Chapter Thirty-Eight: What Burns Is Chosen

The door didn’t open.

Not immediately.

The handle stopped turning, frozen in place, as if whoever stood on the other side wanted us to feel the moment stretch wanted us to breathe in the fear, to let it settle into our bones.

My lungs burned as I held my breath.

Elliot’s body was solid in front of me, unmoving, a shield carved from resolve. I could feel the tension in him, coiled and controlled, every muscle prepared to react. Liam stood to my left, feet planted, shoulders squared, anger radiating off him in waves that made the air feel hot. Marcus was to my right, silent, deadly calm, his eyes never leaving the door.

The intruder laughed again.

Soft.

Amused.

“You’re very quiet,” he said through the thick wood. “That usually means panic… or planning.”

Marcus spoke, his voice level and cold. “Step away from the door.”

The intruder chuckled. “You sound confident. I like that. Confidence makes the fall so much sweeter.”

My heart thudded painfully.

I hated that he knew us. That he could read the room without seeing it. That he could feel the tension, the fire, the fault lines waiting to split us apart.

Elliot shifted slightly, angling his body more fully in front of mine. His hand brushed my wrist again steady, reassuring.

“You okay?” he murmured.

I nodded, though my hands were trembling. “I’m still here.”

“That’s all that matters,” he said.

The handle turned again.

This time, the door creaked open just a fraction.

Enough for us to see a sliver of darkness beyond it.

Enough for him to see us.

I caught a glimpse of an eye through the gap sharp, gleaming, alive with something twisted and satisfied.

“There you are,” he said softly. “All together. Just like I hoped.”

Liam took a step forward. “Get out.”

The intruder laughed. “Or what?”

The door opened wider.

He stepped inside.

He was taller than I expected, his presence immediately filling the room, commanding attention without effort. His movements were smooth, unhurried, as if he owned the space simply by entering it. His gaze swept over Elliot, Liam, Marcus then landed on me.

And stayed there.

I felt exposed, pinned, seen in a way that made my skin prickle.

“There she is,” he murmured. “The spark.”

Elliot moved instantly, blocking his view. “Don’t look at her.”

“Oh, but that’s the point,” the intruder replied calmly. “Everything comes back to her.”

Marcus stepped forward now, positioning himself slightly ahead of Elliot and Liam, his posture deceptively relaxed. “You’ve made your entrance. State your purpose.”

The intruder’s lips curled. “Straight to business. I respect that.”

He took another step in, letting the door close behind him with a soft click that echoed far too loudly.

“I came,” he said, “to see how far you’d go.”

Liam’s jaw clenched. “You’re testing the wrong people.”

“No,” the intruder said lightly. “I’m testing the right ones.”

My chest tightened.

Elliot’s hand slid back, finding mine again, his grip firm. “Whatever this is,” he said, “it ends tonight.”

The intruder tilted his head, studying him. “Does it? Or does tonight simply peel away the illusion you’ve all been clinging to?”

Marcus’s eyes narrowed. “Speak clearly.”

The intruder smiled. “You’re all pretending this is about protection. Safety. Survival.” His gaze flicked briefly toward me, then back to them. “But it’s not.”

Silence fell.

“It’s about choice,” he continued. “And none of you want to admit what she already knows.”

My throat went dry.

Liam scoffed. “You don’t know a damn thing about her.”

“Oh, but I do,” the intruder replied softly. “I know she’s standing at the center of a fire she didn’t start… but doesn’t want to put out.”

I felt Elliot stiffen.

Marcus’s voice was sharp. “Enough.”

The intruder raised his hands mockingly. “Touchy. I see why she’s drawn to you.”

Something in his tone snapped something in me.

“Stop,” I said.

All three men froze.

The intruder’s attention snapped back to me, delighted. “There you are.”

Elliot glanced back at me. “You don’t have to”

“I know,” I said quietly. Then I stepped out from behind him.

I felt their reactions instantly Elliot’s sharp inhale, Liam’s muttered curse, Marcus’s tense stillness but I didn’t stop.

I faced the intruder head-on.

“You don’t get to talk about me like I’m not here,” I said. My voice shook, but I didn’t let it falter. “And you don’t get to decide what I want.”

The intruder’s smile widened, genuine this time. “Oh, I was hoping you’d say that.”

Elliot reached for me, but Marcus subtly lifted a hand, stopping him.

“Let her speak,” Marcus said quietly.

The intruder inclined his head. “See? He understands.”

I clenched my fists. “You want to test us? Fine. But stop pretending you’re in control. You’re not.”

He studied me for a long moment, eyes dark and assessing. Then he laughed.

“Brave,” he said. “Very brave. Or very foolish.”

“Which one?” I challenged.

“That,” he replied softly, “depends on what you do next.”

My heart raced, but something else stirred beneath the fear.

Clarity.

I turned slightly, glancing at Elliot, Liam, Marcus.

They were watching me not as someone fragile, not as someone to hide behind but as someone standing in her own fire.

“I won’t be used,” I said. “By you. Or by fear. Or by whatever game you think this is.”

The intruder sighed theatrically. “Such conviction.”

Then his gaze sharpened.

“Let’s see how long it lasts.”

Without warning, he reached into his jacket.

Liam lunged.

Marcus moved at the same time.

Elliot pulled me back just as the intruder revealed 

A phone.

He held it up, screen glowing.

On it was a photo.

My blood ran cold.

It was me.

Taken from outside the café two days ago.

Another swipe.

Me entering the apartment.

Another.

Me laughing unguarded with Elliot.

Another.

Liam, walking too close.

Marcus, watching from across the street.

My knees nearly gave out.

“You’ve been watching me,” I whispered.

The intruder nodded. “For a while.”

Elliot’s voice was lethal. “You’ve crossed a line.”

“No,” the intruder said calmly. “I’ve exposed it.”

He slid the phone back into his pocket. “You think the danger is me. But I’m just the mirror.”

Marcus’s jaw tightened. “Get out.”

The intruder looked at each of them in turn. “Decide,” he said. “Protect her… or claim her. You can’t do both forever.”

Then he turned back to me.

“And you,” he said softly. “Decide whether you want to keep pretending this fire isn’t yours.”

He stepped backward toward the door.

“But don’t take too long,” he added. “Because fires left unattended… spread.”

The door opened.

Closed.

Silence crashed down on us.

I was shaking now, my breath uneven.

Elliot was at my side instantly, hands on my shoulders. “Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. “No. Just… exposed.”

Liam paced, running a hand through his hair. “He knows too much.”

Marcus stared at the door, expression unreadable. “He wanted to provoke a fracture.”

“Did he succeed?” Elliot asked quietly.

None of us answered.

Because the truth hung heavy in the air.

Everything had shifted.

Not because of the intruder.

But because of what he’d forced us to face.

I looked at the three men really looked at them.

At the fire in Liam’s eyes.

At the steady devotion in Elliot’s.

At the sharp, dangerous awareness in Marcus’s.

And I understood something then, something terrifying and undeniable.

The choice wasn’t coming.

It was already here.

And whatever I chose next…

Would change everything.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

Unknown number.

One message.

“Tick tock. Fire chooses eventually.