CHAPTER 6 — The Man Who Was Watching
365 Words
Ava knew she should have walked away.
Every instinct she had developed over the years told her the same thing.
Leave.
Forget what you saw.
Some doors were not meant to be opened.
But curiosity was dangerous, and Ava had spent most of her life surviving because she refused to ignore the truth.
So when she returned to school the next morning, she expected Damien Vale to act differently.
She expected him to avoid her.
Instead, he was standing outside her classroom.
Waiting.
His expression was calm, almost unreadable.
That bothered her more than anger would have.
“Good morning, Miss Hart.”
Ava placed her books on the desk.
“Is it?”
A slight smile touched his lips.
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether you are honest with me.”
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Ava looked around.
The classroom was empty.
No students.
No witnesses.
Just them.
“You’re being cryptic for someone who claims to run a school.”
“And you’re being brave for someone who followed me last night.”
Her body went still.
For the first time in a long time, she felt caught.
Not afraid.
Never afraid.
But aware.
“How long did you know?”
Damien stepped closer.
“From the moment you left the school.”
Ava studied him carefully.
“That’s impossible.”
“No.”
His voice lowered.
“That is what you tell yourself because you don’t like the alternative.”
“And what’s that?”
“That I noticed you.”
The answer irritated her more than it should have.
Because she knew he meant more than just noticing her footsteps.
He noticed everything.
The way she moved.
The way she protected herself.
The way she never allowed anyone close.
“You followed me,” she accused.
His eyes darkened.
“I made sure you survived following me.”
Ava’s jaw tightened.
“That sounds like a threat.”
“No.”
He leaned closer.
“It’s a promise.”
A chill moved through her.
Because Damien Vale did not sound like a man who made empty promises.
He sounded like a man who had never broken one.
- Writer
