Chapter Five

Valerie's POV

The rain followed me as I drove, thick and heavy, blurring the city lights into long, broken lines. I didn’t even know where I was going. I only knew I couldn’t stay still. Every street felt unsafe. Every red light felt like a mistake.

My hands hurt from gripping the steering wheel too tightly, my chest still burned from crying, and my mind replayed the same images again and again—Mike’s cold eyes, Sarah’s smile, the fifty-dollar bill on the floor. I swallowed hard and kept driving.

After a while, I pulled into a filling station at the edge of the city. It was nearly empty, just one old car parked near the pumps. The overhead light flickered, buzzing softly like it might die at any moment. I parked beneath it and turned off the engine.

The silence felt too loud. I leaned forward and rested my forehead against the steering wheel. My body shook as I tried to breathe. In. Out. Slow. The way my father had taught me when fear tried to take control.

Fear is useful, he used to say. But only if you master it. My phone rang. The sound sliced through the silence like a knife, making me froze.

The screen lit up, but I didn’t look at it. I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe.The ringing stopped. A few seconds passed, then it rang again.

My heart slammed against my ribs. Every instinct told me not to answer. If I answered, it meant someone knew where I was. It meant I was no longer invisible.

The phone stopped again, and I exhaled shakily. Then it rang a third time, short, sharp, and insistent.

I stared at the phone until the ringing finally died. Almost immediately, a message followed. I grabbed it.

[Valerie, you shouldn’t be alone there right now.]

Cold fear slid down my spine. Before I could think, another message appeared.

[I'm still waiting.]

My fingers trembled as I lowered the phone onto the seat. Waiting where? Who was this? And how did they know my name?

 

My heart raced. I scanned the filling station, the road, the dark spaces beyond the lights. Anyone could be watching. Anyone could be hiding. Then something stirred in my mind.

The card.

My breath caught. I grabbed my bag and dug through it, my movements frantic. Receipts spilled out. A comb. Lipstick. My keys clattered onto the seat. Then my fingers brushed against something stiff. I pulled it out. The small black card.

I stared at it under the harsh light above me. Just a name and address written neatly, and carefully in gold letters.

_Silas Vane

_100 Blackwood Heights.

The stranger had given it to me earlier today. I slipped it into my bag without a word. At the time, I had been too numb, too distracted by grief and loss to think about it.

Now, it felt heavy in my hand. This wasn’t a coincidence. Someone had been watching me. Someone had known what was coming, even before I did. I sat there for a long moment, rain beating against the windshield, my thoughts spinning. I could stay here and wait for whoever was hunting me. Or I could go to that address and face the unknown.

Running hadn’t saved me so far. I started the engine and pulled away without looking back. I drove toward the mountains, toward the place where I was being waited for.

The drive to Blackwood Heights took me far from the city and deep into the hills. The road became narrow and dangerous, twisting around the mountains. One mistake and the car would fall into darkness. The trees here were strange. They were bone-white, with no leaves. Their branches stretched out like long fingers. They looked like skeletons reaching up to the sky.

The farther I drove, the quieter everything became. No houses. No lights. Just the road and the sound of my engine. It felt like I was leaving the world I knew behind. After several hours, I finally saw it.

A huge wall made of black stone stood in front of me. It was tall and cold, blocking the road completely. The gate was iron, shaped like thick vines twisted together. There was no bell or guard. Only a camera above the gate slowly turned and stared at my car.

I stopped and sat there. If I entered this place, the Valerie Sergio I used to be would disappear. I would belong to a total stranger. But if I stayed outside, the predators would find me and kill me.

The gate made a low humming sound. Slowly, it began to open. The sound was deep and heavy, like something alive. It felt like a giant mouth opening, ready to swallow me.

At first, I was reluctant but then, this felt like the only way. I drove inside. The land was huge. My headlights moved across tall trees, and then I saw them—massive men standing high in the trees, watching my car. They didn’t move, they just stared. My skin went cold. Then the mansion appeared.

It was massive and dark, built from black stone. Lights surrounded it, glowing softly, making it look beautiful and dangerous at the same time.

On one side of the drive stood a statue. My heart skipped when I saw it. The statue looked exactly like the stranger I had met before. His face was hard and cold, his eyes carved to look down on anyone who entered.

The lights were bright, the place perfect—but to me, it felt like a place where people came and never left. I parked in front of the main entrance. My hands were shaking when I turned off the engine.

A woman walked toward my car. She looked like a servant, dressed neatly in black. She knocked on my window. I rolled it down. “Welcome,” she said calmly. “We have been waiting for you.”

That made my fear worse. “Who are you?” I asked, shaking.

“I am Mrs. Rose,” she replied. “I am the chief servant of the Vane mansion. Please, follow me.”

I tried hard not to act curious or scared. I followed her inside.The hallway was large and beautiful. The floor was white marble. Golden lights hung from the ceiling. The walls were lined with paintings, tall pillars, and heavy curtains. Everything looked rich and powerful, like a royal palace.

Mrs. Rose stopped at a door and opened it. The room inside was private and quiet. A fire burned in the fireplace. Books covered the walls. A large desk stood in the center.

A man stood near the desk, his back facing me. Mrs. Rose bowed to him as he lifted his hand, and she left the room, closing the door behind her.

The sound of the lock echoed in the silence. My heart raced as I stood there alone.

Slowly, he turned. And my world tilted.

It was Silas Vane.