The hum of the city filled the silence as Isabella's taxi stopped in front of her new apartment building. Her fingers tightened around the handle of her leather handbag, knuckles whitening as she paid the driver. The journey had felt longer than it should have, and every second she spent outside unnerved her.
Because every street, every corner of this city, whispered his name.
"Mommy," Liam's soft voice broke through her thoughts as the boy stirred awake beside her, rubbing his sleepy eyes. His lashes were thick and long, casting shadows over his cheeks.
"We're home, sweetheart," Isabella said gently, forcing a smile as she caressed his cheek.
Home. The word felt foreign here. This wasn't home—it was a battlefield disguised as a city. And she was the soldier who had no choice but to march back in.
She climbed out of the taxi, her heels clicking against the pavement as she adjusted Liam on her hip. The warm evening breeze did little to soothe the unease crawling under her skin.
She had done everything right for the last five years—kept her distance, built a quiet life, raised her son in peace. Yet fate had dragged her back into the lion's den.
And she could already feel the lion watching.
---
The apartment was modest, tucked away in an older but well-maintained building. Isabella unlocked the door and ushered Liam inside before closing it firmly behind them.
"Go wash your hands, baby," she instructed softly, helping him out of his jacket.
He nodded and ran off toward the small bathroom. Isabella leaned against the door for a moment, exhaling slowly. She pulled her phone from her bag and checked for messages—nothing from her mother, thank God.
But there was something else.
An unknown number.
Her heartbeat stuttered.
Welcome back to the city, Isabella.
The message was simple. Too simple. Yet it chilled her blood.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she typed back a single word: Who?
No reply came. The screen stayed dark and silent, but it didn't matter. Because deep down, she already knew.
It was him.
It could only be him.
---
By the time Liam finished washing up and came bounding back to her with that innocent grin, Isabella had buried her panic behind another smile. Dinner was a quick affair—a simple bowl of noodles Liam adored. She listened to him chatter about cartoons and drawings, nodding along even as her mind spun in circles.
She put him to bed soon after, tucking him under the thin blanket and kissing his forehead. He fell asleep instantly, the soft rise and fall of his chest a soothing rhythm.
Isabella lingered by the bedside, her heart aching as she brushed a stray curl off his face. He was her whole world. Every decision, every sacrifice—she had done it all for him.
And that was why she couldn't let the past destroy the fragile peace she had built.
She turned off the light and stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly.
Her phone buzzed.
This time, it wasn't a message. It was a call.
Her throat dried as she stared at the glowing screen. The same unknown number.
She hesitated. One second. Two. Then she answered, pressing the phone to her ear with trembling fingers.
She didn't speak. Neither did the caller. For a long moment, there was only silence, heavy and suffocating.
And then—
"Five years."
The voice was deep, smooth, and terrifyingly familiar.
Her knees nearly gave out.
"You disappeared for five years, Isabella." The voice hardened, every word like a blade. "Did you really think you could run forever?"
Her mouth opened, but no sound came.
"I'll give you until tomorrow," the voice continued, calm yet laced with steel. "You know where to find me."
The line went dead.
Isabella's breath came in shallow gasps as the phone slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor. Her entire body shook as memories she had tried to bury came rushing back—his eyes, his rage, his broken heart the night she ran.
And now he had found her.
---
Isabella sank to the floor, hugging her knees as tears pricked her eyes. She had thought she was safe. She had thought she was free.
But Alexander Blackwell never forgave betrayal.
And tomorrow, he would come for her.