Chapter Twelve: Trust is not a shield

The drive back was silent.

Not the tense silence of anger, but something heavier—cautious, fragile, like glass stretched too thin. Amara stared out the window, the city lights blurring past as Lucas drove with both hands firmly on the wheel.

“You shouldn’t have found me like that,” she said softly.

Lucas didn’t look at her. “You shouldn’t have been followed.”

Her chest tightened. “So it’s true. Someone is watching.”

“Yes,” he replied. “And they’re getting bolder.”

When they reached the apartment, Lucas locked the door behind them, his movements precise. He checked the windows, the balcony, the security panel—habits formed from years of threats Amara had never been meant to inherit.

“This isn’t normal,” she said quietly.

“No,” Lucas agreed. “It’s not.”

He turned to her. “From now on, you don’t leave alone.”

Amara stiffened. “You’re doing it again.”

Lucas stopped himself. He took a breath. “You’re right. Let me rephrase. I’d prefer if you didn’t. Until we know who this is.”

She studied him, then nodded once. “That’s fair.”

The compromise felt unfamiliar—and strangely intimate.

Later that night, Amara couldn’t sleep. The messages replayed in her mind, each word sharp with intent. She slipped out of bed and found Lucas in the study, illuminated by the glow of his laptop.

“You’re still working?” she asked.

“Trying to trace the number,” he replied. “They’re careful.”

She stepped closer, glancing at the screen filled with encrypted data. “Is this your normal life?”

Lucas hesitated. “It used to be.”

“And now?”

He looked at her. “Now you’re in it.”

The weight of that settled between them.

“I don’t want to be your weakness,” Amara said.

Lucas closed the laptop. “You’re not.”

“You said someone accessed files about me,” she continued. “That means they knew where to look.”

“Yes.”

“Which means the threat isn’t random,” she said. “It’s personal.”

Lucas’s expression darkened. “That’s what worries me.”

The next morning, Amara received a call she didn’t expect.

Her mother.

“Amara,” her voice trembled. “There was a man here asking about you.”

Amara’s blood ran cold. “What did he say?”

“That you owed him answers,” her mother replied. “I sent him away.”

Amara ended the call with shaking hands.

Lucas saw her face and knew immediately. “Who?”

“My mother,” she said. “They found her.”

That was the moment restraint broke.

Lucas grabbed his phone, issuing rapid instructions. “Move her. Now. Don’t ask questions.”

He ended the call and turned to Amara. “I should’ve seen this coming.”

“This isn’t your fault,” she said, though fear threaded her voice.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “It is.”

The day unraveled quickly after that. Security was increased. Schedules changed. Every movement calculated. Amara felt like she was walking through a maze she hadn’t agreed to enter.

That evening, Selene appeared again.

This time, she didn’t hide.

She stood near Lucas’s office building, arms crossed, lips curved in a knowing smile.

“You look tense,” Selene said. “Is married life finally cracking?”

Lucas stepped between her and Amara instinctively. “Stay away from her.”

Selene laughed softly. “You think you’re protecting her, but you’re the reason she’s exposed.”

“That’s enough,” Lucas snapped.

Selene leaned closer, her voice dropping. “You can’t shield her from a world you created.”

She walked away, leaving her words behind like a curse.

That night, Amara sat beside Lucas on the couch, knees drawn close. “She knows more than she should.”

“Yes,” Lucas said. “Which means she’s not just a problem. She’s a risk.”

Amara looked at him. “Lucas… if this gets worse—”

“I won’t let it,” he said.

“But if it does,” she pressed, “you can’t decide everything for me.”

He turned to her, his gaze steady. “Then stay. And help me end this.”

Their eyes held.

For the first time, Amara didn’t feel like a liability.

She felt like a partner.

Outside, somewhere beyond the lights and locks, someone was watching.

And this time, they weren’t waiting.