CHAPTER 35: FACE TO FACE
The moment we turned to face him, something inside me settled, not into calm, but into clarity. Fear didn’t disappear, but it changed shape, becoming something sharper, something I could hold and control. The street around us felt distant, like it no longer belonged to the ordinary world. The soft hum of the city, the passing breeze, even the faint sounds of distant traffic, all of it faded into the background, leaving only the three of us in that narrow space. I studied him carefully, forcing myself to see everything. He wasn’t what I expected, not overtly threatening, not visibly aggressive. He stood with a quiet confidence, his posture relaxed but deliberate, like someone who had done this before. His eyes were the most unsettling part. They didn’t wander, didn
