CHAPTER 10 — WHEN THE PAST KNOCKS
Evelyn didn't sleep that night.
The walls of her apartment felt too narrow, the air too heavy, and every sound from the street seemed to echo inside her chest. She sat on the floor near the balcony door, hugging her knees as the moonlight stretched across the room like a pale, watchful eye. The air smelled faintly of rain, though the sky had not broken yet.
Her mind kept replaying Liam's expression earlier that evening—those unfinished words lingering between them, the tension, the fear in his eyes when he realized someone was following her. That fear wasn't just about danger… it was about recognition.
Whoever was after her… Liam knew them. Or he feared he did.
Evelyn drew her fingers through her hair, frustrated.
"Why is everything falling apart at the same time?" she whispered.
Work felt like a battlefield, her mysterious "system glitches" were growing, her father's name kept resurfacing, and now this unknown man had appeared at her building like a shadow from a nightmare.
She stood and paced the room. "Calm down… just calm down."
But calm was impossible.
The memory of the man's voice echoed in her head—low, chilling, as if he knew every part of her.
"Your father would be disappointed… You're slower than he was."
Her stomach twisted. She had never told anyone about her father's secret research… the sealed notebooks… the warnings he scribbled before he vanished.
How did this man know?
A sudden knock jolted her.
It wasn't gentle.
It wasn't hesitant.
It was loud, sharp, and demanding.
She froze, breath trapped in her throat.
Another knock.
Then a third—harder, impatient, like the person on the other side was testing her courage.
Her phone buzzed violently in her pocket.
A message. Unknown number.
"Don't open the door."
Her hands trembled.
"Who is this?" she typed back.
No response.
The knocking stopped abruptly, leaving a silence so intense she could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
Footsteps moved away from the door… slow… heavy… deliberate.
Evelyn backed up until she felt the wall behind her. The air was too tight to breathe.
Moments later, her phone buzzed again.
Another message.
"He left. But he'll return. Meet me at 6 a.m. Don't stay alone."
Still no name.
She swallowed hard. Was she supposed to trust this anonymous sender? Or was this another trap?
She barely slept an hour before dawn arrived.
---
At 6 a.m.
The streets were gray from the early morning light, fog coiling between the buildings like ghostly fingers. Evelyn wrapped her coat tighter around herself as she walked to the location the message had given her—a small, almost forgotten café near the river. It looked old, with cracked paint and dusty windows.
She hesitated at the entrance.
"What am I doing…?"
Inside, the café was empty except for one man sitting at the last table near the back. His hoodie was pulled low over his face, and he had a coffee untouched in front of him.
"Evelyn," he said without looking up.
"Sit."
Her breath caught. "Who are you?"
He finally raised his head. His face was tired, unshaven, haunted. A faint scar crossed his cheekbone, and his eyes held a sharpness she recognized—pain mixed with purpose.
"My name is Rowan," he said quietly.
"I worked with your father."
Evelyn's heart nearly stopped.
"My… my father?" she whispered. "He's been missing for years. Everyone said he died—"
"They lied."
The room felt like it tilted. Her hands gripped the edge of the table.
Rowan leaned closer. "Your father created something extraordinary. Something dangerous. And now they want you, Evelyn, because you're the only one who can finish what he started."
"But I don't even know what that is!"
Rowan gave a humorless smile.
"You do. You've been feeling it. The strange visions. The system anomalies. The way your instincts sharpen at random moments. You think all that is coincidence?"
Her throat tightened.
"No. It's waking up inside you. The same way it woke in him."
Evelyn shook her head. "Stop—just stop! I'm not some experiment. I'm not—"
"You're your father's daughter," Rowan said, voice low.
"And that means they won't stop hunting you."
Evelyn clenched her jaw. "Who are they?"
Rowan looked toward the window, scanning the empty street as if expecting danger at any moment.
Finally, he spoke.
"The organization is called Astraeus Division. Your father was one of their founders. And the man who came to your apartment last night… he was one of their retrieval operatives."
Her skin went cold.
"So what do you want from me?" she whispered.
Rowan's gaze softened slightly.
"I want to protect you. Because you're not ready yet. But soon… you'll remember everything he tried to hide from the world."
Evelyn's breath shook. "Remember what?"
Rowan reached into his jacket and slid a small, old-fashioned key across the table.
It was silver, engraved with symbols she didn't recognize.
"Your father left this for you."
He paused.
"And so did the truth."
Evelyn stared at the key, afraid to touch it, afraid of what would happen when she finally did.
Her world felt like it was cracking open, revealing things she never imagined. People she couldn't trust. Shadows following her every step. A dangerous legacy tied to her blood.
Rowan stood.
"I'll contact you again. Don't trust anyone. Not even the ones you think you know."
He walked toward the door, but before leaving, he added:
"And Evelyn… if Liam tries to get close to you, be careful. He's hiding something too."
Her chest tightened painfully.
Liam?
Why him?
Why now?
Rowan disappeared into the morning fog, leaving her alone with the silver key… and a truth she wasn't ready to face.
---
END OF CHAPTER 10