All Chapters of IN THE SHADOW OF DESIRE : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The morning light did nothing to soften the night before.Amara sat at the edge of her bed, fingers clenched around the phone she hadn’t been able to stop staring at. The image of Vanessa - bruised, terrified, and the shadow behind her that looked too much like Damian - had looped through her mind until sleep became impossible.She hadn’t told him. Couldn’t.Every time she thought of confronting him, her chest tightened with something between fear and confusion.A knock sounded at her door.“Miss Amara,” the maid’s voice came softly. “Mr. Cole wants to see you. In the study.”Her stomach twisted.Of course he did.She washed her face, put on the calmest version of herself she could find, and walked down the long corridor that seemed quieter than usual. The house felt different these days - polished on the surface, hollow underneath.Damian was already standing when she entered. His tie was sharp, his sleeves rolled, and the faint scent of his cologne hit her like muscle memory. He did

The pen clattered against the table when she finally dropped it.Amara stared at her signature - black ink curling at the bottom of the page, sealing something she couldn’t yet name. Her hand trembled, her chest felt hollow, and a strange numbness spread through her. It was done.She didn’t know whether to laugh or scream.The air seemed to shift, as though the house itself had been waiting for her choice. Somewhere upstairs, she heard footsteps - slow, steady, deliberate. She didn’t need to see him to know who it was.Damian always moved like someone who already owned the ground he walked on.The door opened without a knock.He took in the scene - the contract on the table, the pen beside it, her shaking hands. His expression didn’t change, but something in his shoulders eased, barely perceptible.“So,” he said quietly. “You signed.”She looked up, the words sharp on her tongue. “Congratulations. You win.”He didn’t flinch. “It’s not a game, Amara.”“Could’ve fooled me.”Damian stepp

Amara couldn’t sleep.Every shadow in the room felt like it was watching her.The hum of the city beyond the glass had never seemed louder, sharper, or more alive.She had locked her door twice, checked the window, even pushed the chair beneath the handle like some kind of makeshift barricade. None of it helped. The fear was no longer in the house - it was inside her, coiled deep where reason couldn’t reach.The photo still lay on her nightstand. You were never a coincidence.Her phone vibrated again, lighting up the room in a cold blue glow.A new message.Unknown: “You should’ve stayed out of his world.”Amara’s pulse spiked. She scrambled up and typed back with shaking fingers.Amara: “Who are you?”Unknown: “Someone who knows what happens next.”Then the screen went black.Her throat went dry. The air in the room shifted - heavier, quieter.And then she heard it.A sound.Soft. Slow.From the hallway.Her heart froze.Someone was out there.She slipped out of bed, barefoot, moving

Amara couldn’t sleep.Every shadow in the room felt like it was watching her.The hum of the city beyond the glass had never seemed louder, sharper, or more alive.She had locked her door twice, checked the window, even pushed the chair beneath the handle like some kind of makeshift barricade. None of it helped. The fear was no longer in the house - it was inside her, coiled deep where reason couldn’t reach.The photo still lay on her nightstand. You were never a coincidence.Her phone vibrated again, lighting up the room in a cold blue glow.A new message.Unknown: “You should’ve stayed out of his world.”Amara’s pulse spiked. She scrambled up and typed back with shaking fingers.Amara: “Who are you?”Unknown: “Someone who knows what happens next.”Then the screen went black.Her throat went dry. The air in the room shifted - heavier, quieter.And then she heard it.A sound.Soft. Slow.From the hallway.Her heart froze.Someone was out there.She slipped out of bed, barefoot, moving

The morning came too soon.Light spilled through the villa’s tall windows, brushing across the stone floors, the armchair, the stillness. The storm had passed, but its echo remained in the heavy silence that filled every room.Amara woke to the faint smell of coffee and the distant creak of footsteps. For a moment, she didn’t remember where she was. Then memory caught up, sharp and vivid.The firelight. The rain. The way he’d said her name like it was both a question and a warning.Her stomach twisted.She sat up, running a hand through her hair. The air in the room felt different now - charged with the weight of something that had changed everything and yet changed nothing.Her reflection in the mirror looked the same, but she didn’t feel it. Something inside her was raw, unsettled.She got dressed slowly, choosing the first thing her hands touched. When she stepped into the hall, the scent of coffee grew stronger. Damian was in the kitchen, already dressed, sleeves rolled, tie absen