Chapter 1 — The Man in the Shadows

ELIANA

May mga gabi talagang pakiramdam mo, may mali.

Hindi mo maipaliwanag kung ano.

Walang malinaw na dahilan. Walang nangyaring kakaiba. Pero may kung anong bumubulong sa loob ng dibdib mo na nagsasabing—

Umuwi ka. Ngayon.

Iyon ang eksaktong nararamdaman ko habang naglalakad ako palabas ng university gate.

Almost ten in the evening.

Tahimik na ang campus. Karamihan ng students ay nakauwi na, habang ang mga ilaw sa hallway ng mga building ay isa-isa nang namamatay.

Mas hinigpitan ko ang hawak ko sa strap ng bag ko.

“Great. Perfect timing talaga,” bulong ko nang mapansing nagsisimula nang umulan.

Binuksan ko ang phone ko.

No new messages.

My ride had cancelled.

Twice.

Napabuntong-hininga ako.

“Seriously?”

Wala akong choice kundi maglakad papunta sa main road at maghanap ng taxi o kahit anong masasakyan.

I pulled my jacket closer around me.

The rain became heavier.

At habang naglalakad ako, doon ko naramdaman iyon.

Iyong pakiramdam na parang may nakatingin sa akin.

Huminto ako.

Tumingin sa likod.

Wala.

Only the long, almost empty road.

“Okay, Elle. Calm down.”

Tumawa ako nang mahina sa sarili ko.

Probably just my imagination.

Nagpatuloy ako.

One step.

Two.

Three.

Then—

A black car slowly passed me.

Hindi mabilis.

Sobrang bagal.

As if the person inside wanted me to notice it.

Huminto ang sasakyan ilang metro mula sa akin.

Nanigas ako.

The windows were tinted.

Hindi ko makita kung sino ang nasa loob.

“Uh…”

I took one step backward.

The passenger window slowly lowered.

At doon ko siya nakita.

A man.

Dark hair.

Sharp features.

Black shirt beneath a tailored coat.

Pero higit sa lahat—

His eyes.

Hindi ko alam kung bakit, pero nang magtama ang mga mata namin, parang biglang nawala ang ingay ng ulan.

He looked at me as though—

As though he already knew me.

As though he had been waiting.

I swallowed.

“Do I know you?”

Hindi siya sumagot agad.

His gaze moved briefly over me before returning to my eyes.

Then, in a calm voice, he said—

“You shouldn't be walking alone this late.”

Napakunot-noo ako.

“That's none of your business.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Hindi iyon friendly.

It was almost… amused.

“Maybe.”

His voice was deep.

Controlled.

Dangerously calm.

“Get in.”

I stared at him.

“Excuse me?”

“I'll take you home.”

“No.”

Mabilis ang sagot ko.

His expression didn't change.

“It's raining.”

“I can see that.”

“You're alone.”

“I noticed.”

“And someone has been following you.”

My entire body went still.

“What?”

Tumingin siya sa rearview mirror.

“Don't turn around.”

Of course, ang una kong ginawa ay lumingon.

There was a motorcycle parked farther down the road.

A man wearing a helmet sat on it.

Nang mapansin niyang nakatingin ako, mabilis siyang umalis.

My heart dropped.

I turned back to the stranger.

“Who are you?”

He looked at me for a few seconds.

Then he said my name.

“It's dangerous to be this careless, Eliana.”

My blood ran cold.

“How do you know my name?”

Silence.

He didn't answer.

Instead, he opened the car door.

“Get in.”

I stepped backward.

“No.”

This time, the smile disappeared.

“Fine.”

He closed the door.

The car moved forward.

At mabilis na nawala sa paningin ko.

I stood there in the rain, confused and unsettled.

Who the hell was that man?

And more importantly—

How did he know my name?

---

Kinabukasan, pilit kong kinalimutan ang nangyari.

Maybe I had overreacted.

Maybe he knew me from somewhere.

University wasn't exactly small.

Maraming students.

Maraming professors.

Maraming taong maaaring nakarinig ng pangalan ko.

Pero hindi ko makalimutan ang paraan ng pagkakatingin niya sa akin.

It wasn't curiosity.

It was recognition.

As if I was someone he'd known for years.

“Elle!”

Napalingon ako.

Si Maya, best friend ko, was running toward me while holding two cups of coffee.

“Girl, bakit parang zombie ka?”

“Thanks.”

“In fairness, bagay sa'yo.”

Kinuha ko ang coffee mula sa kamay niya.

“Thank you.”

“Late ka na naman kagabi?”

I looked at her.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Na-cancel ride ko.”

“Then?”

“May stranger na nag-offer na ihatid ako.”

Nanlaki ang mata niya.

“STRANGER?”

“Lower your voice.”

“Did you get in?”

“No.”

“Good.”

She looked relieved.

“Wait. What happened?”

I hesitated.

“He knew my name.”

Her smile disappeared.

“What?”

“Exactly.”

“Are you sure you haven't met him before?”

“No.”

“Maybe someone from the university?”

“I don't think so.”

Maya stared at me.

“Describe him.”

“Why?”

“Because if he's some creepy stalker, we need to know.”

I rolled my eyes.

“He was tall.”

“That's not enough.”

“Black hair.”

“Still not enough.”

“Black clothes.”

“Elle.”

“Okay! Fine.”

I sighed.

“He had… this kind of presence.”

“Presence?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind?”

I looked down at my coffee.

“The kind that makes you feel like he knows something you don't.”

Maya didn't laugh.

Instead, she became serious.

“Stay away from him.”

“I will.”

At least, that was what I told myself.

But fate had other plans.

Because when we entered the main building, I saw him.

Standing near the administration office.

Black suit.

Hands in his pockets.

Expression unreadable.

And those eyes—

Those same eyes—

were already looking directly at me.

My footsteps stopped.

Maya followed my gaze.

“Elle…”

“I know.”

“That's him?”

I nodded.

He wasn't looking at anyone else.

Only me.

Then a professor approached him and said something.

He nodded politely.

But before he turned away, his eyes met mine one last time.

And he smiled.

Not a warm smile.

Not a friendly one.

A smile that made a single thought enter my mind.

He had expected to see me.

---

“Who is that?”

I asked Maya.

She shook her head.

“No idea.”

“Let's go.”

But before we could leave, someone called my name.

“Miss Reyes.”

We turned around.

A university staff member approached us.

“Your presence is requested in the administration office.”

My stomach tightened.

“Why?”

“There's someone who wants to speak with you.”

“Who?”

The staff member glanced toward the hallway.

My heart sank.

“Mr. Vale.”

The name meant nothing to me.

Yet somehow—

It sounded familiar.

“Who is Mr. Vale?”

The staff member smiled politely.

“You'll find out.”

I looked toward the hallway.

He was gone.

For a moment, I thought maybe I had imagined everything.

Until my phone vibrated.

Unknown Number

I opened the message.

«You shouldn't trust everyone who smiles at you, Eliana.»

My fingers went cold.

Another message arrived.

«Especially the ones who pretend they don't know you.»

I stared at the screen.

Then came the third.

«I'll see you soon.»

I looked around.

Students were walking past me.

Everyone seemed normal.

Everyone except—

The man standing on the other side of the glass doors.

Adrian Vale.

He was watching me.

And this time, there was no doubt.

He wasn't a stranger.

He had been watching me.

Maybe for days.

Maybe for weeks.

Maybe—

Much longer than that.

And somehow, the most terrifying part wasn't the fact that he knew my name.

It was the realization that a small part of me—

wanted to know his.