Serena
I heard the knock before I saw him.
Three slow, deliberate taps.
Not like a neighbor. Not like a stranger.
Like someone who had every intention of being let in.
I glanced at Ma. Her hands froze mid-cut above a tomato. Her expression said it all.
It was him.
I opened the door slowly, heart pounding, hand tight on the knob.
And there he was.
Kael.
Tall. Dark. Eyes colder than I remembered.
But when he saw me, something in his face softened just for a second.
He stepped back slightly, giving me space.
“Serena,” he said, voice low. Rough.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“I had to come.”
I stepped outside and shut the door behind me, blocking the view of the apartment.
“You tracked us?”
“I asked around,” he said. “Quietly. I didn’t want to scare you. I just needed to know you
