Chapter 6 : The Confrontation
499 Words
Lena Graves didn’t believe in ghosts, but Cade Mercer was haunting her.
Ever since he walked back into town, she felt it—the shift in the air, the way her skin prickled when he was near, the way the past clawed its way out of the grave she’d buried it in.
And she was done waiting for answers.
She found him where she knew he’d be—the old Mercer property, the cabin tucked away in the woods, half-swallowed by nature. It looked abandoned, the windows dark, the porch sagging, but she knew better.
Lena climbed the steps, barely hesitating before pounding on the door.
Silence.
She knocked again, harder this time. “Open up, Cade.”
Still nothing.
Lena exhaled sharply, stepping back. “Fine. If you won’t answer—”
The door swung open before she could finish.
Cade stood there, barefoot, shirtless, sweat glistening on his skin like he had just woken from a nightmare. His hair was a mess, and his golden eyes—God, they were the same—locked onto hers, unreadable.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then Cade sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Lena.”
“You don’t get to say my name like that,” she snapped.
Cade leaned against the doorframe, watching her. “Like what?”
“Like we’re the same people we were ten years ago.”
A flicker of something crossed his face, gone too fast to name. “We’re not.”
“No, we’re not.” Her voice was sharp, edged with something raw. “Because ten years ago, you left me in the woods with no explanation. No goodbye. You just disappeared.”
Cade exhaled through his nose, glancing away. “It wasn’t that simple.”
Lena crossed her arms. “Then make it simple. Tell me what happened that night.”
Cade didn’t answer.
She took a step closer, lowering her voice. “I remember the howling, Cade. I remember the look on your face. I know something was out there that night. And I know you’re lying to me.”
Cade’s jaw tightened.
Lena swallowed, forcing herself to say it. “Was it you?”
Something in him flinched. Just barely.
Then he turned, disappearing inside. “Go home, Lena.”
She shoved the door open before he could close it. “No.”
Cade stared at her. “You don’t want to know the truth.”
“Yes, I do.”
He shook his head. “No, you don’t. Because if I tell you, you’ll never look at me the same way again.”
Lena felt her pulse hammering. “Try me.”
For a long moment, Cade just stood there, his expression unreadable. Then, finally, he stepped aside.
“Fine,” he said, voice low. “Come inside.”
Lena hesitated.
Something in his voice sent a shiver down her spine.
But she stepped through the door anyway.
And locked herself inside with the past.
- Writer
