Chapter 4: He Knows I'm Alive
1261 Words
“Come out, little ghost.”
Amelia stood frozen.
Victor was looking directly at her.
Her heart raced.
How could he see her?
Seraphina had promised that nobody would recognize her.
Yet Victor was staring at her as if he could see everything.
Amelia slowly stepped backward.
Victor smiled.
“I know you're there.”
She turned and ran.
Victor immediately followed.
“Amelia!”
She didn't stop.
She rushed through the hallway and toward the warehouse entrance.
Victor chased her.
“Stop!”
Amelia reached the door.
She pushed it open and ran outside.
Victor followed.
But the moment he stepped outside, Amelia disappeared into the darkness.
Victor looked around.
Nothing.
He breathed heavily.
“She came back.”
He looked down at the silver key still in his hand.
“She actually came back.”
---
Amelia didn't stop running until the warehouse was far behind her.
She finally stopped near an empty street.
She looked at her hands.
They were shaking.
“He saw me.”
She couldn't understand it.
Seraphina had said only the people who truly loved her would see her real face.
Victor didn't love her.
He had killed her.
So why could he see her?
Then she remembered something.
Victor had called her little ghost.
Was he really seeing her?
Or was he only sensing her presence?
Amelia didn't know.
But one thing was certain.
Victor knew she had returned.
And that made finding her body even more urgent.
She looked at the silver key.
It was gone.
Victor had taken it.
“That's not good.”
Without the key, she might not be able to return to the room where her body was hidden.
She turned toward the city.
“I need help.”
But who could she trust?
The mysterious man from the warehouse came to her mind.
He knew her mother.
He knew about her death.
And he had helped her escape.
But why?
---
The next morning, Noah woke up alone.
He walked into the living room and found Amelia sitting near the window.
He smiled.
“You stayed.”
Amelia turned.
“Yes.”
Noah ran toward her.
She hugged him.
“I told you I wouldn't leave.”
Noah looked at her face.
“Why do you look different?”
Amelia became quiet.
She remembered Seraphina's warning.
Only the people who truly loved her could see her real face.
Noah could see her.
That meant something.
“You can really see me?”
Noah frowned.
“Of course.”
Amelia smiled through her tears.
“You're the only person I need.”
Noah hugged her again.
Then his expression changed.
“Who is Adrian?”
Amelia froze.
“What?”
“Adrian.”
“Where did you hear that name?”
Noah pointed toward the table.
“There.”
Amelia turned.
The black notebook was lying on the table.
She had forgotten to take it with her.
She quickly picked it up.
Noah looked at her.
“Who is Adrian?”
“I don't know.”
Amelia opened the notebook.
There were pages filled with names, dates, and strange notes.
She turned the pages quickly.
Then she found something.
ADRIAN HALE — FAMILY MEMBER.
Amelia's eyes widened.
Hale.
The same family name as Victor.
She continued reading.
There was another sentence underneath.
Adrian must never know what Victor did.
Amelia's heart pounded.
Why?
Why shouldn't Adrian know?
She turned another page.
The page had been torn out.
Someone had deliberately removed it.
“What's going on?” Amelia whispered.
Then something fell from between the pages.
A photograph.
Amelia picked it up.
It showed three people.
Victor.
Another woman.
And a young man.
Amelia stared at the young man.
She had never seen him before.
But the name on the back of the photograph made her breath stop.
Adrian Hale.
---
That afternoon, Amelia made a decision.
She couldn't stay in the same place.
If Victor knew she was alive, Noah was no longer safe.
She packed a few clothes.
Noah watched her.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere new.”
“Why?”
“Because I want us to start again.”
Noah smiled.
“Can I come?”
“Of course.”
Amelia hugged him.
But she didn't tell him the real reason.
She needed to disappear.
She needed to find her body.
And she needed to stay away from Victor.
Before they left, Amelia looked around their small apartment.
This place held all her memories.
Her parents.
Her childhood.
Her struggles with Noah.
Everything.
She wiped away a tear.
“This is goodbye.”
They stepped outside.
Amelia didn't notice the black car parked across the street.
Inside the car, Victor sat silently.
He watched Amelia and Noah leave.
A man beside him asked,
“Is that her?”
Victor nodded.
“Yes.”
“But she died.”
“I know.”
“How is she alive?”
Victor looked at Amelia.
“I don't know.”
The man frowned.
“What are you going to do?”
Victor's eyes became cold.
“Find out.”
---
Amelia and Noah arrived in another part of the city that evening.
She found a small apartment and used the little money she had saved.
It wasn't much.
But it was enough for a new beginning.
The following morning, Amelia decided to look for work.
She walked into a small café.
A woman behind the counter smiled.
“Are you looking for a job?”
“Yes.”
“You're lucky. We're hiring.”
Amelia smiled.
For the first time since her death, she felt a small sense of hope.
Maybe this was what Seraphina meant.
A second chance wasn't only about revenge.
Maybe it was also about living again.
She accepted the job.
And that afternoon, while carrying a tray of coffee to a customer, she accidentally bumped into someone.
The tray nearly fell.
A strong hand caught it.
“Careful.”
Amelia looked up.
Her breath caught.
The man standing in front of her was tall, calm, and handsome.
His eyes met hers.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He smiled.
Then his eyes suddenly changed.
He stared at her face as if he had seen something familiar.
“Have we met before?”
Amelia shook her head.
“No.”
The man continued staring.
“I feel like I know you.”
Amelia stepped backward.
“What is your name?”
He hesitated.
“Adrian.”
Amelia's heart stopped.
Adrian.
She looked at him again.
Adrian Hale.
Victor's cousin.
The man she had seen in the photograph.
The man she was never supposed to meet.
Adrian smiled.
“What's your name?”
Amelia couldn't answer.
Because she suddenly realized something terrifying.
If Adrian was Victor's cousin…
then getting close to him could either destroy her revenge—
or help her uncover the truth about her death.
And somewhere across the city, Victor was already searching for her.
Amelia looked at Adrian.
She knew she should walk away.
But something inside her told her not to.
Then Adrian reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small silver key.
Amelia's eyes widened.
It was exactly like the one Victor had taken.
Adrian looked at her.
“Have you seen this before?”
Amelia couldn't breathe.
Because engraved on the key was the same mysterious symbol from her mother's belongings.
And Adrian's next words changed everything.
“This belonged to your mother.”
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