Part 50
(Alex's POV)
The world seemed to hold its breath.
Alex stood at the edge of the porch, rain still dripping from her coat.
The safe house loomed before her — pale walls, faint light through drawn curtains.
She could hear everything inside.
Adrian's breathing. Leah's voice trembling behind him.
The hum of the faulty ceiling lamp she'd tampered with days ago.
She raised her hand. Knocked once. Twice.
Then waited.
No movement.
She could almost feel Adrian on the other side of the door — frozen, uncertain.
It made her chest ache with something raw and possessive.
I'm right here, she thought. You don't have to be afraid anymore.
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The storm had washed the path clean; her footprints were the only marks left in the mud.
A strange calm settled over her.
This was what she'd wanted — to be close again, to take him away from everything that ruined him.
Away from Leah.
Away from lies.
She pressed her palm against the door. The wood was cold beneath her hand.
Inside, someone moved.
A creak.
A whisper.
Then silence again.
She leaned close, her voice barely audible.
"Adrian," she breathed. "It's me."
The words felt like they'd been waiting for years.
For a moment, she thought she heard him answer — a faint, broken sound from the other side.
Her heart stuttered.
"You remember, don't you?" she whispered. "I always keep my promises."
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Lightning flickered across the sky.
In that brief flash, she saw her reflection in the glass beside the door — pale face, soaked hair, eyes wide with something between love and madness.
She smiled faintly, fingers tightening on the doorknob.
"You let everyone else in," she said softly. "Let me in too."
The handle turned.