One year later
LUELLA
I love that my new life is predictable, almost soothing. Wake up, make coffee, watch the sun rise over the rooftops of this sleepy town. It’s nothing like Archer Bay, and that’s exactly why I chose it. The silence here is different—not the suffocating kind that Archer Bay imposed, but a quiet that lets me breathe. I stir my coffee, the clink of the spoon against the mug echoing through my small, tidy kitchen. The scent is comforting, a reminder of normality.
Just a normal girl in a normal apartment. There are no monsters hiding under her bed, not anymore.
Yet, as I sip the hot liquid, there’s a flutter in my chest, a brief memory of Colton. His voice, his touch, the way he would stand at the window, ever watchful. It’s like a ghost, lingering at the edges of my consciousness. I shake my head, trying to banish the thought. This is my life now—simple, peaceful. I’m Luella again, not Mary. Just Luella, making coffee in a quiet town.
As I walk to the local market, the breeze is cool and refreshing. The streets are familiar now, no longer strange. But there’s a prickle at the back of my neck, a faint sense of being watched. I glance around, casually checking the reflections in shop windows. Nothing. Just the usual faces, going about their daily routines. I tell myself it’s paranoia, the old instincts that kept me alive in Archer Bay refusing to fade.
Maybe the paranoia will never go away.
COLTON
The room is dark, the only light coming from the screens in front of me. I watch her, my eyes tracing Luella’s movements as she walks through the town of Meadowgrove. The footage is crisp, detailed. I can see the way her hair catches the sunlight, the slight tension in her shoulders as she looks around. She feels it—the weight of my gaze, even from a distance. I tell myself it’s protection, not possession. But the lines blur, they’re always blurring with her.
She’s so fucking beautiful. Even after all this time...it’s only her.
My hands grip the arms of the chair, knuckles white. The wooden box sits on the desk beside me, containing a small lock of her hair. A memento, a reminder. My eyes flick back to the screen. She’s safe. For now. But the world is full of predators, and she’s a beacon, drawing them in. I can’t let that happen. I won’t.
I’ll protect her.
The voices in my head whisper, a chorus of conflicting orders. One urges me to go to her, to claim what’s mine. Another reminds me of the darkness, the monster I’m fighting to keep at bay. I clench my jaw, pushing them aside. I’m in control; I choose when and how.
Xavier’s old contacts are stirring, sniffing around like hungry wolves. They won’t get to her. Not while I’m watching. I lean back in the chair, my eyes never leaving the screen. She’s mine to protect. Mine to keep safe. And when the time is right, mine to reclaim.
LUELLA
I finish my coffee; the warmth spreading through me. But it’s fleeting, replaced by a chill. A sense of being watched, of not being alone. I shake my head again, more forcefully this time. It’s just the wind. Just my imagination. I’m alone. I’m free.
But as I turn to wash the mug, I can’t shake the feeling. The faint echo of a connection, a thread that refuses to be severed. It’s as if, no matter how far I run, no matter how quiet the town, there’s always something there, a memory that never truly leaves. I pause, looking out the window, half expecting to see a figure standing there. But there’s nothing. Just the empty street, the quiet of a peaceful town.
I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. This is my life now. This is what I chose. Peace, quiet, normality. I won’t let the ghosts of the past haunt me. I won’t let them control me.
But even as I think it, I know it’s not entirely true. The past is always there, lurking at the edges. The memories, the faces, the voices. They’re part of me, woven into the fabric of who I am. And I’m not stupid. I know Xavier had many, many sick friends who may want to hunt me down, but they may not. It’s a risk I had to take. My breath sucks in when a handsome scowling face fills my mind. Because hidden in my past is Colton...he’s there too. A constant reminder, a lingering presence. A shadow that won’t fade.
I close my eyes, the mug still in my hand. I can almost feel him, almost hear his voice. And for a moment, just a moment, I allow myself to remember. The way he looked at me, the way he touched me. The way he made me feel both protected and possessed. A dangerous dance, a delicate balance.
And how much he frightened me. I can’t forget that. I know the way rose-tinted glasses work; they hide the reality by what went well. And God, some of the things between me and Colton went well.
Fuck.
Then I open my eyes, and the moment is gone. Just a memory, a ghost from the past. I put the mug down, turning away from the window. This is my life now. And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way.
COLTON
The screens flicker. I watch her move through her kitchen, her hands steady, her face composed. But I see the slight tremble in her shoulders, the way her eyes dart to the window. She feels it. The connection, the unseen bond. It’s as if a cord stretches between us, invisible but unbreakable.
I reach out, my fingers brushing the cool surface of the screen. As if I could touch her, as if I could bridge the distance between us. But it’s just an illusion, a desperate attempt to feel close to her. I clench my fist, pulling my hand back.
Control. I need to maintain control.
The voices whisper again, a constant undercurrent in my mind. They urge me to act, to take, to claim. But I push them aside, focusing on the screen. I’m giving her space, letting her live her life, like she wanted. But I’m also watching, waiting. Protecting her from the shadows, ensuring no one can hurt her again.
But there’s more to it than that. I know it, even if I can’t admit it to myself. It’s not just about protection. It’s about possession, about the need to know she’s mine. Even if she’s not with me, even if she’s living her own life, she’s still mine. The thought is a comfort, a reassurance. But it’s also a weight, a burden. A constant battle between what I want and what I know is right.
I lean back in the chair, my eyes never leaving the screen. She’s safe. For now. But the world is a dangerous place, and I can’t trust anyone else to protect her. I can’t trust anyone else to understand what she means to me.
So I watch. I wait. I protect. And I try not to think about the day when I’ll have to make a choice. The day when I’ll have to decide whether to let her go or pull her back into my world. Into my life. Into my darkness.
Until then, I’ll stay here. In the shadows, watching, waiting. A silent guardian, a hidden protector. A man caught between love and obsession, between light and dark. A man who will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. No matter the cost. No matter the consequences.