ELARA'S POV
I woke up choking on smoke.
Flames crawled up the walls of Kaelan's house. The fire alarm screamed in my ears.
"Elara! Get up!" Kaelan pulled me to my feet. My head spun. Everything hurt.
"The men—where are they?"
"Gone. They set the fire and ran. Move!"
We stumbled through the burning hallway. Smoke filled my lungs. I couldn't see. Couldn't breathe.
Kaelan's hand gripped mine tight. "Stay with me!"
We burst through a side door into the cold night air. I fell onto the grass, coughing and gasping.
Behind us, the house burned. Orange flames lit up the sky.
"Liam," I choked out. "Where's Liam?"
"He left before the fire started. Said he couldn't stay. That they'd kill him too." Kaelan pulled out his phone. "We need to go. Now. They might come back."
"Your house—"
"Is just a house. You're alive. That's what matters." He made a call. "Bring the car to the east gate. We're leaving."
Two minutes later, a black car pulled up. Sarah jumped out.
"Thank God you're okay!" She helped me into the back seat. "I was so scared when I got your message!"
We drove fast through empty streets. I pressed my face against the window, watching Kaelan's burning house disappear behind us.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Somewhere safe," Kaelan said. "Somewhere your father doesn't know about."
My father. The man who sent people to kill me.
I started shaking and couldn't stop.
Kaelan wrapped his jacket around my shoulders. It smelled like smoke and cologne. "You're in shock. Just breathe. In and out. Slowly."
I tried. But every breath felt wrong. Too fast. Too shallow.
"Why does he want me dead? The money isn't even mine yet!"
"Because you found out the truth. Because I'm helping you. Your father knows if we work together, we can destroy his plans." Kaelan's jaw tightened. "He's scared. Scared people do terrible things."
We drove for thirty minutes. The city lights faded behind us. We entered a neighborhood I'd never seen before.
Nice buildings. Clean streets. Trees everywhere.
Sarah parked in front of a tall apartment building. Glass doors. A doorman in a uniform.
"This is it," Kaelan said. "Your new home."
"My what?"
"You can't go back to your old apartment. It's not safe. You'll live here from now on."
The doorman opened my car door. "Good evening, Miss Reed. Welcome to Riverside Towers."
How did he know my name?
Kaelan must have seen my confusion. "I arranged everything this afternoon. Before the attack. I had a feeling we'd need a backup plan."
We rode the elevator to the twentieth floor. My ears popped from the height.
Kaelan stopped at apartment 2014. He pulled out a key and handed it to me.
"It's yours."
My hand trembled as I unlocked the door.
The apartment took my breath away.
Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the city sparkling below. The furniture was new. Modern. Perfect.
I walked through rooms I couldn't believe were real. A bedroom with a huge bed. A bathroom with a tub big enough to swim in. A kitchen with appliances I didn't know how to use.
"This is too much," I whispered. "I can't afford—"
"You're not paying. I am. Consider it part of your salary." Kaelan leaned against the counter. "You'll be working long hours. Learning everything. You need a place where you can rest. Where you feel safe."
Tears filled my eyes. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Because someone should have been nice to you a long time ago." His voice was gentle. "And because I meant what I said. We're partners now. I protect what's mine."
Something about those words made my heart skip.
Sarah cleared her throat. "I'll leave you two alone. Elara, I stocked your fridge and closet. Everything you need is here. If you need anything else, call me."
She hugged me tight and left.
Suddenly, I was alone with Kaelan in my new apartment. The silence felt heavy.
"You should shower and rest," he said. "Tomorrow, we start training. Real training. No more running. No more hiding. We fight back."
"Kaelan?" I stopped him before he could leave. "Thank you. For saving my life tonight. For everything."
He looked at me for a long moment. "Don't thank me yet. This is just the beginning. Things are going to get much harder before they get better."
"I know. But I'm ready."
"Are you? Because once we start, there's no going back. Your father will come after you again. So will your stepfamily when they realize what we're doing. You might lose everything."
"I already lost everything. That's why I have nothing to fear."
Kaelan smiled. A real smile this time. "Good answer. Get some sleep, Elara. You're going to need it."
He left.
I stood alone in my beautiful new apartment. My new life.
Part of me wanted to cry. Part of me wanted to scream. Part of me wanted to run far away and never look back.
But I did none of those things.
Instead, I walked to the window and looked out at the city below. Somewhere out there, my father was planning his next move. My stepfamily was celebrating, thinking they'd won.
They had no idea what was coming.
I pressed my hand against the cold glass. "I'm not the same girl you threw away. Watch me become someone you'll regret losing."
My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.
I almost didn't open it. But something made me look.
My blood turned to ice.
It was a photo. Taken tonight. Through Kaelan's burning house window.
The picture showed me and Kaelan running through the flames. But that wasn't the scary part.
Written across the photo in red letters: "You can run but you can't hide, daughter. I'm always watching. Sweet dreams. -Dad"
Below it, another message appeared.
"P.S. How's your new apartment? The view from the 20th floor must be amazing. Does Kaelan know you talk in your sleep?"
My heart stopped.
He knew where I was. Right now. This second.
Someone was watching this building. Watching me.
I ran to the window and looked down at the street. Cars passed by. People walked their dogs. Everything looked normal.
But somewhere down there, someone was watching. Waiting.
My phone buzzed again. Another photo.
This one showed Kaelan leaving the building. Taken just seconds ago.
The message: "Tell Kaelan his mother says hello. She's been very helpful giving me information. Family always betrays you in the end, sweetie. Always."
No. No, no, no.
Kaelan's mother was helping my father?
I tried to call Kaelan. Straight to voicemail.
I tried Sarah. No answer.
I tried Margaret. Nothing.
Panic squeezed my chest. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
A knock on the door made me jump.
I froze. Who knew I was here besides Kaelan and Sarah?
Another knock. Harder this time.
"Elara?" A woman's voice. "It's me. Open the door."
I didn't recognize the voice.
"Who's me?"
"Your father sent me. I'm here to talk. Just talk. I promise I'm alone."
I grabbed a knife from the kitchen. My hands shook so badly I almost dropped it.
"Go away or I'm calling the police!"
The woman laughed. "Oh, honey. The police can't help you. Not anymore. Your father owns half the department. Didn't Kaelan tell you? Your precious partner has been lying to you this whole time."
"You're lying!"
"Am I? Then why did Kaelan really help you? Why did he have this apartment ready before the fire? How did he know your father would attack tonight?" A pause. "Maybe because he planned it. Maybe because he needs you scared and dependent. Maybe because he's using you just like everyone else."
My mind raced. No. Kaelan saved me. Protected me. He wouldn't—
Would he?
"I'll slide some papers under your door," the woman continued. "Read them. Then decide who you can really trust. You have until midnight to choose. Come with me peacefully, or I tell your father where to find Kaelan's sister. Yes, he has a sister. Didn't mention her, did he? She's twelve years old. So innocent. So easy to hurt."
Papers slid under my door.
I heard footsteps walking away.
I stood frozen, the knife in my hand, staring at those papers.
Did I pick them up and read them?
Or did I trust Kaelan?
But what if the woman was telling the truth?
What if everyone was lying?
My phone buzzed one last time.
A video message. I pressed play.
Kaelan's face filled the screen. But something was wrong. He looked younger. Different.
"My name is Kaelan Vance," the video-Kaelan said. "And I'm recording this as proof of my agreement with Richard Hayes. He will help me destroy the Reed family business, and in return, I will deliver his daughter to him. She won't be harmed. She'll just... disappear for a while. Long enough for Hayes to access the trust fund."
The video was dated six months ago.
The knife fell from my hand and clattered on the floor.
Kaelan had planned this. All of it.
He was working with my father.