Chapter 22: Collision Course
380 Words
Chapter 22: Collision Course
(Thuth cuts deeper than betrayal)
The stranger’s eyes pierced Aria like ice, cold and unyielding.
“I’m not here to make friends,” she said, voice low and sharp. “I’m here to warn you.”
Aria’s pulse quickened. “Warn me about what?”
The woman stepped closer, rainwater dripping from her coat. “About him. Damon.”
Before Aria could respond, the door slammed open behind her.
Damon’s stormy gaze swept the room, landing on the woman.
“Who the hell are you?”
The tension snapped tight, like a wire ready to break.
Aria’s heart pounded. Two dangerous forces collided in her living room—one dark and possessive, the other cold and mysterious.
The woman didn’t flinch. “I’m the reason Damon can’t have you.”
Damon laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. “Good luck with that.”
Aria’s breath caught. What did she mean? What secret was buried beneath that calm exterior?
The stranger pulled a folded photo from her coat pocket and tossed it on the table.
Aria picked it up—her eyes widening in disbelief.
It was a picture of Damon, smiling alongside a woman Aria had never seen before.
“Who is she?” Aria demanded.
“Someone from Damon’s past,” the woman said, eyes locked on Aria’s. “Someone he wants to keep buried.”
Damon’s jaw clenched. “This is none of your business.”
“It is now,” the woman said, stepping closer, “because you’re about to lose her.”
Cade’s name echoed in Aria’s mind, the fragile hope she’d held onto slipping like sand.
“Why come to me now?” Aria asked.
The stranger’s smile was thin, dangerous. “Because some truths can’t stay hidden forever. And when they surface, they’ll burn everything you love.”
Before Aria could say more, her phone buzzed with a new message.
Trust no one.
She looked up—Damon’s eyes darkened with a warning.
The stranger turned toward the door, pausing to say, “This is just the beginning.”
And then she was gone.
Aria stood frozen, the weight of secrets and lies crashing down.
The war for her heart wasn’t just between two men.
It was a fight to survive.
- Writer
