CHAPTER 12 — HIS SECRETS, HER FEAR
The night swallowed them whole as Liam pulled Evelyn through the narrow streets, his grip firm but trembling, as if fear had finally cracked through the layers he always kept hidden. The city lights blurred past them; muffled car horns and distant voices felt like echoes from another world, a world she no longer belonged to.
Evelyn's breath burned in her lungs as they ran. She didn't ask questions. She couldn't—not while her heart was still pounding violently from the ambush. All she could focus on was the pressure of Liam's hand and the silent urgency in every step he took.
They didn't stop until they reached an old parking garage several blocks away. Liam pushed open a heavy metal door and ushered her inside. The space was dim and dusty, lit only by a few flickering bulbs. The sound of dripping water echoed in the distance.
Liam finally released her hand.
He leaned against the concrete wall, chest rising and falling sharply. His knuckles were scraped, blood streaked across his fingers from the fight. A dark bruise was already forming along his jaw.
Evelyn hugged herself.
"What… what just happened back there?"
Liam closed his eyes, gathering himself, as though searching for the right words.
"You were being hunted," he said quietly. "And you should have told me sooner."
She stiffened. "Told you? Liam, I don't even know what's going on! I don't know who those men were—"
"I do," he said, voice dropping into something colder.
Evelyn froze. "What do you mean, you do?"
He finally looked at her, and in that moment, she realized something terrifying: she didn't recognize the man in front of her. The softness she used to see in his eyes was replaced by something sharper—experience, calculation, danger.
"I've seen them before," he said. "Years ago. Before I met you."
Her heart stuttered. "You're connected to them."
His jaw tightened. "No. But they're connected to me."
She stepped back.
Liam noticed, and pain flickered across his expression.
"Evelyn, don't."
"I have every right to be afraid," she said, voice trembling. "I trusted you. I thought I knew you."
"You do," he whispered.
"Then explain," she demanded.
He didn't speak at first. The silence grew thick, heavy with the weight of things he never intended to reveal.
Finally, he pushed away from the wall.
"Fine. You want the truth? I'll give you part of it. But not here."
"No," she said firmly. "Tell me now."
Liam exhaled slowly. "Those men belong to a division called Astraeus."
Her stomach dropped. "So they really exist?"
"Yes."
"And you know them?"
Liam hesitated. "I've crossed paths with them before. Not because I wanted to. Because they made me."
Evelyn frowned. "Made you? What does that even mean?"
His gaze darkened. "They recruited me when I was a teenager. Or… more accurately, they pulled me from a situation I couldn't escape. They trained me. Used me. Molded me into something they could control."
Her breath caught. "Liam… what kind of training?"
He looked away.
"The kind no person should ever go through."
A chill ripped down her spine. Memories flooded her—little details she never questioned before. The way Liam always noticed exits in every room. The way he reacted to loud noises. His ability to fight like someone who had seen real, brutal violence. His reflexes, his precision, his silence when she asked about his past.
It wasn't coincidence.
It was conditioning.
"Why did you leave them?" she whispered.
He laughed bitterly. "Leave? I escaped. Barely."
"And now they're after me," she said quietly. "Because of my father."
Liam's head snapped up.
"What did you say?"
"My father," she repeated. "I met someone who worked with him. He said the Astraeus Division wants me because of something my father created."
Liam's expression shifted instantly—from tension to shock, then fury.
"He met you?" Liam said sharply. "Who? Describe him."
"He said his name is Rowan."
Liam's face hardened.
"Of course it's him."
"You know Rowan too?" Evelyn whispered.
"Oh, I know him," Liam said. "He thinks he's helping people, but he's reckless. Dangerous. And he lies when it benefits him."
Evelyn felt dizzy. "He gave me this."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver key.
When Liam saw the symbols engraved on it, his eyes widened—real fear flooding his expression for the first time since she'd met him.
"Where did he get that?" Liam demanded, stepping toward her.
"He said my father left it for me."
Liam shook his head, disbelief tightening his jaw. "Evelyn… that key shouldn't exist. They destroyed everything connected to your father's project twelve years ago."
"Project?" she whispered. "What project?"
Liam didn't answer. His silence was more terrifying than any explanation could have been.
"Liam," she said weakly, "please tell me what you know."
He stared at her, torn between truth and protection. Between loyalty and fear.
Instead of answering, he cupped her face gently, his thumb brushing her cheek as if grounding her.
"Listen to me," he said, voice trembling with emotion. "I don't know what Rowan told you. I don't know what your father left behind. But I do know one thing—Astraeus won't stop until they get what they want. And right now… that's you."
Her knees weakened. "Why me?"
Liam leaned his forehead against hers. "Because you're the only loose thread they couldn't cut. The one piece they couldn't erase."
"I'm not special," she whispered.
"You are," he said firmly. "More than you know."
She felt tears sting her eyes. "I'm scared."
"I know," he said, pulling her into his arms. "I'll protect you. Even if it kills me."
Evelyn held onto him, her fingers gripping his back. She felt his heartbeat—steady yet heavy, as if carrying years of secrets and suffering.
But even in his embrace, a question lingered in the back of her mind, growing darker with every passing second:
If Liam had been part of the organization that destroyed her family…
How long before his past destroyed her too?
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END OF CHAPTER 12