AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I get off my chair and lean against the railing, the cool metal grounding me. I take a deep breath.
The doorbell rings.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Angelica asks.
I shake my head.
She walks inside the apartment and, after a few minutes, comes back out, holding a bouquet of sunflowers.
Her grin is contagious when she approaches me. “I wonder who these are from,” Ang teases with a wink.
Dion’s favorite flowers. Of course, Dion knows how to put a smile on my face when I need it the most.
I take the bunch of flowers out of her hands, unable to stifle my grin, and read the note.
I’m looking forward to calling you my wife. -A
My heart lurches into my throat, and cold sweat breaks out on my forehead. I scan the words again. My fingers tremble, and the sunflowers slip from my grasp, falling to the ground as if in slow motion.
“Aria, what’s wrong?” Angelica’s voice cuts through the thickness of my shock. She steps closer, concern etched across her face.
I can barely breathe, each inhale a struggle. My mind races. “Andrew,” I choke out.
“Andrew?” Angelica repeats. She picks up the note and her eyes grow wide. “How could he possibly know that you’re here?”
“Dion had said that he might have had my phone tapped.” Panic surges through me, my chest tightening.
An image of me and Dion in the alleyway of Black Bean rushes through my mind. “And Andrew has followed me in the past. I guess he still is. He could be watching us right now.” My vision blurs with tears, and I start to hyperventilate.
Angelica grabs my shoulders, her touch almost grounding me for a moment. “Aria, breathe. You’re safe here. Just take deep breaths.”
I try to follow her instructions, but my breaths come out shallow and quick. My knees buckle, and I sink to the floor of the balcony, clutching the note.
The world around me seems to spin.
Angelica kneels beside me, her voice soft but firm. “Look at me, Riri. Focus on my voice. You’re going to be okay. You’re having a panic attack. We just have to ride through it.”
I nod weakly, my eyes locking onto hers. “Sunflowers…they’re Dion’s favorite.” My voice breaks, tears spilling over. “That’s why this is so terrifying. How could Andrew know something so personal?”
Angelica’s expression shifts to a mix of anger and shock. “I don’t know, but we’ll find out,” she assures me, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “Right now, you need to calm down. You’re safe here with me.”
I cling to her words, attempting to steady my breathing. Slowly, the panic begins to recede.
Angie grabs her phone and calls Evander, telling him what happened.
When she hangs up, she says, “Evan will put the building on a discreet lockdown until they can find if there’s someone out there. In the meantime, let’s go into my safe room, okay?”
“Okay,” I say with trembling lips.
A couple hours later, I’m pacing back and forth in the living room. Evander called an hour ago, saying he caught a suspicious man lurking around the block and we were free to leave the safe room. Angie sits on the couch, eyes darting from the door to me and back again. The tension is thick, and I can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen.
The door bursts open, and Evander strides in. His clothes are splattered with blood, his face grim and hard. I freeze, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest. Angie lets out a small gasp, her hand flying to her mouth.
“Evander,” I breathe, “what happened?”
He runs a hand through his hair, smearing more blood across his forehead. “I caught the guy. Had to rough him up a bit to get him to talk.” His eyes meet mine, and there’s a flash of anger there that makes me shiver.
Angie stands up, her face pale. “Who is he?”
