The breaking point

The silence in the house felt suffocating, broken only by the faint ticking of an old clock on the wall. Ava couldn't tear her thoughts away from the journal upstairs, from the name Elena, and from Alexander's evasive answers.

She wasn't sure what she was more afraid of—his secrets or the way her heart still wanted to trust him despite them.

The tension shattered like glass when Alexander suddenly grabbed his coat. His movements were sharp, deliberate, as though driven by an unseen force.

"I need air," he said curtly, his voice void of emotion.

"Air?" Ava's brow furrowed. "At this hour? Alexander, you're scaring me."

He paused at the door, his back to her. "Don't follow me," he said, his tone flat, but it carried a weight that felt almost like a warning.

The door slammed behind him.

But Ava wasn't about to listen. Something in his voice wasn't right. She grabbed her own coat and followed, keeping her distance as he walked down the dark, winding path that led away from the house.

The further they went, the heavier the air seemed to grow. The trees loomed like silent witnesses, their shadows stretching long under the pale moonlight. Ava's heart pounded as she kept him in sight.

She didn't know where he was going until she saw the flicker of movement ahead. A figure stood by the edge of the forest—a man, hunched and agitated, his voice a low mutter that Ava couldn't make out.

Alexander approached him, his posture eerily calm.

Ava hid behind a tree, her breath caught in her throat as she watched the two men face each other.

The stranger's voice rose, sharp and accusing. "You think you're above all this, don't you? Hiding behind that charm, that mask. But I know what you are!"

Ava couldn't hear Alexander's reply, but the way he tilted his head, the way his shoulders relaxed—it was a terrifying kind of composure.

Then, without warning, it happened.

Alexander moved with a swiftness that made her stomach drop. One moment, the man was pointing a finger at him; the next, Alexander's hand was around his throat. The stranger's protests turned into choking gasps.

Ava's legs felt rooted to the spot as she watched, horror-stricken.

But it wasn't just the violence that froze her. It was Alexander's face.

His expression had shifted entirely. It wasn't anger or fear or even guilt. It was... serene. A terrifying, god-like calm that made him look almost inhuman.

"They always think they're right," Alexander said, his voice carrying easily through the still night. It was deeper now, colder. "But they don't see the bigger picture. I'm not wrong. I just have the guts to do what they won't."

Ava's breath caught as she realized he wasn't talking to the man struggling in his grip. He was talking to himself—or something inside him.

"I'm not wrong," he repeated, his lips curling into a faint smile. "They deserve it. Every single one of them."

And with a final, deliberate twist, the man fell silent.

Ava couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped her lips.

Alexander's head snapped toward her, his eyes locking onto hers like a predator catching sight of prey.

She stumbled back, her heart pounding, but her feet wouldn't move fast enough. In an instant, he was in front of her, his hand gripping her wrist tightly.

"Ava," he said, his voice soft, almost soothing. But his eyes—those eyes were anything but. "You shouldn't have seen that."

Her voice trembled as she spoke. "W-What are you doing, Alexander? What was that?"

He tilted his head, studying her with unnerving calm. "Justice," he said simply. "The world is full of people like him. Liars, thieves, manipulators. They deserve to be removed. Someone has to do it."

"This isn't justice," Ava whispered, tears streaming down her face. "This is murder."

"Murder?" Alexander's brow furrowed as though the word offended him. "No, Ava. This is balance. And now you understand why I needed you to stay out of this."

She yanked her wrist free, her breathing ragged. "This isn't who you are," she said desperately, trying to reach the Alexander she thought she knew.

But he just smiled—a slow, chilling smile that sent a shiver down her spine. "You don't know who I am."

Ava took a step back, her mind racing. She had to get away, had to figure out what to do next. But Alexander didn't move to stop her this time.

Instead, he watched her with that same unsettling calm.

"You'll come back," he said, his voice soft but certain. "You'll realize I'm not the monster you think I am. I'm the only one who sees the truth."