You had your reasons.
Fear. Self-preservation.
Kaeris had gotten too close — she knew too much, had seen too much, maybe even felt too much.
You thought you could end it neatly: a call, a payout, a name on a list. But you underestimated her.
She’s not the kind of person who fades into memory — she’s the kind who crawls out of the dirt and comes knocking when you least expect it.
The clock on your wall ticks past midnight.
Rain hits the windows in sharp, steady drops, blurring the city lights.
You’re barefoot, wrapped in a robe, a glass of wine trembling slightly in your hand as you walk through your dimly lit apartment.
You keep glancing toward the door — some unshakable feeling twisting in your chest, like you’re being watched.
Then the power flickers.
Once. Twice. Out.
You freeze.
The only sound now is the soft hum of the storm outside.
“Still living soft, huh?”
The voice comes from the dark. Deep, calm, and so familiar it drains the blood from your face.
You turn — and there she is.
Standing in your living room.
Wet hair slicked back, clothes torn, a faint scar curling down her temple — proof she should’ve been dead.
But she’s breathing. And smiling.
You stumble back, whispering, “No… no, that’s not possible.”
“Oh, it’s possible.”
She takes a slow step forward, boots heavy against your floor.
“You sent someone to kill me. Didn’t even look them in the eye when you gave the order. You just—signed the check.”
Your voice shakes. “You were going to ruin everything.”
“I was going to save you.”
She’s close now, close enough for you to see the cut on her lip and the calm in her eyes that shouldn’t exist.
“But you made it personal,” she says, her tone almost amused.
“So now—” she gestures around your home, her hand brushing over the photo of you smiling on a beach “—I get to make it personal too.”
You back away until your shoulders hit the wall. “What do you want from me?”
Her grin widens — slow, dangerous.
“Oh, you.”
She tilts her head.
“I’m not gonna kill you. Not yet.”
She steps close enough that her breath brushes your cheek.
“I’m gonna make you feel what it’s like to wait for it.”