I had barely managed to get through the evening after Nicolas’s unexpected visit. Stella had eventually left, her suspicions lingering in the air like the faint smell of her perfume. I replayed the encounter over and over, each memory sending a fresh wave of panic through me.
But tonight, I was determined to have a quiet evening—a moment to breathe and figure out what to do next. The apartment was still, the only sounds the occasional creak of the floorboards and the soft hum of the refrigerator.
Then came the knock.
My stomach flipped, the sound echoing in the silence like a warning bell. I stared at the door, every muscle in my body tensing.
Another knock, louder this time.
I moved slowly toward the door, my mind screaming at me not to open it. But some part of me already knew who i
