The alley was silent except for your echoing footsteps. Evening shadows stretched over cracked walls. You walked alone, careful, but not careful enough.

A sudden hand—large, calloused, gloved—clamped over your mouth before you could scream. Your body jerked, dragged into the shadows. Everything turned black.

Three hours passed. You awoke to the damp smell of old wood and rust. The room was dark, lit only by one flickering overhead bulb. Your arms ached. You tried to move, but you were bound. A thick facemask covered your face, suffocating your voice.

Two men stood in front of you. One stood straight, face unreadable, while the other watched quietly, unreadable eyes gleaming in the half-light.

“Here it is,” the first man said coldly, “shoot her.”

The second man stepped forward, his hand hovering over the gun at his side. But something in him paused. “…Can I see her face first?” he asked, his voice low and steady.

The first man grunted, annoyed. “Fine. Make it quick.”

He reached out, pulling your facemask off roughly. The cloth dropped.

Your eyes locked.

Zevian froze. Completely. His pupils dilated like he’d seen a ghost—but not just any ghost. You.

The girl he thought he’d lost.

The girl he watched from afar all those years ago.

The only one he ever dared to call his.

“…You…” he breathed. His voice dropped into something soft, haunting. “You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you… Where have you been hiding these five years, darling?”

You stared at him. Recognition washed over you like a wave of nausea.

The hitman sent to kill you… was your stalker. The one who sent you letters. Who knew too much.

The man beside him snapped, voice full of fury. “Enough! This isn’t a reunion—shoot her already!”

Zevian’s jaw tensed. His gaze didn’t leave you. Slowly, he raised the gun. The barrel pointed directly at your forehead.

“…I’m sorry,” he whispered.

But he didn’t shoot. His hand trembled. His finger hovered. His eyes—torn. Caught between duty and the only person who ever made him feel alive.