Maya didn't leave the rooftop immediately.
She stood there long after Ethan fell silent, the city stretched out below them like a living thing—breathing, watching, waiting.
Leverage.
The word echoed in her mind.
"You're telling me," she said slowly, "that I'm a target… just because I know you?"
Ethan's jaw tightened. "I'm telling you that you were safer before you noticed me."
"That's not an answer."
He turned away from her, gripping the railing. "I tried to disappear. I really did."
Maya laughed once, sharp and humorless. "You don't disappear by standing out."
He glanced at her. "You think I chose this?"
"I think you're hiding something big enough to ruin lives," she said. "Maybe mine."
Silence fell between them.
The wind tugged at her hair, cold and restless. Somewhere far below, a car horn blared. Life continued—ignorant, uncaring.
"I won't lie to you," Ethan said finally. "But I won't tell you everything either."
"That's convenient."
"It's survival."
Maya stepped closer, anger burning through her fear. "Then tell me this—are you the reason someone's watching me at night?"
His head snapped up. "What?"
"You heard me." Her voice shook, but she didn't back down. "Messages. Warnings. Someone knew when I left school. Someone knew when I got home."
Ethan went still.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly.
"Because I don't know who to trust!"
Something dark flickered across his face.
"Then listen carefully," he said. "If someone is contacting you directly, it means the situation is escalating."
Her stomach dropped. "Escalating to what?"
"To pressure," he said. "To fear. To forcing a mistake."
"And what mistake would that be?" she whispered.
His eyes locked onto hers.
"Choosing the wrong side."
---
That night, the storm returned.
Rain battered the windows like impatient fingers. Maya sat on her bed, knees pulled to her chest, phone clutched in her hand.
She hadn't told Ethan everything.
She hadn't told him about the figure under the streetlight.
About the way her instincts screamed that night.
Her phone vibrated.
Unknown Number:
You talked to him today.
Her breath caught.
Maya: Are you stalking me?
Unknown Number:
I'm protecting my investment.
Her blood ran cold.
Maya: I'm not something you own.
Several seconds passed.
Unknown Number:
Not yet.
Her hands shook violently.
Maya: What do you want from me?
The dots blinked.
Paused.
Then—
Unknown Number:
I want you to walk away.
From him.
Before you get hurt.
A sharp knock hit her door.
Maya screamed.
Her heart slammed against her ribs as she stared at the door, frozen.
"Maya?" Lina's voice. "Open up!"
Relief flooded her so fast her knees went weak.
She rushed forward and opened the door.
Lina took one look at her face and frowned. "Okay. Something is very wrong."
Maya swallowed. "You came over in the rain?"
"I texted you three times. You didn't reply." Lina stepped inside, eyes scanning the room. "Are you in trouble?"
Maya hesitated.
Then she nodded.
---
They sat on the bed, Lina listening intently as Maya explained everything—almost everything. She left out Ethan's photograph. Left out his past.
But the messages. The fear. The watching.
"All of this is insane," Lina said slowly. "You need to report this."
"To who?" Maya asked. "And say what? That someone anonymous is texting me scary things?"
Lina sighed. "Then at least stop dealing with it alone."
Maya's phone vibrated again.
Lina's eyes snapped to it. "Is that them?"
Maya didn't answer.
She looked at the screen.
Unknown Number:
Your friend won't save you.
Lina grabbed the phone from her hand. "Oh hell no."
She typed furiously.
Lina: Stop contacting her or we involve the police.
A reply came almost instantly.
Unknown Number:
You should mind your own business.
Lina's face hardened. "This isn't a joke anymore."
Maya felt dizzy.
The lights flickered.
Then went out.
The house plunged into darkness.
"Maya," Lina whispered. "Tell me that's a power outage."
A crash sounded downstairs.
Maya's blood turned to ice.
Someone was inside the house.
---
"Stay here," Lina whispered.
"No," Maya said, panic rising. "We go together."
They crept toward the door, every sound amplified in the darkness. The rain outside masked footsteps—someone else's footsteps.
A shadow moved at the bottom of the stairs.
Lina gasped.
Maya's phone lit up in her hand.
Unknown Number:
This is what happens when you don't listen.
Before she could react, a loud voice cut through the darkness.
"Maya!"
Ethan.
Relief and fear collided violently inside her.
"Up here!" she shouted.
Footsteps thundered up the stairs.
Ethan appeared, soaked from the rain, eyes sharp, scanning the hallway.
"Get behind me," he said.
"Did you break into my house?" Lina demanded.
Ethan didn't look away from the darkness below. "Someone else did first."
A shape moved.
Ethan lunged forward, grabbing Maya's wrist and pulling her back just as something shattered against the wall where her head had been seconds earlier.
Glass exploded.
Lina screamed.
Ethan swore under his breath.
"Run," he ordered.
They ran.
---
They didn't stop until they reached his car.
Maya collapsed into the passenger seat, shaking uncontrollably.
"What the hell is happening?" Lina cried.
Ethan slammed the door shut, eyes blazing. "They crossed a line."
Maya looked at him, tears streaking down her face. "You said staying away would protect me."
"I was wrong," he said quietly. "They won't stop now."
Her phone vibrated again.
One final message.
Unknown Number:
If you choose him…
You choose the war.
Maya looked up at Ethan, heart breaking, fear consuming her.
"What are you?" she whispered.
He met her gaze.
"Someone who will never let them touch you again," he said.
But as the car sped into the rain, Maya realized the terrifying truth:
Staying away had been the safer choice.
And she hadn't taken it.
---