Chapter 5
1000 Words
Alara sat on the edge of her bed, Kade’s jacket still wrapped around her like armor, her phone trembling in her hand.
> “You looked cozy tonight, Alara. Moving on so fast?”
—J
The words kept flashing across her mind like neon warnings. Her chest tightened. She hadn’t seen Jared in over six months, hadn’t answered any of his calls, blocked his social media, deleted every picture. She’d left the apartment they once shared, changed her number. How had he found her?
And more terrifying — was he there?
Had he followed her?
The rooftop. The street. Her car. Kade.
She swallowed hard, her mouth dry. The memory of that perfect night blurred behind a film of fear. Kade’s smile. His warmth. His kiss. Her breath caught as a darker thought formed — Did Jared see them together?
The idea sent a shiver racing down her spine.
She looked around her apartment — her safe little sanctuary she had worked so hard to rebuild. Every piece of furniture had been chosen to erase him. New curtains. New pillows. New locks.
But now his words had found their way in.
You’re not as hard to read as you think.
She stood abruptly, pacing the room. Her fingers hovered over her phone. Should she text Kade? Warn him? But what would she even say?
“Hey, remember the ex I told you about? Turns out he might be stalking me.”
No. That would scare him off. Or worse — pull him into something dangerous.
And yet… doing nothing felt even more reckless.
Alara dropped onto the couch and curled up, her knees to her chest, trying to breathe slowly. Her therapist had taught her this—grounding techniques, for when the world starts spinning.
Name five things you can see.
The lamp. The rug. The coffee table. Her teacup. Kade’s jacket.
Four things you can touch.
The soft cushion. Her fingers. Her necklace. The worn edge of the jacket collar.
Kade’s scent still clung to it — leather, musk, a trace of cinnamon.
She pressed her face into the fabric.
He made her feel safe.
And now she might be the reason he wasn’t.
---
The Next Morning
Alara didn’t sleep.
The sky outside her window was already turning pale when her alarm buzzed, but she didn’t need it. She hadn’t closed her eyes all night. Instead, she stared at the ceiling, trying to decide what to do.
The message was still on her phone. No new texts. No calls.
But the silence was worse than noise. Jared wasn’t the kind of man who backed off easily. He liked control. Power. Watching her squirm was his game.
She got dressed slowly, tying her hair up in a loose bun, and debated bringing pepper spray in her purse — something she hadn’t done since the break-up. Finally, she opened the fridge and poured cold water over her face with trembling hands. She needed to feel awake. Alert.
She had just grabbed her bag when her phone buzzed.
Kade.
> Morning, Sunshine. Hope you’re not regretting last night yet. P.S. I want my jacket back. But only if I get it from you in person. ;) Coffee later?
She stared at the message for a full minute.
Her heart warmed. And then sank.
Because now she had to choose.
Tell him — risk scaring him off, risk dragging him into her past, into Jared’s chaos.
Or lie — protect him, keep him away, act like nothing was wrong.
She hated both options.
But the thought of him being in danger because of her — even unknowingly — made the decision clear.
Her fingers trembled as she typed.
> Hey. I loved last night. Really, I did. But… something’s come up. I need to take care of it. Can we rain check? I’ll get your jacket back to you soon, I promise.
She added a heart emoji — not because she wanted to flirt — but because she didn’t want him to think she was pulling away.
A minute passed. Then two.
His reply came.
> No worries. I get it. But if you need anything… anything… I’m here.
Tears pricked at her eyes. She hadn’t even told him what was wrong, and still — he showed up with kindness.
And that scared her even more.
Because now she was invested.
Now she had something — someone — to lose.
---
Flashback: Six Months Ago
“You think anyone will love you like I did?” Jared’s voice had been calm, too calm, the night she packed her things.
She’d found the texts on his phone. The photos. The messages from three different women — all dated in the months leading to their wedding. And when she confronted him, he didn’t apologize. He didn’t even look surprised.
“I gave you everything,” he’d said. “I made you into someone desirable.”
Alara had stared at him in disbelief. “You think you made me?”
“I think you’re forgetting your place.”
That was when she knew. That was when she left.
But not without fear. Jared wasn’t the kind of man who let go. He didn’t shout or threaten — that wasn’t his style. He controlled with silence, with guilt, with showing up in ways that made her question whether it was coincidence or surveillance.
She changed numbers. She disappeared.
But clearly, not well enough.
---
Present
Alara sat on her bed again, staring at her phone.
She knew this wasn’t over.
And she knew she couldn’t handle it alone forever.
But she also wasn’t ready to let Kade in. Not yet.
So for now, she would wait. Watch. Protect the fragile piece of peace she’d built. Even if it meant building a wall between her heart and the one person who had started to break it open again.
Still wearing his jacket, she whispered into the silence:
“Please don’t let me ruin this.”
---
- Writer
