Ariella saw the car as soon as she walked out of the convenience store.
It wasn't expensive or flashy; it was just an old black car with dark windows. Nothing that should have gotten her attention. But it was the way it idled, with the engine humming too softly, and how the headlights came on as soon as she stepped outside with a bag of groceries.
Her stomach got tight.
Not again. Not tonight.
She moved Luna up higher on her hip. The little girl was half asleep on her shoulder, comfortable and not aware that Ariella's heart was racing.
The cashier waved at her through the window, and she tried to smile.
"Goodnight," she said in a light, breezy voice, as if nothing was wrong.
But every step she took toward her apartment felt heavy and watched.
The car didn't come any closer to her, but it also didn't leave.
Just wait.
Ariella took a deep breath and sped up, walking quickly down the street. Her building was just a block away. She had taken this path many times before, but never with fear in her heart.
Killian isn't here tonight.
She stopped breathing.
In the last three days, he had been everywhere she looked: at Luna's school gates, at her job, and outside her building. So annoying. Choking. It was too much to handle.
But he didn't come tonight.
She was by herself tonight.
Ariella didn't want to depend on him. She hated that her instincts made her look over her shoulder for him. She wished he would just show up and tell her she was imagining things.
But the sedan wasn't very creative.
She saw the slow roll of tires behind her halfway home.
Her heart raced.
She took a smaller street that she didn't use very often as a shortcut. The streetlights flickered, leaving faint golden patterns on the ground.
The sedan also made a turn.
Her throat got dry.
"No, no, no..."
Luna moved. "Mommy?" She spoke in a low voice.
Ariella ran her hand over her hair and kept her voice steady. "Shhh, honey. Please hold on to me, okay?"
The car stayed at a steady distance, close enough to scare but far enough away to not raise any suspicions.
A warning. Not an attack.
Ariella saw the difference.
As she climbed the stairs to her building, her hands shook. She fumbled with the key, and as soon as she got the door open, she rushed inside and locked it, her heart racing.
The car stopped outside.
The engine stopped running.
Be quiet.
Ariella stepped away from the door, scared.
It's starting again.
The same fear she thought she had beaten. The same shadow that had been following her since she left Killian's realm. When she ran away from his father's threats. When she kept Luna a secret from everyone.
Once, the lights flickered.
"Not again," Ariella said quietly. "Please, not again."
She locked the doors again, closed the curtains, and hugged Luna tightly before putting her to bed.
She didn't sleep, though.
She was sitting by the window and looking down at the street.
The car finally left after twenty minutes.
Not in a hurry. Not scared.
Just done.
As if it had finished its job.
A message was sent.
The next day
Ariella didn't get much sleep. She was scared of every little noise. She took the long way around to avoid the road where the car had followed her after she finally got Luna ready for school.
She looked at her phone.
Killian didn't call.
No messages.
Not that she thought she would get any, especially after the fight yesterday. She was more scared when he wasn't there than when he was.
Killian could be a shield when he wanted to, even though he had flaws and had caused pain.
She dropped Luna off, kissed her on the head, and waited until she was safely inside the school.
Then someone touched her shoulder.
Ariella jumped violently.
"Ariella."
Killian's voice is deep. Stay calm. Too calm.
She turned around, her eyes burning. "Don't do that!" Don't sneak up on me!
His forehead wrinkled, and real shame showed on his face. "I wasn't sneaking. I called your name twice."
She was too upset to fight.
He saw.
His whole attitude got sharper. His stance got stronger. He quickly looked her over, taking in her pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, and the small tremor in her fingers.
"What happened?"
She looked away. "Nothing."
He got in front of her. "Don't lie to me."
She looked angry at him. "Why do you care?"
His jaw moved, and his eyes showed how he felt. "Because you are the mother of my child."
The things he said hurt more than he knew.
"I told you not to say that," she said quietly. "You can't say that. Not after what you did."
Killian shut his eyes for a moment, as if he were trying to calm down his anger, maybe at himself or the situation. "Ariella, look at me."
"No."
"Look at me."
She did.
He looked at her like she was a crime scene he needed to figure out. "You're scared," he said softly. "Something happened."
Her throat moved up and down. "Killian, just let it go."
"Tell me."
"No."
He clenched his jaw. "Okay. I'll wait."
She blinked in shock. "What will you do?"
He said again, "I'll wait." "But I won't leave you alone today."
Her voice went up and down. "You can't just make that choice!"
"I can," he said in a low voice, "and I will."
She was angry, but she also felt relief. That scared her more than anything else.
He started to walk with her, keeping his hand close to her back but not touching it.
Ariella kept her eyes on the front. "You can't just walk into our lives."
He said softly, "You mean your life." "Luna... she already picked me."
That hurt.
Ariella opened her mouth to say something.
Then she saw it.
A car that is black turns the corner.
Her steps slowed down.
Killian saw it right away.
His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Look at me, Ariella."
She said shakily, "I can't."
He gently touched her elbow with his fingers. "Is this the car behind us?"
She couldn't breathe.
He didn't wait for her to answer.
He changed his position so that his body was between her and the road. His face changed, becoming hard and cold, like a man ready for battle.
"Since when?" he said in a low voice.
"Last night," she said in a whisper.
"You didn't say anything."
"You weren't there."
For a moment, guilt showed on his face. The CEO, the heir, and the predator, who had enemies at every turn, took charge.
"Go inside one of the stores," he said softly.
"What? No, I—
"Stop," he said, "I'm not asking."
There was no room for disagreement in his tone.
Her heart raced as she walked into a bakery. Killian stayed outside with his phone to his ear and a low, deadly voice.
She pretended to look at the treats, but her hands shook.
Minutes went by.
Killian burst through the door, his eyes full of anger and, worse, fear.
"Ariella," he said in a shaky but controlled voice, "we're leaving."
"Where are you going?"
"Your apartment," he said. "You and Luna can't stay there anymore."
She shook her head right away. "No." No way. "I am not going with you."
Killian leaned in closer and spoke in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "Someone was following you. Someone was keeping an eye on your house. Someone waited outside for you to turn off the lights."
Her blood froze.
He said, "You aren't safe there." "And I won't let you put our daughter in danger."
Ariella's breath stopped. "Killian—"
He kept looking at her, and for the first time in years, she saw pure despair in his eyes. "Let me keep you safe." Please.
Her chest felt like it was going to burst.
Because she knew what was really going on.
She had no choice.
Not anymore.
And the realization felt like the start of something she wasn't ready for.
Something bad.
Something that can't be avoided.