Page 251 of Love Me in the Dark
And then—there. Her building.
Three stories of chipped paint and exhaustion.
I park across the street and sit in the shadows, engine off, lights out. No one looks at me. No one pays attention to anything here. That’s the way people in this place stays safe. By pretending they’re invisible. That’s how she’s survived here.
My eyes scan the windows until I find hers.
Third floor. Single curtain drawn over one half. Light leaking through just enough to silhouette the outline of her monitor. She’s in there.
Alone.
Always alone.
And yet she keeps going. Keeps helping strangers. Keeps fixing things that no one thanks her for.
She’s stronger than anyone I know.
And she’s wasting away here. Soon, there will be nothing left of her. Or, there wouldn’t be, if I wasn’t already making moves.
It’s unacceptable, really. Letting her rot in this crumbling corner of the city like she doesn’t matter. Like her mind isn’t gold. Like her voice doesn’t hit like a slow-burning drug I’ll never be able to quit.
I don’t get out of my car.
Not tonight.
Because the second I see her face in person, I might not be able to walk away.
And neither of us is ready for that.
Not yet.
Soon.
It’s become my mantra when it comes to her. A promise that I’m going to keep. Soon, she’ll be mine. Soon, she’ll see the world she was born to rule. Soon, she’ll understand the power I am going to give her.
Soon.
4
IVY
Something’s off.
Again.
It starts with the knock—sharp, fast, and completely unexpected. I freeze with my hand halfway to my coffee cup, heart thudding way too hard for something so simple.
No one knocks on my door.
Not neighbors. Not maintenance. Definitely not anything I ordered online because I don’t spend money. I don’t have anything to spend.
I step to the door quietly, already scanning for the nearest heavy object in case this is how it ends. The chain stays on while I crack the door open.
A delivery guy stands there in a puffer jacket, bored expression, clipboard in hand while he meets my almost frantic expression.
“Ivy Callahan?” he asks.
I nod.
