Chapter 5 – Where Walls Come Down

The café lights flickered back to life a second later.

But something in Kryzelle didn’t.

Her fingers remained frozen around her phone, the echo of Ethan’s voice still ringing in her ears. You know what happens if he finds out.

She swallowed hard.

“Kryzelle,” Zander said again, closer now. “What secret?”

She forced herself to breathe. Once. Twice.

“I… I need to go home,” she said finally, her voice unsteady. “Please.”

Zander didn’t push. He simply nodded, already reaching for his jacket. “I’m walking you.”

“That’s not—”

“Not optional,” he said gently, but firmly.

The Makati streets felt unusually quiet that night. Kryzelle hugged her bag closer to her chest as they walked, the city lights blurring past her vision. Zander kept pace beside her, close enough to be reassuring, far enough not to overwhelm.

“You don’t have to explain anything,” he said after a moment. “Not if you’re not ready.”

She laughed weakly. “You make it sound so easy.”

“Nothing about tonight was easy,” he replied. “But you shouldn’t be alone.”

Her apartment was modest—clean, warm, filled with soft lighting and the faint scent of vanilla. She kicked off her shoes and leaned against the door the moment it closed, her strength finally giving out.

Zander turned just in time to catch her as her knees buckled.

“Hey,” he murmured, steadying her. “I’ve got you.”

The words broke something in her.

She pressed her face against his chest, breath hitching as weeks—no, years—of bottled fear threatened to spill out. His arms came around her slowly, hesitantly, as if giving her time to pull away.

She didn’t.

Instead, she clutched his shirt, grounding herself in the warmth of him.

“I hate that he’s back,” she whispered. “I hate that he still has this power over me.”

Zander’s jaw tightened. “Then we take it away.”

She looked up at him. “You don’t even know what he did.”

“I know enough to see what he’s doing now,” Zander said quietly. “And I won’t let him hurt you.”

The intensity in his eyes made her breath catch.

“I’m not asking you to save me,” she said softly.

“I know,” he replied. “I’m choosing to stay.”

Something shifted between them then—something fragile, inevitable.

Their kiss wasn’t rushed.

It was tentative at first, a question more than a statement. Kryzelle’s fingers curled into his shirt as his hand brushed her cheek, warm and steady. When she leaned into him, the kiss deepened naturally—slow, searching, filled with emotion rather than urgency.

He pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against hers.

“Tell me to stop,” he said.

She shook her head.

They moved toward the bedroom without haste, as if instinct guided them. The room was dimly lit, curtains fluttering slightly in the night breeze. Kryzelle sat on the edge of the bed, suddenly aware of every breath, every heartbeat.

Zander knelt in front of her, his hands resting lightly on her knees.

“You’re safe,” he said. “I promise.”

She reached for him, her fingers threading through his hair as she kissed him again—this time with more certainty.

They lay down together, bodies close but unhurried. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her gently against him. She rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.

It felt intimate in a way she hadn’t experienced before.

Not rushed. Not desperate.

Just… real.

There were soft kisses—on her temple, her cheek, the corner of her lips. His hand traced slow, reassuring patterns along her back, grounding her rather than igniting her. The closeness was enough to make her breath shallow, her thoughts hazy.

She felt seen.

Held.

For the first time in a long while, she slept without fear.

Morning came too quickly.

Sunlight filtered through the curtains as Kryzelle stirred, her body warm, her limbs heavy with unfamiliar comfort. She turned slightly—and froze.

Zander lay beside her, still asleep, one arm draped protectively over her waist.

For a moment, she simply watched him.

Then reality rushed back.

Ethan. The call. The threat.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand.

A message.

Unknown Number:

You really think sleeping next to him will keep the past buried?

Her blood ran cold.

She slipped carefully from the bed, clutching the phone as she moved toward the window. Another message appeared almost instantly.

Meet me tonight. Or I tell him everything.

Behind her, the mattress shifted.

“Kryzelle?” Zander’s voice was rough with sleep. “What’s wrong?”

She turned slowly.

Her face gave her away.

He sat up, eyes sharp, fully awake now. “What did he say?”

Her lips parted—but no words came out.

Zander stood, closing the distance between them in two strides. He gently took the phone from her trembling hand.

His expression darkened as he read the message.

When he looked back at her, his voice was calm—but dangerous.

“You’re not meeting him alone.”

Her heart pounded. “Zander—”

“This ends,” he said firmly. “Tonight.”

Outside, the city hummed on—unaware that something was about to unravel.

And this time…

There would be no running from it.