HIS BY MISTAKE

Chapter 3

KAIA’S POV

The door opened and everything in me went still. Maya froze first. Her hand was still on the handle, her body blocking the entrance but she wasn’t moving or speaking.

That was enough, something was wrong and I damn knew what it was.

A man stepped forward and my eyes landed on him, making my stomach drop immediately. It was the same man from earlier.

My breath hitched before I even realized it. My fingers curled into the couch beside me, gripping the fabric like I needed something, anything to hold on to.

He stood there like he had never left, his presence filling the small space without effort. And suddenly, the room felt smaller now… like the air had been sucked out. His gaze moved past Maya and landed directly on me.

He looked clearer now.

My chest tightened at the recognition I didn’t want to admit.

He had sharp features, his jaw defined with no softness to it. His eyes—.

They were the kind that didn’t just look at you….they were intimidating. They were cold and unsettlingly calm.

His hair was dark, slightly messy in a way that didn’t look accidental.

He was in dark tailored trousers and a black buttoned down shirt with the top buttons slightly open

Maya let out a small, confused breath. “Who are you—”

“Step aside.” His voice was low and too calm for this situation. It wasn’t loud, but it cut through the air like a command that didn’t need to be repeated.

Maya didn’t move. And for a split second, I saw it, the hesitation, the confusion, the fear slowly settling in.

Even I could feel it. The way the room changed around him.

“I said,” he repeated, his tone dropping slightly, “step aside.”

This time, she moved though it wasn’t fully but enough for him to step in. And once he did, the room didn’t feel the same anymore.

The air shifted, it was heavy like everything now belonged to him.

Two men followed behind him, shutting the door silently.

He drew the table to my front and sat on it, directly in front of me. It was damn too close.

My heart reacted before my mind did. A sharp, involuntary tension shot through me as I instinctively leaned back slightly, even though there was nowhere to go. The distance between us felt wrong like he had erased what little safety I had left.

I could feel my pulse in my throat now. I couldn’t move. My body refused to.

“You shouldn’t have run,” he said.

His eyes never left mine. That was when I noticed the scar above his left eyebrow.

“I didn’t—” my voice came out weaker than I expected. I swallowed, trying again. “I didn’t run. You let me go.”

He didn’t reply, it was like he was thinking.

“I did.” He replied calmly, nodding his head subtly like he was confirming something.

Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten.

Maya stepped forward slightly. “Look, I don’t know who you are, but you can’t just walk into my house and—”

One of the men moved. It was fast though not violent but enough to make her stop mid sentence.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“Don’t,” I said quickly, my voice sharper than before.

All three of them looked at me. I forced myself to sit up straighter despite how weak I felt.

“She has nothing to do with this.”

There was no reply. Silence filled the room.

His gaze shifted briefly toward Maya then back to me.

“I know.”

That… wasn’t what I expected. A small flicker of confusion crossed my mind before I could stop it.

“Then let her go,” I said.

Then another pause, it was longer this time. Like he was considering something.

“She stays,” he said.

My stomach dropped.

“No—”

“She stays,” he repeated, slower now, his tone final. “Because you came here.”

The words settled heavily between us.

I could feel it. This wasn’t about questions anymore.

This wasn’t about mistakes.

“You said I was a mistake,” I said, my voice quieter now, but steady.

His expression didn’t change.

“That was before.”

Before? The word echoed in my head.

Before what? Before he knew something? Before he decided something?

His eyes held mine, it was unreadable and cold.

“The first time was a mistake,” he said quietly.

His gaze darkened and there was a slight pause.

Just enough for it to sink in.

“This time isn’t.” He said.

A devilish smirk tugged at his lips.

My breath caught and everything inside me went still again.

He stood and turned to leave, not even sparing me a glance again, he faced the men.

“Take her.”

The words didn’t echo, they landed.

For a second, nothing moved. My brain didn’t even process it immediately like it was refusing to accept that something so simple could collapse everything so fast..

“No—wait. What do you mean, take her?”

Maya protested, her voice cracking at the edges now. Fear had fully taken over.

He ignored her completely and walked out. The two men approached me. I tried to stand on my own but failed.

Maya came forward and tried to hold one of their hands, but he swung it away, making her stumble a few steps back.

One of the men moved toward her again.

“Stop.” My voice was sharper this time.

“Maya, I will be fine.” It was a lie, but one I had to make sound real. I said, finally standing up.

She came to my front and her eyes searched mine like she didn’t believe me.

“Don’t follow them,” she said, a tear slipping down her face.

“I have to. I promise I’ll come back,” I said.

“Don’t do anything. I don’t want you hurt,” I added with a look that said I wasn't joking and she nodded .

At this point, it was obvious that no matter how hard I fought, nothing would change. The decision had been made.

As one of the men tried to hold me, I raised my hand in protest.

“Don’t. I will walk by myself.”

The men escorted me out.

We got outside. The sky had started dimming. Cold air touched my skin, and I realized my hands were slightly trembling.

We walked past the black van, which confused me, and stopped in front of a black exotic car. It was expensive.

Why is it… nice?

The man opened the back door. He didn’t push or force me but waited, like I had a choice I clearly did not have.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t handcuffed or blindfolded.

I didn’t know which was worse. Violence I could predict or this calm I could not.

I got in, and the seats were soft beneath me. The car started moving, and I looked out the window as lights blurred past slowly.

One thought stayed stuck in my head.

I didn’t even know what game I was in anymore.

If this wasn’t an execution…

Then where exactly was he taking me?