Chapter 83 – No More Fear

Chapter 83 – No More Fear
(Eden’s POV)

By the time I reached my apartment door, my heart was pounding—not from fear, but from the stubborn resolve hardening in my chest.

I couldn’t keep hiding out in a hotel with the twins, living out of a suitcase, afraid to breathe too loudly in case he was listening. That wasn’t me. That wasn’t living.

No. This was my home, and I was taking it back.

The lock clicked under my key, the metallic sound sharp in the quiet hallway. For a moment, I just stood there, hand braced against the door, listening.

Silence.

I pushed the door open slowly. My eyes scanned every inch of the apartment like I was entering enemy territory—corners, shadows, doorways.

Everything was still. Everything was normal.

No feathers scattered across the floor. No glass crunching under my feet. No furniture overturned in a violent display of ownership.

Just… my space.

It almost felt like breathing again.

Almost.

I stepped inside, closing the door with a firm push, and set my bag down on the counter. My gaze drifted to the faint scratch on the wall near the kitchen—one of the few scars from that night I hadn’t been able to scrub away.

My chest tightened, but I forced myself to move through each room, checking closets, behind the shower curtain, under the bed. Each time I found nothing, a little piece of the tension in my spine loosened.

This was my home. I wasn’t giving it up.

I sank onto the couch, my legs curling underneath me, and pulled in a deep breath. The silence felt heavy but bearable. I told myself I was stronger than the panic still coiling low in my stomach.

I’d been through worse. I could do this.

My phone buzzed.

The sound cracked through the quiet like a gunshot.

I froze, my hand hovering over the screen, pulse hammering in my ears.

An unknown number.

Every cell in my body screamed not to open it—but my thumb swiped anyway.

Leave them for good… or you’ll never see them again.

The words punched the air from my lungs. My fingers went numb around the phone.

I swallowed hard, typing before I could think better of it.

Who is this?

Three dots appeared. Slow. Deliberate. My stomach turned.

You know who I am. You’ve always known.

The room suddenly felt smaller, like the walls were pressing in.

Before I could reply, another message flashed across the screen.

They can’t protect you, Eden. Not from me. Not when I’m everywhere. You think they’ll still want you when they realize you put them in danger?

My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. My mind flashed to Luca’s smile, the heat in Levi’s gaze, the way they’d held me like I belonged to them.

The phone buzzed again.

Do what I say… or they’re gone. Forever.

My throat closed. I could feel the tears threatening, but I refused to let them fall. Not for him. Not for this.

Still, my hands shook so violently I nearly dropped the phone.

I didn’t reply. I couldn’t.

Instead, I rose on unsteady legs, crossed to the door, and turned the lock until I heard the satisfying click. I checked the windows, tugging each one to be sure it was secure.

Every muscle in my body was wound tight, my chest aching with the effort to breathe normally. This wasn’t just about scaring me anymore. This was a promise. A warning.

And it wasn’t just my safety at stake anymore.

I clutched the phone to my chest, staring into the stillness of my apartment. The idea of walking away from the twins tore at me, but the thought of something happening to them because of me…

It was a choice I wasn’t ready to make.

Not yet.