Chapter 56: Shadow next door

I lie flat on my back, staring up at the water-stained ceiling of my bedroom. The rhythmic sound of the rain hitting my windowpane should be soothing, but it only sounds like a countdown. Every tick of the clock reminds me of what happened this morning. My mind plays the scene on a loop: Jackson’s hand gripping Chloe's waist, the cold indifference in his eyes, and the splash of the identical crescent moon necklace hitting the toilet water.

I reach up to touch my collarbone instinctively. The skin feels raw and irritated where the metal links snapped against my skin. The physical sting is nothing compared to the hollow ache inside my chest.

From the kitchen, I can hear the muffled murmur of my mother's voice and the low, occasional grunt from Leo. They are talking about budgeting, or maybe they are still quietly celebrating the fact that the Thorne problem has vanished from our lives. They think the storm has passed. They think we are safe in our little, rundown apartment because the rich boy walked away.

Suddenly, a violent shudder rattles my bedroom wall.

THUD.

The vibration is so strong that my small desk lamp wobbles. I sit up instantly, my heart pounding in my throat. For a wild second, I wonder if Arthur Thorne has already sent a demolition crew to tear our building down.

BANG. CRACK.

The sound of heavy wood scraping against the shared wall of the adjacent apartment echoes through the thin plaster. Our building has been mostly empty on this floor for the last two months since the previous tenants moved out to escape the rising utility costs. It is supposed to be a ghost town next door.

"What on earth is going on out there?" my mother’s voice calls out from the living room. I hear her footsteps walking toward the front door.

"Mom, don't go out," Leo says loudly, his voice tight with irritation. "It's probably just some loud-mouthed movers. People don't have any respect for the neighbors anymore. My head is splitting."

I press my palms against my mattress, listening closely. More footsteps echo in the outer hallway, accompanied by the gruff voices of grown men arguing about a door frame.

"I'll go check, Mom," I call out, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. I need an excuse to get out of my room anyway. Staring at the ceiling is driving me insane, and the distraction of an annoying new neighbor is exactly what my brain needs to stop thinking about Jackson's cold stare.

I unlock my bedroom door and walk down the short hallway. My mother is standing by the kitchen counter, looking nervously at the front door. Leo is sitting at the table, his eyebrows knitted together as he massages his temples.

"Just tell them to keep the noise down, Maya," Leo mutters, not looking up. "The walls in this place are basically made of paper. I can't even hear myself think."

"I will," I say.

I grab my oversized gray cardigan from the back of the sofa, wrapping it tightly around my shoulders to shield myself from the drafty hallway air. I turn the lock, push our front door open, and step out into the dimly lit corridor.

The hallway is in chaos. Three huge cardboard boxes are stacked directly in the center of the narrow walkway, blocking the path to the stairwell. Two heavy-set movers in grease-stained t-shirts are struggling to maneuver a dark wood dresser through the doorway of the apartment right next to ours.

"Watch your back, kid," one of the movers grunts, barely glancing at me as he shifts his grip on the dresser.

"Sorry," I say, stepping backward against our doorframe to give them room. "Could you guys try to be a little quieter? My brother is trying to rest inside."

The mover doesn't even answer. He just grunts again and heaves the furniture through the threshold, disappearing inside the apartment.

I sigh, shaking my head. I am about to turn around and walk back inside our flat when a movement at the end of the hallway catches my eye. Someone is walking up the concrete stairs, taking them two at a time. The sound of leather boots echoes sharply against the walls.

A tall figure emerges from the stairwell, carrying a plastic crate filled with books and loose electronics. He is wearing a black leather motorcycle jacket over a plain white t-shirt, and his dark, messy hair is damp from the rain outside.

I freeze. The air leaves my lungs in a painful rush.

The boy stops at the top of the stairs, adjusting his grip on the plastic crate. He lifts his head, his dark eyes scanning the messy hallway until they lock directly onto me. A familiar smirk spreads across his lips, revealing a faint dimple on his left cheek.

It is Raph.

"Well, well, well," Raph says, his voice smooth and dripping with that same arrogant confidence that used to make my stomach flip years ago. He steps over a stray piece of packing foam, walking slowly toward me. "Look who it is. I thought I recognized the address on the lease."

My hands grip the edge of my cardigan so tightly my knuckles turn white. A cold sweat breaks out across the back of my neck. "Raph? What... what are you doing here?"

"Moving in," he says casually, gesturing with his chin toward the open apartment door next to mine. He sets the plastic crate down on top of one of the cardboard boxes in the hallway, wiping a stray drop of rain from his forehead. "My dad got a new management position across town, and I decided it was time to get my own space. This place was cheap, and the location turned out to be perfect."

"You're lying," I whisper, my voice shaking as the panic begins to take over.

Raph takes a step closer to me, closing the distance between us until I can smell the familiar, suffocating scent of his expensive cologne and cigarette smoke. He leans his arm against the wall right next to my head, trapping me against our apartment door. The intensity in his dark eyes is exactly the same as the night I finally gathered the courage to block his number and walk away from him.

"Why would I lie to you, Maya?" he asks, his voice dropping into a quiet murmur that makes my skin crawl. "We never properly finished our conversation before you vanished. You deleted your accounts, you changed your number, you moved to a different neighborhood... you really made me work for it."

"We did finish it," I say, forcing my voice to sound steady even though my knees are trembling violently under my cardigan. "I broke up with you, Raph. It's been six months. You need to leave me alone."

"We break up every two weeks, Maya. It’s what we do," he chuckles softly, reaching out a finger to gently brush a strand of hair away from my cheek. I flinch away from his touch, pressing my back harder against the wooden door behind me. His smirk never fades. "But you've been playing dirty lately. Transferring to that elite academy on a scholarship? That was a smart move. But you didn't honestly think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?"

My heart stops as horrifying realization hits me. "How do you know about my school?"

Raph straightens up, letting his arm drop from the wall. He turns around slowly, reaching his hand deep into the plastic crate he had carried up the stairs. When he pulls his hand back out, he is holding a freshly pressed, high-end uniform jacket.

It is the distinct silver-and-gold blazer of my elite academy. The embroidered school crest shines brightly under the dim hallway bulb.

"Surprise," Raph smiles, holding the blazer up in front of him. "My dad's new company handles the logistics for the academy's athletic department. It wasn't hard to get me a late-semester transfer spot. I start first period tomorrow morning."

I stare at the silver-and-gold fabric, feeling paralyzed. My world is shrinking. At school, I am being tortured by the sight of Jackson and Chloe. At home, I am trapped next door to the most toxic mistake of my past. There is nowhere left for me to run.

"I saw the journalism site last night, by the way," Raph says carelessly, tossing the uniform blazer back into the crate. He looks back at me, his eyes dark and calculating. "That Thorne guy. The hockey captain. Looks like he used you up and threw you back to the wolves pretty fast, huh? You always did have terrible taste in guys when I wasn't around."

"Don't talk about him," I snap, my anger finally breaking through the terror.

"Why not? He's the guy who just dumped you in front of the whole school, right?" Raph steps even closer, his face inches from mine. The obsession in his expression makes my stomach churn. "Don't worry, Maya. The rich boy is gone, but your real boyfriend is right here. I'll see you at the bus stop tomorrow morning."

He winks at me, grabs his crate of books, and walks into the apartment next door, slamming the door shut behind him.