Chapter 31 – The Shadow in the Glass
The streets glimmered under the city lights as Clara hurried out of the building, clutching her bag. She glanced over her shoulder again.
Nothing. Just the whisper of the evening wind.
But her instincts screamed otherwise.
She'd seen the same black car twice that week — once near the café, again outside the hospital. At first, she'd brushed it off as paranoia. But tonight, as the reflection flashed in the glass doors behind her, she knew she was being followed.
Her phone buzzed.
Ethan: Where are you?
She typed fast:
> Ethan… someone's following me.
The moment she hit send, headlights flared behind her.
---
Ethan burst from his office like a man possessed, Damien right behind him.
"Where is she?"
"Downtown," Damien said, scanning his phone. "I've got her GPS location."
They raced through traffic, weaving between cars. Ethan's grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles went white.
When they reached the empty street, Clara was nowhere to be seen. Her phone lay on the pavement, the screen cracked, still glowing with her last message.
Ethan's chest constricted painfully. "Not again."
Damien placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her."
But this time, Ethan wasn't sure if he believed it.