# Chapter Five: *Twice Burned, Once Blamed*
817 Words
**Toronto – The Next Morning**
Amara woke up cold.
Not from the weather—but from the silence.
There were no text messages. No knocks. No Damian.
And that should’ve been a relief.
But it wasn’t.
The memory of last night wrapped around her like his sheets—dangerous and warm. Her body still hummed with the imprint of his mouth. Her heart, however, wasn’t convinced.
Especially not with that message still burning on her screen.
> **Unknown Number:** _I saw you. You can’t hide this time._
She deleted it.
Then blocked the number.
Then stared at the wall, wondering if ghosts could really crawl through firewalls.
---
**Damian’s Office – 10:14 AM**
He couldn’t concentrate.
The presentation slides blurred in front of him. His team droned on, analyzing the numbers and forecasting projections, but all he could think about was Amara’s body arching beneath his.
And the look in her eyes when she walked out.
> “Sir?”
He blinked. “Yes?”
> “You just approved a budget cut to our own legal department.”
> “Oh.” He cleared his throat. “Reinstate that. And bring me coffee.”
> “Already had three cups,” his assistant muttered.
> “Make it four.”
He stood abruptly, loosening his tie, pacing toward the window.
Her scent was still in his sheets.
Her voice still in his ears.
And yet she was slipping away again.
> “Not this time,” he whispered.
---
**Outside Amara’s Apartment – 1:32 PM**
The knock startled her.
She peered through the peephole.
**Kairo.**
She hesitated, then opened the door.
> “You disappeared on me,” he said softly.
> “You don’t get to say that.”
> “Amara—”
> “You showed up with breakfast. You were sweet. And you walked away. Like always.”
> “Because I thought you needed space.”
> “No,” she snapped. “I needed someone to *stay*.”
He looked wounded. “I’ve always been the one waiting.”
> “And I’ve always been the one torn.”
> “He hurt you.”
> “He also made me feel things I can’t turn off.”
> “He’s poison.”
> “Then why does my body crave the taste?”
Silence.
Kairo stepped forward, lifting her chin.
> “Because you’re addicted to pain.”
She slapped his hand away.
> “I’m done being told what I need.”
> “Fine,” he said, stepping back. “Then choose.”
> “What?”
> “Me.”
She blinked.
> “Let me in, Amara. Fully. Let me show you what it feels like to be loved without wounds.”
Her throat closed up.
> “Kairo, I can’t—”
> “Then I’m walking away.”
He turned.
She didn’t stop him.
This time, it wasn’t the pain that kept her still.
It was the confusion.
---
**Damian’s Penthouse – That Night**
He was waiting on the balcony, fingers wrapped around a glass of scotch.
Amara stepped in from the elevator without a word.
Their eyes locked.
> “You came back,” he said.
> “I don’t know why.”
> “I do.”
She didn’t argue. She walked straight to the couch and sat, crossing her legs.
> “That message I got,” she started.
His expression hardened. “Message?”
She pulled out her phone. Showed him the screenshot.
He read it. Slowly. Then again.
> “Do you know who this is?”
> “No. But the number’s blocked now.”
> “It could be one of your ex-students?”
She flinched. “You think I sleep with my students?”
> “You slept with your professor.”
The slap came fast. Her palm stung. So did his ego.
> “Don’t ever reduce me to that again,” she said, voice trembling.
> “You’re right,” he whispered, stunned.
They stood frozen.
He stepped forward.
> “I’ll find out who it is.”
> “Why?”
> “Because no one threatens what’s mine.”
She should’ve argued.
But instead, she whispered, “Yours?”
> “Mine.”
> “Then act like it.”
He grabbed her waist, kissed her hard. She melted, fists thudding against his chest, then curling into his shirt.
And in that moment, everything she hated about him… she needed.
---
**Unknown Location – Midnight**
A hand tapped a phone screen.
> “She doesn’t know yet,” a voice muttered in the dark.
> “But she will.”
Photos illuminated the screen: Amara. Damian. The penthouse. The kiss.
> “Let’s see how much she trusts him after this.”
A slow smile.
Send.
---
*End of Chapter Five
- Writer
