After the man left, Elias and Mara did not pretend everything was back to normal. The visit and the strange delivery made one thing clear. The people from his past were not just watching anymore. They were making their move step by step, testing how far they could push and how much ground Elias would give up.
That night, they sat at the table and talked through every detail. “They work slow and careful,” Elias explained. “They do not attack right away. They want to wear you down first. They want you to start looking over your shoulder so much that you stop living your life. Once you feel tired and alone, that is when they strike.”
Mara listened closely and nodded. “Then we will not let them do that. We will stay alert, but we will not let them steal our days. We will work, we will rest,
