Eyes in the Dark

Skylar's POV

My eyes followed the stranger as he walked toward a parked SUV. A man opened the door for him, and he climbed inside. But before the door could close, his gaze locked onto mine again.

As the car drove away, he didn't look away; his eyes remained fixed on me until the vehicle disappeared down the street.

I blinked, still trying to make sense of the strange feeling his presence gave me.

My attention shifted to Jace, who was still on the floor. He stood up immediately, dusting himself off.

I eyed him, moving hurriedly toward the entrance, but my hand was grabbed before I could take another step.

What the fuck is wrong with this bastard?

"Skylar..."

I yanked my hand away from his grip.

Joan rushed in, her dress flowing behind her. "Why are you holding her hand? Don't tell me you're actually pleading already." Her eyes were cold, glaring hard at him.

"It's none of your business, Joanne," Jace cut in. He faced me, his grip on my arm tightening. "Hear me out first."

"A man just snatched you up like you weighed nothing. Coward," I spat.

He hated that word like mad. Now I knew why: because he was simply a coward.

"With everything about you, I should have dumped your ass a long time ago."

His eyes twitched for a second before he finally walked away.

I took a deep breath, reaching for my car keys in my bag.

Damn it.

I didn't come in my car, and I had left my aunt inside without saying a word to her.

"In fact, this party is over." Joan grabbed my hand, heading toward her car. "Come on, I'll drop you off at home."

"Am I really bossy? Don't lie to me," I said as we got into the car, studying her expression carefully.

"Don't let them make you believe you're the problem." Her eyes stayed on the road. "Never take the word 'narcissistic' to heart. They always like playing the victim card."

Her grip tightened on the wheel. "If you were truly bossy, you wouldn't have signed anything under Jace's name. You wouldn't even look his way. Jace is beneath you."

"Joan," I called out slowly. "A lot of things have happened to me. I don't know, but I feel..." I fidgeted, holding the hem of my dress. "Both Jace and Mia were some of the most important people in my life. And now we're obviously turning into strangers. I don't even know who to trust. I..."

"That I'll betray you? Me, Joan? Betray you?" she cut in sharply. "Even if the whole world turns its back on you, I, Joanne Garcia, will never!"

I smiled faintly, resting my head against her shoulder. "Joan..."

She chuckled, pushing my shoulder lightly away from her.

......

What a hectic day.

After taking a cold shower, I rested my head against the headboard, thinking about everything.

Wait. Is this real?

Like, we were supposed to walk down the aisle in a few weeks.

Imagine finding out about this after the wedding. It would have been a total shame. At least I was grateful for not settling down with a piece of trash.

My thoughts went back to the stranger. Things could have ended very differently if he hadn't shown up. His aura was kind of weird, not in a good way. The way his eyes had bored into my soul, as if he could see right through me, was unsettling.

I frowned into the darkness.

Great. Thinking about another man after being betrayed by one.

My phone buzzed on the bedside table. A text from Joan popped up.

"Do you want to go somewhere with me?"

"Where exactly?"

A video call came in immediately. Her face appeared on the screen as she applied mascara to her lashes.

"Skylar, get yourself ready. We're going to a club."

I rubbed my eyes, fighting back a yawn. "I'm not going, Joan."

"Are you even listening?" she asked, her voice starting to fade away.

"Hmm?"

"See? You're not."

"I am." My eyelids felt heavy. I rested my chin on my palm, blinking.

She sighed. "If you're sleepy, you can stay. Don't tell me you were crying. You look horrible."

"I can never cry because of a worthless man, Joan," I hissed.

"Then stop looking like you're about to pass out."

"When did you start going to clubs?"

She ignored me, applying lip gloss and pressing her lips together.

I watched her for a moment. "Fine. Sleeping is scary anyway. Come pick me up. Maybe I might change my mind."

"Really?" she shrieked. "Take your time, please!"

She ended the call before I could say a word.

Maybe it was time to stop putting other people before myself, or thinking about the pile of documents waiting for me to sign, and go have some fun.

I walked over to my closet and pulled the doors open. As expected, it was filled with work clothes-blazers, pencil skirts, and dresses I'd only ever worn to the office. Not exactly club material.

Searching through the hangers anyway, I spotted a black spaghetti-strap dress at the back.

A grin spread across my face. "There you are."

After changing into the dress, I turned to the mirror.

The smile vanished instantly.

The dress left my back completely exposed, making it impossible to hide the scar on my back. It stretched across my skin, pale and ugly, making a lump form in my throat.

For a brief moment, my fingers brushed over it before falling back to my side.

I pulled a jacket hanging in the closet and slipped it on. It covered my shoulders, hiding the scar from view.

The threat note.

I had almost forgotten about it.

Reaching for my phone on the bedside table, I scrolled through my contacts until Zack's name appeared.

He answered almost immediately, sounding exhausted. "I saw your text. I'll talk with your lawyer tomorrow, Miss Skylar."

"That isn't the main reason why I called. Some nonentity is at it again."

"And this time?"

"They sent a letter to my home address. And this time, I won't let anyone get away with it."

"If there is any evidence, kindly take a picture and send it immediately."

I nodded, then realized he couldn't see me. "A minute, please."

Dragging my feet toward the sitting room, I let my hand trail along the wall. My eyes swept through the darkness until my fingers found the switch.

The moment I clicked it on, the room lit up.

Without bothering to look around, I headed straight for the couch.

"I'll send it right now," I said, squatting down to look for the paper. I placed the phone on the floor before pushing the couch slightly.

The note had disappeared.

My hands went still as I stared at the empty space.

A faint sound pulled me out of my trance. At first, I thought I'd imagined it, but then I heard it again-a low murmur coming from outside the window.

My pulse pounded against my ribs as I pressed closer to the window, my eyes sweeping frantically across the garden.

The flowerbeds looked exactly as they always did, but the rustling of leaves made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Something was lurking in my house.

With trembling hands,I reached to shut off the window.

A cat meowed, leaping away into the darkness.

I held my chest and signed in relief.

"We'll talk later, Skylar. A client just reached out to me." The call ended.

"Just a stray cat," I whispered to myself.