The apartment was nothing like home. The small, dimly lit space felt cold and hollow, with walls that seemed to echo every sound. I stood in the middle of the room, staring at the single suitcase I’d managed to grab before the fire consumed everything else. It wasn’t much—a couple of clothes, my journal, and a photograph of my family that now smelled faintly of smoke.
Everything I had was gone.
I sat down on the creaky couch, pulling a thin blanket over my shoulders. The events of the fire replayed in my mind like a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from—the flames licking at the walls, the suffocating heat, my mom’s terrified screams.
I closed my eyes, trying to push the memories away, but the fear lingered. It clung to me like ash, suffocating and impossible to shake.
“Everything I had is gone—my home, my sense of safety, and maybe even my sanity. The flames didn’t just burn my house; they burned away the little trust I had left.”
A knock at the door jolted me out of my thoughts. My heart raced as I stood, my instincts screaming at me to stay put, but curiosity got the better of me.
When I peeked through the peephole, my breath caught in my throat.
Grayson.
Behind him stood Aiden and Asher, their faces shadowed by the dim hallway light. I debated not answering, but Grayson knocked again, louder this time.
“Lila,” he called, his voice low but urgent. “Please, open the door.”
I hesitated before cracking the door open just enough to glare at them. “What are you doing here?”
“We needed to make sure you’re okay,” Grayson said, his voice filled with worry. “You weren’t answering your phone.”
“Maybe because I don’t want to talk to you,” I shot back, my tone sharp.
Aiden stepped forward, his hands raised in surrender. “We’re not here to fight, Lila. We just want to help.”
“Help?” I repeated, my voice trembling with anger. “You want to help after everything that’s happened? After your father tried to kill me?”
Grayson flinched at my words, but he didn’t deny them.
“Lila, please,” he said, his tone softer now. “Let us explain.”
“Explain what?” I demanded, my grip on the door tightening. “How you’ve all lied to me? How you’ve been keeping secrets since the day I met you? Or maybe how your father thinks I’m just another pawn in his sick game?”
Asher looked away, his jaw tight. Aiden opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I said firmly. “You need to leave.”
“Lila—” Grayson started, but I shook my head.
“No. You don’t get to come here and act like you care about me now. Not after everything.”
Grayson’s eyes softened, and for a moment, I thought he might push back. But instead, he nodded, stepping away from the door.
“If you change your mind,” he said quietly, “we’ll be here.”
The three of them turned and walked down the hall, their footsteps echoing in the silence. I closed the door, leaning against it as tears burned my eyes.
The apartment felt even colder after they left. I sat on the couch, staring at the empty wall in front of me. Part of me wanted to believe them, to believe that they were trying to protect me. But how could I?
They’d lied to me about so much.
As I sat there, lost in my thoughts, a soft rustling sound caught my attention. I froze, my ears straining to hear. It sounded like paper sliding against the floor.
I stood slowly, my heart pounding as I walked to the door. Sure enough, a folded piece of paper had been slipped underneath it.
With trembling hands, I picked it up and unfolded it.
The message was written in bold, jagged letters:
“You will burn just like your house.”