Chapter Twenty: Where Fear Learns His Name

The man didn’t rush her.

That was what frightened Iris the most.

He leaned casually against the brick wall at the mouth of the alley, blocking the narrow exit without touching her, without raising his voice. Like a hunter who knew his prey had nowhere to go.

“You don’t look dangerous,” he said mildly. “That’s usually how it works.”

Iris forced her spine straight. “If you’re here to threaten me, just say it.”

He chuckled. “Threaten? No. I’m here to assess.”

“Assess what?”

“How much you know,” he replied. “And how quiet you’re willing to stay.”

Her blood ran cold. “I don’t know anything.”

He took a step closer. The space shrank instantly.

“That’s not what the board thinks,” he said. “You were close to Dr. Hale. Very close.”

Her heart hammered. “I already ruined that.”

“Did you?” His eyes flicked to her trembling hands. “Because men like him don’t let go easily.”

Fear clawed up her throat. “Leave me alone.”

He smiled thinly. “You’ll want to listen first.”

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a folder. Not thick. Precise. He opened it just enough for her to see a photo.

Her grandmother.

Iris’s breath left her body in a sharp gasp. “Don’t.”

“She’s lovely,” the man said calmly. “Strong woman. Raised you well.”

“What do you want?” Iris whispered.

“Silence,” he replied. “Permanent silence.”

“I already gave that.”

“Not completely,” he said. “You’re still breathing. Still walking around with guilt on your face. That makes people curious.”

Tears burned her eyes. “Please. She has nothing to do with this.”

He stepped back slightly. “Then make sure she never does.”

“How?”

“Disappear properly,” he said. “No interviews. No statements. No emotional scenes with the doctor.”

“I haven’t spoken to him.”

“Good,” he said. “Keep it that way.”

A phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at it, then looked back at her. “You have twenty-four hours to leave the city.”

Her legs felt weak. “If I don’t?”

His smile vanished. “Then accidents happen.”

He turned and walked away as if he hadn’t just shattered her world.

Iris slid down the wall, choking on sobs she refused to let sound.

Nathaniel broke every rule he had left.

He bypassed security. Ignored calls. Pulled footage from hospital cameras he technically no longer had clearance for.

He wasn’t looking for proof.

He was looking for patterns.

And he found one.

Every anonymous tip. Every leak. Every article. All funneled back to one shell foundation. A foundation tied to a board donor.

And one name kept surfacing beneath the paperwork.

Selena.

His chest burned.

Nathaniel grabbed his phone and dialed her number.

She answered on the second ring. “If this is another accusation”

“Where is she?” he demanded.

Silence.

“Where is Iris?” he repeated, voice low and lethal.

Selena laughed softly. “You’re obsessed.”

“You’ve crossed a line,” he said. “And this time, you don’t control the fallout.”

“She made her choice,” Selena replied coolly. “So did you.”

“You put her in danger,” he snapped.

“She put herself there,” Selena said. “By loving something she couldn’t keep.”

The line went dead.

Nathaniel didn’t hesitate.

He grabbed his keys and left.

Iris packed with shaking hands.

Only essentials. Documents. Clothes. Her grandmother watched from the doorway, worry etched deep into her face.

“You’re leaving,” her grandma said quietly.

“For a little while,” Iris replied, forcing calm. “It’s safer.”

Her grandma stepped closer. “Who scared you?”

Iris swallowed. “Please don’t ask.”

Her grandma cupped her face, eyes soft but piercing. “You remind me of your mother when you look like this.”

Pain bloomed in Iris’s chest. “Did she run too?”

Her grandma hesitated. Just a second too long.

A knock hit the door.

Sharp. Urgent.

Iris froze.

Her grandmother moved first. “Stay here.”

“No,” Iris whispered, heart racing. “Don’t open it.”

The knock came again. Louder.

“Iris,” a familiar voice called through the door.

Her breath caught painfully.

“Nathaniel.”

Her grandmother turned, startled. “That’s him?”

Iris didn’t answer.

Nathaniel knocked again, his voice tight with urgency. “Iris, I know you’re in there. Please.”

Tears streamed down her face as she crossed the room. Her hand hovered over the handle.

If she opened this door, everything would change.

If she didn’t… she might lose him forever.

She opened it.

Nathaniel stood there, chest heaving, eyes burning with fear and fury and something dangerously close to devotion.

“They threatened you,” he said. “Didn’t they?”

She shook her head weakly. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I don’t care,” he replied, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “They came after your family. And that ends now.”

Her grandmother stared between them, understanding dawning slowly.

“Nathaniel” Iris began.

He cupped her face gently, thumbs brushing her cheeks, his touch grounding her shaking body. “You don’t get to protect me by destroying yourself.”

His gaze dropped to her lips, breath uneven.

“For weeks, I let them push me,” he continued softly. “But touch her again—touch you—and I burn everything down.”

Iris sobbed, pressing her forehead to his chest. “I was trying to save you.”

“I know,” he whispered, holding her tighter. “But you don’t do it alone.”

Outside, headlights flashed.

A car idled across the street.

Watching.

Nathaniel’s eyes hardened as he noticed.

“Pack faster,” he murmured. “We’re not safe here.”

Iris pulled back, panic surging. “Where are we going?”

He looked down at her, jaw set, decision made.

“Somewhere they can’t reach you,” he said.

“And if they follow?”

His hand slid to the small of her back, possessive and unyielding.

“Then,” he said quietly, “they learn who I really am.”