Amara sat by the window, watching the rain blur the city outside. The streets were empty, save for the occasional figure huddled under an umbrella, moving too quickly to notice the fog of the world closing in around them. She had grown used to the quiet, the solitude. It had become her friend, her protector. There was no need for noise or distractions when the silence filled every corner of her soul.
But then the knock came.
At first, she didn't move. She couldn't. It was too sudden, too… intrusive. She told herself it was a mistake, that whoever was on the other side of that door would go away. But the knock came again, more insistent this time.
Amara stood up, her legs stiff from sitting too long. She glanced at the mirror above her sink—her reflection still looked as hollow as it had been the last time she'd looked, but it didn't matter. Her heart was already racing in a way it hadn't in years. She didn't need to see herself to know what was about to happen.
Dorian.
Her breath caught in her throat as she walked to the door, her fingers trembling as they brushed against the cold metal. She didn't want to open it, didn't want to face the man who had disappeared from her life without a word all those years ago.
With a deep breath, she turned the handle.
There he stood. Dorian.
His dark eyes, the same as she remembered them, stared back at her with that intensity that always made her feel like he could see right through her. His wet coat clung to his frame, but it wasn't the rain that made him look out of place. It was the years. The years that had passed since she last saw him. The years that had changed everything.
"Amara," he said, his voice low and steady. "I didn't think you'd answer."
She swallowed hard, stepping aside to let him in. "What are you doing here?"
He brushed past her, his presence filling the small apartment like an electric current. He didn't look back, but she could feel the weight of his gaze on her, like he was watching every move she made. She could hear the rain pounding against the windows, but it felt like the silence between them was louder.
"I've come for you," he said, his voice tinged with something she couldn't quite place. Regret? Resignation?
"I don't want anything from you," she said, the words sharper than she intended. She tried to walk past him, but his hand shot out, grabbing her arm with a force that made her heart race.
"You're still part of this, Amara. You never stopped being part of it."
The words hit her harder than she expected. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go.
"Let go of me," she whispered, her voice trembling with more emotion than she was ready to admit.
"Not until you understand," he said. "We're running out of time. And you need to know the truth."