He Wanted Her to Know!

“Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions to be destroyed”

- Friedrich Nietzsche

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James wanted Lia to know that he was watching. Waiting. Hoovering just beyond the edge of her peace. Biding time for the perfect moment to make his move. These streets – once his playground, felt the same under his foot, but something in the air had shifted. He hadn’t noticed how much time had stolen and moved on without him. He walked with the confidence of a man who believed the past could be summoned at will. Each step hit the pavement like a claim – familiar, particular. He smirked as he passed places that once echoed with his name, monuments to a life where he once commanded. He wanted that life again and would do anything to get it. He hated that someone else was living it now.

It unsettled him – watching her from a distance. Beauty, he used to touch, now held by another and loved. Protected by hands that were soft and safe enough to bring bloom back to a garden he had once destroyed.

But he didn’t see it. Not really. His carelessness had trapped him in a glass shell – visible to the world but closed his eyes on the inside—a fool who mistook arrogance for wisdom. What once made him powerful had become the very thing that clouded his vision. He was a fool who didn’t know he was a fool. He was trying to put out a fire he hadn’t started. Too lost to realize – he was the one burning.

Lia walked on, her hand tucked into Lucas’s fingers laced with quiet trust. He had stolen her heart, not with charm, but with truth. She had told him everything from the beginning – no masks, no softening the edges. And still, he stayed. With all her scars, he chose her – he already knew she was the one.

And that knowing? That kind of love? It was rare.

She was calm. RESOLUTE. Knowing that she’d never return to that place. And who could blame her? How could she? She survived within an inch of her life. It wasn’t a small thing; the kind of certainty Lucas gave her. Even when she experienced moments of insecurity, when shadows of her past crept in, Lucas was thoughtful to remind Lia daily that he was sure of her. And nothing could change his mind about her.

She thrived in his consistency. In the warmness of his love. Refusing to let anything come between them. But she knew James wouldn’t stop. He was the kind of man who would rather ruin a soul than see it safe in someone else’s arms.

On her way to the store, Lia felt a chill crawl up her spine, the weight of unseen eyes - as if someone were watching her. She wasn’t usually suspicious, but she trusted the whisper in her gut after what happened earlier that week. Lia slowed her steps and walked cautiously, inspecting her surroundings. Moving to an open area in the street to ease the tension that she was feeling, Lia, following her now sharpened instinct, decided to look back just enough to see James - half-shrouded behind a tree, watching her.

Her fingers hovered over the bracelet that Lucas had given her, disguised as a delicate accessory wired as a silent alert for when she felt unsafe. One press would send him everything he needed to know. But before she could touch it, Lucas already knew. He felt a tight, gripping pain in his chest. A deep, sharp pain in the pit of his stomach – gave him the kind of fear that pushed him into a panic. They were so close and connected in love that he would often know something was wrong without Lia saying a word. And today was no different.

Not long after, the alert came, and his heart sank.

Lucas locked in on Lia’s location without hesitation and saw she wasn’t far. He didn’t think. He ran. Lucas RAN WITH FURY IN HIS FEET! Every muscle moved with purpose. Every breath thundered with urgency. In no time, he drew near to where Lia was and kept thinking, “Hold on, Lia. I’m Coming.” He only wanted Lia to be okay, especially because she had endured so much. And if anything were to harm her, he knew it would be hard for him to survive that.

But nothing could quench the somberness he felt.

When Lucas reached her, there stood James. Smiling. Knowing Lia was afraid.

There was no shadow to him now.

Just a heavy darkness surrounding him - it could overcast the sky.

To be continued!

Kerique Hoo-Kim