Chapter Eighteen- Lyssa
839 Words
The knock on the door was sharp and impatient. Typical Kat.
She didn’t wait for an answer before I heard her muffled voice through the wood.
“You better open this door, Lyssa. I swear to God, I’ll bust it down!”
I rolled my eyes and pulled the door open. Kat stood there, gaze sharp and assessing, already cataloguing every bad decision I’d made. All black clothes, hair pulled into a low ponytail, expression set to no-nonsense mode.
“You look like hell,” she said bluntly, brushing past me like she owned the place.
“Nice to see you too,” I muttered, shutting the door behind her.
She dropped her bag on the counter and crossed her arms. “Alright. Spill. What happened? And don’t you dare try to bullshit me.”
I leaned against the door. “It wasn’t supposed to go this way. I was supposed to watch—learn his patterns. But…”
Kat’s eyes narrowed. “But?”
“He saw me.”
“Ares?” she asked.
“Yes… but then he wasn’t. By the time he got here, he was different.” My voice came out lower than I meant it to.
Kat’s stance tightened. “Different how? Start at the beginning.”
“It started at the club. Ares noticed me. We ended up in the alley. He’s fast, Kat. We fought—it was intense. Fun, even. For a minute, I forgot about everything else.”
Her mouth twitched, like she wanted to smirk. “So, what then? He let you go?”
“No. He enjoyed it too. We were evenly matched. After, he asked when he’d see me again. I told him I’d find him. It felt controlled—like I had the upper hand.”
“Did you?” she asked.
I laughed bitterly. “I thought I did. Came home, thought it was over. He wasn’t a threat yet. His attraction made things easier… or so I thought.”
“You don’t get this rattled over being noticed,” Kat said slowly. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“He tracked my phone, which I expected,” I said. “What I didn’t expect was for him to break in. He was so quiet I didn’t even realize he was in the penthouse until he was at the edge of my bed.”
Kat’s jaw tensed. “He broke in? And you didn’t notice?”
“No. Not until it was too late. But it wasn’t him. Not the Ares I fought in that alley.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
I hesitated. “I attacked first—I thought it was an intruder. He overpowered me. Then… something changed. His whole demeanor. Cold. Controlled. He said things Ares wouldn’t. Moved differently. Like he was someone else wearing the same face.”
Kat’s eyes darkened. “What did he do?”
I swallowed hard. “He made sure I knew who had the power. He wanted me afraid, wanted me to feel small. It wasn’t just about control—it was about breaking me.”
Kat’s fists clenched, but her voice stayed even. “And then?”
I looked away. “Then everything blurred. I woke up restrained. He was there—calm, collected, watching me like I was something to study. He said he knew who I was. That I was a killer, like him.”
“Lyssa…” Kat’s voice softened but stayed steady. “He violated your space. Your safety.”
“I know.” My voice cracked. “But that’s not what haunts me. It’s that part of me wasn’t afraid. Part of me wanted to fight back in a way he’d understand. I hate that he saw it—that he saw me. Every wall I built, every mask I wear—he tore through it like it was nothing.”
Kat let out a slow breath, stepping closer. “Listen to me. Whatever he thinks he did, whatever power he believes he has—it’s only real if you let it be. You’ve survived worse.”
I shook my head. “You don’t get it, Kat. He’s not just a man with a god complex. He’s something darker. He doesn’t just want control—he wants destruction. And he’ll use every piece of me to get it.”
Kat gripped my shoulder, her voice iron-hard. “Then don’t give him a single piece more. You’ve rebuilt yourself from ashes before. You’ll do it again.”
I nodded, but the weight in my chest stayed. “I’ll try.”
“Not try,” she said firmly. “Do. He doesn’t own you—mind, body, or soul. You’re stronger than him, and you’re going to prove it.”
Her conviction was the lifeline I didn’t know I needed, but the knot in my stomach didn’t ease.
Ares Rossi had taken something from me that night—something I wasn’t sure I could ever reclaim.
- Writer
