Chapter 12: The Monster at Her Door
The room was silent.
Too silent.
Kavy pressed her back against the cold tiles of the bathroom, her knees pulled to her chest.
Something was wrong.
She could feel it.
The air was thick, pressing down on her like a weight.
Her skin prickled. Tightened.
She wasn't alone.
She knew that, even though the apartment was supposed to be empty.
Her breathing was too loud.
Too uneven.
Every inhale felt like a mistake.
Every exhale felt like a warning.
Then—
A sound.
Soft. Deliberate.
A slow creak from the other side of the door.
Her stomach clenched.
Her fingers dug into her knees.
Someone was in her apartment.
She shouldn't have left the front door unlocked.
She shouldn't have ignored the way her instincts screamed at her.
She shouldn't have been so stupid.
Kavy squeezed her eyes shut, trying to steady herself.
But the fear was climbing, suffocating.
And then—
She heard it.
Breathing.
Deep. Slow. Measured.
Right outside the door.
Her body went rigid.
Whoever was out there wasn't searching.
They weren't confused.
They weren't lost.
They were waiting.
Waiting for her to move.
To make a sound.
To run.
The realization hit her like a punch to the chest.
Whoever was out there—they already knew she was here.
Her pulse pounded.
Then—
A voice. Low. Rough. Familiar.
"Come out, Kavy."
Her breath caught.
No. No. No.
It couldn't be.
Him.
Not now.
Not when she was already breaking.
Not when her nightmares were already starting to feel too real.
Not when she was still healing from what he'd done.
Her fingers curled into fists.
She wouldn't go to him.
She refused.
If Dante wanted her—
He would have to tear her out of here himself.