FRAGMENTED IDENTITY

THREE

"You," he breathed. "You're the-"

Elira didn't wait. She drove her knee into his ribs. Kael grunted, the sound harsh in the confined space, but he didn't release her. Instead, he caught her again, faster this time, his arm locking around her waist like iron.

"Bad idea," he muttered, and dragged her back into the shadows.

"No! Let go of me!" she shouted, struggling violently. Her bag slipped off her shoulder and hit the ground with a dull thud.

"You killed him! You killed him!"

Her voice cracked, raw and furious. It wasn't fear anymore-it was rage. Betrayal. Disgust.

"You're a monster!"

Kael slammed her back against the wall. Not hard enough to hurt-but enough to still her.
"Quiet," he hissed, breath uneven. His face was inches from hers, and for a second, she thought she saw something flicker again in his expression. Not anger. Not guilt. Uncertainty.
"You murdered that man in cold blood," she spat. "Do you even know what human life means to you people?"

"I said quiet!" he snapped, louder this time. The words cracked like a whip in the air.
But still... his eyes weren't cold. They were searching. Trying to place her. He pulled out a sleek black phone and tapped something on the screen with one hand, the other still gripping her wrist.

"Secure pick-up," he said flatly. "Now. Package in tow."

Package.
Her.

"You can't just take me!" she thrashed harder, voice wild.

"I helped you! I saved your damn life!"

His jaw tensed. "That's exactly why I can't let you go," he replied, softer this time. Almost-almost-regretful. "You know too much."

"I don't want to know you!" Her voice broke. "I should've let you bleed out in my kitchen like the scum you are!"

That hit him.

His grip faltered. Just for a moment. A breath. Doubt flared across his features. Like he'd felt something-heard something-he wasn't supposed to. But it was too late.
Sirens rose in the distance. The sound of screeching tires echoed off nearby streets.
Kael glanced over his shoulder, calculating.

Then, without another word, he yanked her toward the curb just as a black car pulled up with surgical precision. It didn't stop with a screech or flare of lights-it glided, too smooth, too quiet. The rear door opened automatically.

"No-no! Let go of me!" Elira screamed, kicking wildly, but Kael hauled her in like she weighed nothing. The door slammed shut behind them. Darkness swallowed her. The city vanished behind tinted bulletproof glass.
She sat on the leather seat, wrists cuffed in front of her, breath shaking as she stared out the window. Streetlights blurred into soft lines. Every sound was muffled. Every second stretched into eternity. She turned her face away from him. The man beside her. The killer. The idol. The liar.

Kael Thorne watched her in silence. His expression unreadable, his hands folded loosely on his lap. But his eyes-his eyes never left her. He wasn't just staring at the woman who had once stitched his wounds with trembling hands. He was staring at the only person who had just seen the real Kael Thorne-the one he kept buried under layers of fame, charm, and careful lies. The one no one ever saw and lived to remember.