📖 CHAPTER 9 – The Warning
757 Words
Lila tried to stay inside that morning.
She really did.
But the house felt strange in a way she couldn’t explain. Not loud. Not scary. Just… off. Like something had shifted while she slept and nobody told her.
And the envelope she found earlier wasn’t helping.
He didn’t tell you everything.
Those words kept repeating in her head.
She got up from the bed with a sigh.
“I can’t stay here and overthink myself to death,” she muttered.
She grabbed her phone and left the room.
Downstairs, one of the staff looked up immediately.
“Ma’am… you’re going out?”
Lila nodded as she passed. “Yeah. I’ll be back.”
No questions. No waiting.
She stepped out before anyone could say anything else.
Outside, the air felt lighter.
But not her mind.
She walked without a destination for a while before stopping at a small café not far from the house. Nothing fancy. Just somewhere she could sit without feeling like she was being watched.
She ordered water and didn’t even touch it.
Her phone was face down on the table.
She kept staring at it like it might explain itself.
Then it buzzed.
Unknown number.
Lila frowned immediately.
She hesitated… then opened it.
You shouldn’t ignore warnings.
Her chest tightened slightly.
“What nonsense is this?” she whispered under her breath.
She looked around the café.
Normal people. Normal morning. Nothing strange.
But she suddenly didn’t feel normal anymore.
She stood up.
The walk back was faster.
Her thoughts louder.
And now she kept checking behind her without meaning to.
Nothing.
Still… that didn’t calm her.
Her phone buzzed again.
She stopped walking this time.
Same unknown number.
Another message.
Ask your husband about Damian Cole Group — 2019.
Her fingers froze around the phone.
That wasn’t random.
That was specific.
Too specific.
A cold feeling settled in her stomach.
“Who is this?” she whispered.
No reply.
Just silence.
By the time she reached the house, her pace had changed.
Fast steps. Straight inside.
The living room was empty.
Too empty.
But Damian’s phone was on the table.
Vibrating.
Once.
Then again.
Lila stopped.
She didn’t mean to stare.
But she did.
The screen lit up with a name she didn’t recognize.
Then another message popped up underneath.
She’s close to the truth.
Her breath caught.
“What truth…” she murmured.
Behind her—
“Put it down.”
Lila turned instantly.
Damian was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
Still. Calm.
But something about his eyes wasn’t calm at all.
She didn’t move the phone right away.
Not because she was bold.
Because she was confused.
“You’re getting messages too,” she said slowly.
He didn’t answer.
He just walked toward her.
Every step steady.
Controlled.
Like he was choosing exactly how much to reveal in each second.
When he reached her, he took the phone from her hand.
No rush.
No explanation.
Just silence.
He slipped it into his pocket.
Like nothing had happened.
Lila stared at him.
“That message…” she said quietly. “What does it mean?”
Still nothing.
That silence again.
But this time it felt different.
Heavy.
Intentional.
Damian finally spoke.
“Don’t answer unknown numbers again.”
That was it.
Not an answer.
A rule.
Lila laughed once, but there was no humor in it.
“You always do that,” she said. “Just shut things down and expect me not to ask questions.”
His eyes stayed on her.
“Some things are safer not knowing.”
That line hit differently.
Because it didn’t sound like control.
It sounded like experience.
Like something already went wrong before.
Lila studied him for a moment.
“So I’m supposed to just sit here and trust that?” she asked.
No immediate reply.
Then—
“Yes.”
Simple.
Too simple.
Lila shook her head slightly.
“I don’t like this,” she said.
Damian didn’t move.
“I know.”
That was the first honest thing he had said all morning.
And somehow… it made it worse.
He turned slightly like the conversation was over.
But Lila wasn’t done.
Not this time.
“Damian,” she called.
He paused.
Not turning.
Just waiting.
“What happened in 2019?”
Silence.
Longer than before.
The air between them changed again.
But he didn’t answer.
Not yet.
Instead, he walked away.
Leaving her standing there with a question he clearly didn’t want her to ask.
And now…
She definitely would.
- Writer
