The moment Elias stepped out of my apartment, the quiet wrapped around me like a cold blanket. Every sound felt sharper ,the distant hum of traffic, the creak of the hallway, even my own unsteady breathing.
I kept replaying his words.
He wasn't here for me,he was here for you.
My skin prickled. My heart raced. My thoughts spun.
Why me?
Before I could fall too deep into panic, the door clicked open again. Elias walked in, Rowan right behind him.
Rowan looked nothing like the warm, artistic guy I met earlier. His usual smile was gone—completely replaced by something fierce and protective. His brows were furrowed, his shoulders tense.
"Ava," Rowan breathed, moving toward me instantly. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'm not hurt," I whispered. "Just… shaken."
He nodded, his chest rising and falling too fast. "I shouldn't have let you walk away alone earlier. I knew something felt wrong."
"Rowan," Elias said quietly, "this isn't your fault."
Rowan turned to him with a glare. "You say that like you know exactly whose fault it is."
The air between the brothers thickened instantly.
Elias didn't snap back he just looked at Rowan with that unreadable, calm expression that somehow made everything more intense.
"This isn't the time," Elias murmured.
"It became the time," Rowan shot back, "the second someone followed her home."
I opened my mouth, but Rowan stepped closer, gently cupping his hands around my shoulders. "Ava… I'm so sorry. I should've stayed with you."
Before I could answer, Elias's voice cut through the space between us.
"Take your hands off her."
Rowan froze. Slowly, he pulled back, jaw tightening. "I was making sure she's okay."
"You can make sure from a distance," Elias replied.
"Elias," I said softly, "it's okay."
His eyes flicked to me ,dark, sharp, softened only for a second. "No. It's not okay."
Rowan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We're not fighting. We're not doing this right now. Ava needs calm, not whatever this is."
Elias didn't answer, but he stepped a little farther from us, giving me space. The tension didn't disappear it just changed shape.
Rowan turned to me fully. "Can you tell me exactly what you saw?"
I told him. Everything.
The man standing still.
The way he didn't hide.
The way he tilted his head like he knew I'd see him.
The way he didn't leave—not even when Elias arrived.
Rowan paled. "He didn't move at all?"
"No."
Rowan exhaled slowly, like he was trying not to panic. "That means he wanted to be noticed."
"That's what I said," Elias murmured.
"Shut up," Rowan snapped. "You're not helping."
Elias ignored him.
Instead, he turned to me again. "Ava, tonight you're not staying alone."
My stomach twisted. "I can't leave my apartment"
"You're not leaving," Elias said. "We are staying."
"Both of you?" I whispered.
"Yes," Rowan said instantly. "You're not spending the night alone. Not after this."
Elias didn't argue. He just nodded once, firm and quiet.
"As long as he's out there, you're not alone."
A breath I didn't know I was holding escaped me. Relief. Fear. Confusion. It all mixed together.
"But why is he doing this?" I asked. "Why me?"
Rowan exchanged a look with Elias—one that made my stomach drop.
"Elias," Rowan said softly, "tell her."
"No," Elias replied.
"She deserves to know," Rowan insisted.
"Not yet."
"Elias "
"Not. Yet."
Their eyes locked. The air tightened again like something sharp was pulling at the space between them.
"Fine," Rowan muttered, stepping back. "But she's going to find out anyway."
"I know," Elias said.
I looked between them. "Someone please tell me what's going on. What aren't you saying?"
Both brothers turned to me.
Rowan spoke first. His voice was gentle, protective.
"Because he's done this before."
My heart froze.
Elias stepped closer, his eyes steady on mine.
"He follows patterns. He watches from a distance. He chooses someone. And when he does… he doesn't let go."
My voice broke. "And now he's chosen me?"
Silence.
Rowan couldn't look at me.
Elias could.
And he did.
"Yes," he said quietly. "He has."
A shiver ran down my spine.
Before I could speak, Elias took one step closer, lowering his voice.
"But listen to me carefully, Ava. He won't touch you. Not while I'm here. Not while we're here."
Rowan nodded. "He messed with the wrong person this time."
"Wrong people," Elias corrected, his eyes still locked on mine.
For the first time since I saw that man outside, I felt something shift inside me,not safety, not yet, but something close.
EXTENDED PART(New scenes begin here)
Elias walked toward the window again, pulling the curtain back just enough to see outside. His hand stayed still, but I noticed a slight tension in the way his chest rose. He wasn't calm. He just hid it better than Rowan.
"Elias," I whispered, "is he still there?"
"No." His voice was low. "But he didn't disappear because he got scared. He left because he wanted to."
Rowan's jaw tightened. "He always does. Shows up. Stares. Leaves when he feels like it."
I swallowed hard. "You two… you know him?"
Rowan hesitated, eyes dropping to the floor.
Elias didn't.
His answer was a quiet blade.
"Not him. But men like him."
A cold wave slid down my spine.
Rowan moved closer, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ava, you're not going to like this, but… this guy didn't just randomly pick you."
I blinked. "What do you mean?"
Elias let go of the curtain and turned fully. "It's not random. He targeted you."
My breath caught. "But I don't know him. I've never…."
"That doesn't matter," Elias said. "Men like him pick people who fit a pattern. Someone living alone. Someone who walks the same route. Someone who keeps to herself."
Rowan added, "Someone they think they can isolate."
The room suddenly felt colder, darker.
I hugged my arms around myself. "So I'm exactly his type."
Elias shook his head. "No. You're exactly his mistake."
Rowan stepped between us gently. "Ava, listen. I know you're scared. You should be, anyone would be. But Elias and I? We've dealt with worse."
That made me look up. "Worse?"
Rowan shot Elias a look again. A warning. Don't tell her yet.
Elias ignored it.
"Ava," he said softly, "this isn't the first time a man like him has crossed our path."
Rowan groaned quietly. "Elias…"
"She deserves the truth," Elias snapped, turning back to me. "This man… he doesn't act alone."
Everything inside me stilled.
"…what?"
Rowan rubbed his forehead. "What Elias means is… there's usually more to it. More people involved. More behavior. More…"
"Patterns," Elias finished. "There's always a pattern."
I suddenly felt small. Fragile.
"So what happens now?" My voice was barely a whisper. "Do I just wait for him to come back?"
"No," Elias said firmly, stepping closer until his presence felt like a wall behind me. "You don't wait. We prepare."
Rowan nodded. "First step: you're not spending a single night alone. We stay here. Together."
My heart skipped. "Together? In this apartment?"
"Yes," Elias said. "One of us stays awake. We take shifts."
"Shifts?" I echoed.
Rowan tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yep. We've done worse. Besides, it'll make you feel safer. And we're not leaving you unprotected. Not for a second."
Elias held my gaze. "He chose you. So now, we choose you too."
Those words hit me harder than I expected.
For a moment, I forgot to breathe.
Rowan glanced at the clock. "It's late. Ava, sit. Try to relax."
I sat on the couch, but relaxing was impossible. My hands trembled in my lap, and I kept glancing at the window.
Elias noticed.
Without a word, he walked over and sat beside me close enough to feel his warmth but not touching me.
His voice was calm, low, steady. "He won't get to you. Not tonight. Not ever."
Rowan leaned against the wall, arms folded. "We mean that."
And for the first time since this nightmare started, I let myself believe them even just a little.
Still, the dread lingered.
Elias's eyes softened. "Ava?"
"Yes?"
"If he comes back… I'll be the one he sees first."
Rowan smirked lightly. "Correction, "we will."
Elias glanced at him, then back at me.
"Either way," he murmured, "you're safe."
But even as he said it, something in his voice made me wonder…
Safe from the man outside? Or safe from whatever secret the brothers were hiding?