Chapter 3: A Storm Brewing
The room felt colder than before. Roy could see the fear in Sheila's eyes—the kind of fear that came from a past that refused to stay buried.
"Sheila," Roy said softly, "who is he?"
She hesitated.
If she told him the truth, would he still look at her the same way?
Betheul wasn't just another man from her past. He was the worst of them all—the one who had nearly destroyed her.
Her hands clenched into fists. "It's nothing," she lied. "Just someone I used to know."
Roy didn't believe her. She could see it in his eyes. But he didn't push.
Not yet.
Instead, he sighed and leaned back against the couch. "Sheila, I told you before… whatever it is, I'll stand by you."
Her heart twisted at his words. He didn't know what he was signing up for.
A normal woman would thank him. A normal woman would lean on him.
But she wasn't normal.
And if Betheul was back, it meant trouble was coming.
Big trouble.
---
Across the city…
Betheul sat in his hotel room, staring at his phone with amusement.
Sheila was scared. Good.
She should be.
He poured himself another drink and leaned back against the chair, smirking.
She thought she could escape him?
That she could just erase the past like it never happened?
No.
Not after what she did.
He still remembered the night she had betrayed him.
She had run away, leaving behind everything he had given her. She had made a fool out of him in front of powerful men.
And now, she thought she could build a new life with a man like Roy Lancaster?
Pathetic.
Betheul wasn't just back to haunt her.
He was back to destroy her.
And this time, she wouldn't escape.
---
The Next Morning…
Sheila barely slept.
She lay awake, staring at the ceiling, her mind racing.
Roy had insisted she stay the night. He had even offered to sleep on the couch, giving her space.
But space didn't make the fear go away.
She kept replaying Betheul's words over and over again.
"Your new life? It's built on a lie. And I'm going to tear it apart."
What did he mean?
What was he planning?
A knock at the bedroom door snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Sheila?" Roy's voice was gentle.
She sat up. "Come in."
He opened the door and stepped inside, holding two cups of coffee. "I figured you didn't sleep much."
She took the cup and smiled weakly. "You figured right."
Roy sat on the edge of the bed, watching her carefully. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
She hesitated. She wanted to.
But how did she even begin?
How did she tell this man—this good, kind, patient man—that the person on the phone was the same man who had once controlled her like a puppet?
That Betheul had been more than just a past lover?
That he had been her worst nightmare?
She sighed. "Roy… there are things about me you don't know."
He nodded. "I know that."
She looked down at her coffee. "And some of those things… they're ugly. Dark."
Roy reached for her hand. "That doesn't change how I feel about you."
Her throat tightened. "You say that now. But what if you knew everything?"
"Then I'd still be here."
Sheila swallowed hard. Could she really believe that?
Could she take the risk?
Before she could answer, Roy's phone buzzed.
He frowned and picked it up. His face darkened.
"What is it?" she asked.
He turned the screen toward her.
A message.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Does she tell you everything, Roy? Or do you only hear what she w
ants you to?
Sheila's blood ran cold. Betheul.
He wasn't just watching her.
He was watching them.
And now, he was coming for Roy too.