Ghost of the Past
1126 Words
Chapter Six :
Zara didn’t sleep.
She couldn’t.
Not with the stranger’s words still clawing at her mind. Not with the weight of Kian’s absence pressing into the silence of the room.
She sat on the edge of the bed, fingers gripping the sheets, her heart a restless drumbeat against her ribs. The lamp on the nightstand flickered slightly, casting long, uneasy shadows against the walls. She tried to steady her breathing, but the night felt stretched too thin, her thoughts too loud.
Her wrist ached.
Zara glanced down at it. The bruise was deeper now, the imprint of fingers darkening her skin. She traced it absentmindedly, her mind looping back to Kian’s reaction. The way his whole body had gone still, the way his touch had been so careful—like he was holding himself back.
Like he was capable of something much worse.
A shiver crawled down her spine.
She didn’t know how long she sat there before the distant hum of voices reached her ears.
Zara stilled.
Her eyes flicked to the door. Kian had told her not to open it for anyone but him. He had doubled security. But something in her gut twisted.
Carefully, she slid off the bed, her bare feet pressing against the cold floor. The voices were muffled, low, and tense. Someone was arguing.
Zara hesitated, but then she heard it—her name.
She moved closer to the door, pressing her ear against the wood.
“…not her fight.” A deep voice. Someone she didn’t recognize.
A pause. Then—
“She made it her fight the moment she walked into his life.”
A chill ran through her.
The voices faded as footsteps retreated down the hall. Zara exhaled shakily, pressing a hand to her chest.
She had a choice.
She could stay in this room, lock the door, and pretend none of this concerned her. Pretend Kian’s world wasn’t seeping into hers.
Or—
She could find out the truth.
Her fingers hesitated on the doorknob, Kian’s warning echoing in her mind.
But then, she turned it.
The hallway was dimly lit, empty, but not silent.
She followed the direction of the voices, her heart hammering with each step. The air was thick, charged with something unspoken.
She reached the end of the hall and pressed herself against the wall, peering around the corner.
Kian stood near the glass windows, his back to her, his shoulders tense. He wasn’t alone.
A man in a dark suit stood opposite him, his expression unreadable. His posture was relaxed, but there was something sharp in his stance.
“I don’t like this,” the man said. “She’s a liability.”
Kian didn’t move. “She’s none of your concern.”
The man let out a dry laugh. “You say that, but the last time you got attached, she ended up—”
Kian moved so fast Zara barely saw it.
A sharp gasp caught in her throat as Kian grabbed the man by the collar, shoving him hard against the wall.
“Don’t.” Kian’s voice was quiet, lethal. “Say her name.”
The man smirked, but there was something wary in his eyes. “Still sore about that, huh?”
Kian’s grip tightened.
Zara took a step back, her pulse racing.
This wasn’t the Kian she knew.
Or maybe—
Maybe this was the Kian she had been blind to all along.
She turned too quickly, her heel catching on the edge of the rug. The soft sound was barely there, but it was enough.
Kian’s head snapped toward her.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, everything froze.
Zara’s breath caught in her throat, her body rigid as Kian’s expression shifted. The cold fury in his eyes flickered...replaced by something unreadable.
The man in the suit turned, following Kian’s gaze.
“Well,” he drawled, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Look who decided to eavesdrop.”
Zara swallowed hard, forcing herself to stand her ground.
Kian exhaled sharply, releasing his grip on the man’s collar. “Go back to your room, Zara.”
She didn’t move.
Her heart was pounding, but she wasn’t going to just walk away. Not this time.
“Who is he?” she asked, her voice steadier than she felt.
Kian’s jaw clenched. “Not someone you need to worry about.”
The man chuckled. “That’s cute. She thinks she gets a choice.”
Zara’s fists tightened.
Kian turned back to him, his expression darkening. “You’re done here.”
The man lifted his hands in mock surrender, stepping back. “Sure, boss. But you know as well as I do—she’s in too deep.”
Kian didn’t respond. He just stared at the man until he finally shrugged and walked away, disappearing down the hallway.
Zara exhaled shakily.
“Kian,” she started.
“I told you to stay in the room.” His voice was calm, but she could hear the restrained frustration beneath it.
“I heard my name,” she said, stepping closer. “I had a right to know.”
Kian ran a hand down his face, turning toward the window. The city lights cast shadows across his features, making him look even more distant.
“He was right, wasn’t he?” Zara continued, her voice softer now. “I am in too deep.”
Kian didn’t answer immediately. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet.
“I never wanted you to be.”
Something in her chest twisted.
Zara watched him carefully. “Then tell me the truth, Kian.”
He let out a humorless laugh. “The truth?” He turned to face her fully, his eyes holding something raw. “The truth is, the moment you signed that contract, you stopped being safe.”
Zara’s stomach dropped.
She had known, deep down, that this arrangement wasn’t simple. That Kian wasn’t just some businessman with a complicated past.
But hearing it—feeling the weight of it—made the reality settle in.
She wasn’t just playing a role anymore.
She was a target.
Kian stepped forward, his fingers grazing her wrist again. This time, his touch was almost hesitant. “I can still get you out of this.”
Zara searched his face, her heart pounding.
“You think I’d leave now?” she whispered.
Kian exhaled, his fingers tightening around hers.
“I think you should.”
For the first time, she saw it clearly.
Kian wasn’t just trying to push her away.
He was trying to protect her.
And that scared her more than anything.
Because if he thought she needed protection..
Then whatever was coming next was worse than she could have imagined.
- Writer
