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Chapter 56: A knock at the door

Author: Peggy Damis
last update Last Updated: 2025-09-10 00:54:16

POV: Elara

“You’re not afraid of me”, he'd said.

The words pulsed through her like a brand, mocking her attempts at denial. Because the truth wasn’t that simple. She wasn’t afraid of Damon. She was afraid of herself, of the way her pulse betrayed her, of the way her resolve cracked when his eyes caught hers and refused to let go.

Her phone buzzed on the table. She almost ignored it, but habit won out. A new message lit the screen.

Not from Hailey.

Not from anyone she wanted to see.

One line. No name attached.

‘You can’t run from the storm forever’.

Elara’s breath hitched. No number, no signature, but she knew. Damon.

Of course it was him.

The phone felt heavier in her hand than it should, and she set it down slowly, as if refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction would somehow undo the weight of his presence in her life.

But as the silence closed in around her once more, Elara knew the truth she couldn’t admit aloud, Damon wasn’t just crossing lines. He was erasin
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