Chapter 4: Eyes That Know Too Much
304 Words
Ariella should have spoken.
She should have asked who he was, why he was in her house, why his presence felt like a storm waiting to break.
But she didn’t.
Because the way he looked at her—steady, unreadable—made the words die in her throat.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” she finally said, her voice quieter than she intended.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Not amused. More like… intrigued.
“And yet,” he replied calmly, “here I am.”
The second man shifted uncomfortably beside him. “Sir—”
“Leave us,” the stranger said.
It wasn’t a request.
The man hesitated, glanced briefly at Ariella, then nodded and walked away, his footsteps fading into the distance.
Now it was just the two of them.
The silence pressed in again, thick and suffocating.
“Who are you?” Ariella asked.
He took a step closer.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
“Someone who knows your name,” he said.
Her breath caught. “That’s not an answer.”
“No,” he agreed. “But it’s the truth.”
His gaze softened—just slightly—as it traced her face, lingering on her eyes as though searching for something buried deep inside her.
“You look stronger than I expected,” he murmured.
Her chest tightened. “Expected from what?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he straightened, the moment slipping away like it never existed. “Get some rest, Ariella. Tomorrow will be… eventful.”
Before she could respond, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing there with a thousand unanswered questions—and a feeling she couldn’t shake.
She watched him disappear down the hallway.
And somehow, she knew.
Sleep would not come easily tonight.
- Writer
