That didn't even begin to cover it.
Five years ago, in a war-torn desert halfway across the world, Liam had saved her—and ruined her. He was a ghost from a life she had fought to escape. His presence now felt like the cruelest twist of fate.
"Relax," he said, standing up. "If I wanted to hurt you, you wouldn't be breathing right now."
Evelyn remained silent, still holding her arms tight, eyes wide and wary.
Liam turned away from her, speaking with casual cruelty. "You don't even ask how I survived. You thought I was dead, didn't you?"
Yes. She had hoped.
It wasn't just that she thought he was dead—she had prayed for it.
He gestured toward the now-empty alley. "Not exactly the warm homecoming you imagined, huh? Let me guess, you went to your 'beloved husband' only to find out he moved on. A wife. A child. He probably called you crazy in front of the neighbors."
His words struck her like a blade.
Evelyn's fists clenched. He wasn't wrong.
That house—her house—no longer belonged to her. That man—her husband—had begged her to leave for another woman's child. The crowd had judged her, whispering and staring like arrows piercing her.
She had run. Again.
Liam's voice softened slightly, though his smirk never faded. "You were never meant for weakness, Evelyn. What happened to the girl who survived gunfire and sandstorms?"
She looked at the ground. That girl was dead, left behind on the same battlefield where she had thought Liam died.
"Come on," he said, walking away. "You can't stay here. This area's filled with rats who think every silent woman's for sale."
She didn't move.
He stopped at the mouth of the alley and glanced back at her. "I'm not going to ask again."
Trembling, Evelyn pushed herself to her feet. Her knees buckled, but she forced herself to follow. Just one foot in front of the other. Her body obeyed. Her soul screamed.
They walked in silence, the gap between them never quite closing.
It wasn't far. Liam led her to a small black sedan parked at the corner. He opened the door and motioned for her to get in.
She hesitated.
He raised an eyebrow. "If I wanted to kidnap you, Evelyn, I wouldn't need your permission."
That was unfortunately true.
She slipped into the passenger seat, hands clenched in her lap. He got in beside her, the door clicking shut with a finality that made her throat tighten.
The car smelled like leather and cigarettes. And something darker. Something that reminded her of blood and burning sand.
"You're not going back to that house," Liam said flatly. "They don't deserve you."
She turned to him, mouth open, frustration visible on her face.
But the words wouldn't come.
He noticed.
"Still can't talk, huh?"
Her fingers curled even tighter.
He laughed softly. "Good. Less noise."
She glared at him, her eyes burning with anger, but she remained silent.
Liam leaned closer, his smirk fading. "You should thank me. If I hadn't shown up tonight, you'd be in a hospital. Or worse."
She turned her face away, the sting of humiliation tightening her throat.
He leaned back and pulled out into the street. "You'll stay with me tonight."
Her head snapped toward him, panic rising.
"No," she mouthed, shaking her head in protest.
"Where else will you go?" he asked. "You think your parents are still at Lijing Bay? That place was condemned last year. You've got nowhere, Evelyn. No voice, no home, no one."
His words struck deep. She hated that they were true.
"I'm not your enemy," Liam said, eyes on the road. "But I am the only one who still remembers who you used to be."
Evelyn stared out the window, tears trailing silently down her cheeks.
Maybe he wasn't wrong.
But that didn't mean he could save her.
Because the one man she feared most…
He was the only one left who wanted to protect her.