(Daniel POV)
He shouldn't be here.
That was the first thought that crossed Daniel's mind as he stood across the street, half-hidden in the shadow of a broken streetlight, watching her window. The second thought came slower, heavier he was never going to leave.
Seven years had passed, and still… nothing had changed.
Evelyn stood inside her apartment, small against the dim light, a silhouette he knew too well. He could trace every movement without seeing her face. The way her shoulders stiffened when she was afraid. The way her hands curled when she was holding herself back from breaking. The way she stood still when she sensed something she couldn't explain.
She was still the same.
And completely different.
Daniel exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down his face. He hadn't planned to get this close. That wasn't the deal. The rules were simple watch from a distance, protect without being seen, leave no trace. But the moment he heard her voice on the phone, something inside him had shifted, something dangerous and reckless that refused to stay buried.
He broke the rules the second he said her name.
"Evelyn…"
Even now, the memory of it burned in his chest. The way her voice had gone quiet, the way silence had stretched between them like a wound that never healed. He hadn't meant to say it. He hadn't meant to call her. But hearing her again… it had pulled something out of him he thought he had killed years ago.
He looked up at her window again.
She was sitting now, curled in on herself, the note still in her hand. He could see it from here the slight tremble in her fingers, the way she kept reading the same line over and over like she was trying to make sense of it.
I never left you.
His jaw tightened.
It was the truth.
Even when he disappeared. Even when he let her believe the worst. Even when he let the world tear her apart while he stood in the shadows, silent, watching. He had never left. Not really.
But the truth didn't make it right.
He shifted his weight, boots scraping lightly against the pavement. The city around him was quiet, but Daniel didn't trust quiet. Quiet meant something was waiting. And he had learned the hard way that waiting usually came with consequences.
His gaze sharpened as Evelyn moved. She stood slowly, walking toward the window. For a second just a second he thought she might see him.
His body went still.
He didn't step back. Didn't hide further.
If she saw him…
No.
He forced himself to breathe. That wasn't part of the plan. He couldn't let her see him. Not yet. Not until he knew she was safe. Not until he knew the people hunting him hadn't found a way to reach her.
That was the only reason he stayed away.
Not because he didn't want her. Not because he didn't miss her. Not because leaving her hadn't nearly destroyed him.
But because loving her had made her a target.
And the people he had walked away from… they didn't forgive weakness.
His fingers curled into fists.
He remembered that night too clearly. The fire. The blood. The orders he didn't have a choice but to follow. The warning that came with it she's your weakness, Daniel. And weaknesses don't survive in our world.
They had already marked her once.
He had seen the proof with his own eyes.
That was when he made the decision. Not out of strength, but out of fear. The kind of fear that eats you alive and leaves you with no good choices. He had to disappear. Had to cut himself out of her life completely.
So they would stop watching her.
So they would stop hunting her.
So she could live.
He swallowed hard, throat tight.
And now he was back.
Breaking every rule.
Risking everything.
For her.
Again.
A flicker of movement caught his eye.
Daniel's expression changed instantly.
His body straightened, senses sharpening, every instinct snapping into place. The quiet of the street shifted—just slightly, just enough for him to notice. Someone else was here.
Watching.
His gaze moved slowly, scanning the street, the parked cars, the narrow alley to the right. At first, nothing seemed out of place. But Daniel didn't trust first impressions. He trusted patterns. And something about the way the shadows fell… something was off.
Then he saw it.
A figure.
Standing just beyond the reach of the streetlight, barely visible, blending into the darkness like they belonged there. Too still. Too deliberate. Not a passerby. Not someone lost.
Someone waiting.
Daniel's chest tightened.
His eyes flicked back to Evelyn's window. She was still there, unaware, holding that note like it meant something. Like it could protect her.
It couldn't.
Not from this.
His jaw clenched.
They found her.
The thought hit him hard, fast, and cold.
It was only a matter of time. He knew that. The moment he came back, the moment he started leaving signs, leaving traces, it was only a matter of time before they followed.
And now… they had.
His heart started beating faster, not with fear, but with something sharper. Calculation. Urgency. Rage.
He had to move.
But carefully.
If he acted too fast, too openly, he'd expose himself. And if he exposed himself, they wouldn't just go after him they'd go after her harder.
Daniel stepped back into the deeper shadows, eyes never leaving the figure. The man or woman, he couldn't tell yet shifted slightly, adjusting their stance. Watching the building. Watching Evelyn.
Waiting for the right moment.
His stomach turned.
Not again.
He couldn't let this happen again.
He had already lost her once. Not physically not completely but enough to know what it felt like to stand on the outside and watch her break because of him.
He wasn't going to let it happen twice.
His gaze hardened.
The plan was simple now. He would stay hidden. Watch. Wait. And if they made a move
He'd end it.
Quietly. Permanently.
The thought came too easily.
Daniel exhaled slowly, forcing his breathing to steady. He couldn't afford to lose control. Not now. Not when everything was balancing on the edge of something dangerous.
His eyes flicked back to Evelyn again.
She had moved away from the window, disappearing from view.
Something in his chest tightened.
He hated this part. The distance. The waiting. The silence.
He wanted to go to her.
Knock on the door. Stand in front of her and take whatever came her anger, her questions, her pain. He deserved all of it.
But wanting and doing were two different things.
And wanting her had already cost too much.
He stepped further into the shadows, positioning himself where he could see both the figure and the building. The air felt heavier now, charged, like something was about to break.
The figure moved again.
This time, closer.
Not toward him.
Toward her building.
Daniel's pulse spiked.
His body tensed, muscles coiling, ready. Every instinct screamed at him to move, to stop them before they got any closer. But he held back just barely.
Not yet.
He needed to be sure.
Needed to know what they were planning.
The figure reached the edge of the sidewalk, pausing just long enough to look up at Evelyn's window.
Daniel saw it clearly now.
The intent.
Cold. Focused. Dangerous.
His hands curled into fists.
They weren't just watching.
They were hunting.
A low, controlled breath left his lips.
"Damn it…"
He shifted his stance, preparing to follow. Every second mattered now. Every movement had to be precise.
Because if he was right
If they were here for her
Then this wasn't just a warning.
It was the beginning of something much worse.
The figure took another step forward.
Daniel moved.
Silent. Fast. Invisible.
And in that moment, one thing became painfully clear
Evelyn was no longer safe.