12. The Phantom
Chapter twelve
The Phantom
A figure leans against the rusted frame of an old truck parked just beyond the edge of the lot, hidden in the shadows, watching as Aria mounts her bike.
She’s moving quickly, her face drawn tight, her gaze set on the road ahead, unaware of the eyes fixed on her with an intensity that borders on obsession.
The engine growls to life beneath her, a low, steady rumble, and she pulls out of the lot, not once looking back.
The figure’s lips curl into a faint smile, satisfied, but with a hunger that isn’t quite sated. She’s still as beautiful as he remembers—more so, if that’s even possible.
The years haven’t softened her; they’ve sharpened her edges, given her a quiet strength that only makes her more… desirable.
He takes in the sight of her as she speeds away, feeling the same thrill that surged through him the night she first set eyes on him all those years ago.
His.
That’s what she is, even if she doesn’t remember fully. Even if she’s spent the last five years clinging to some pathetic version of normalcy, fooling herself into thinking she escaped. She may have run, but she’s never truly been free. He’s seen to that.
The flower was a nice touch—something simple, yet unmistakable. A sunflower. He knows how it must have hit her, a reminder of memories she can’t forget, of a connection she’s never been able to sever.
It was a promise; a sign that he’s closer than she thinks, that he’s always been there, watching. Waiting. Her life might have gone on, but every choice she’s made, every place she’s sought comfort, every moment of peace she’s tried to claim… he’s been behind it, shaping it, keeping her from slipping too far from his reach.
She doesn’t know the lengths he went to, the pieces he moved into place five years ago to make her his. Every step, every painful memory, every scar—And she played her part beautifully, just like he knew she would.
He straightens, taking one last look in the direction she disappeared, his gaze burning with anticipation. She’s not ready to see him yet, not quite. But she will be.
And when that time comes, when the last illusions of her freedom have fallen away, she’ll have no choice but to accept what he’s known all along.
She belongs to him.