Chapter 5: Beneath the Surface

Alisa woke to the sound of rain still pattering against her window, the events of the previous night weighing heavily on her mind. She had barely slept, her thoughts too tangled with fear and confusion. Damian’s face kept flashing in her mind—his strange intensity, the way his mood shifted so suddenly. And then there were the messages, the cryptic warnings that seemed to draw her closer to something she couldn’t yet understand.

Sitting up in bed, she grabbed her phone and checked for any new messages. The screen was blank, but the last message still lingered in her mind.

“The truth is closer than you think. But it will cost you everything.”

The words sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn’t shake the feeling that whoever was sending these messages knew more than they were letting on—knew more about her, about her past, than even she did.

Alisa needed answers, but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like the person who held the most secrets… was Damian.

She didn’t want to believe it. He had been so sweet, so vulnerable in front of her. But his protectiveness, his possessiveness—it was growing, becoming something almost suffocating. And that flash of anger last night, the way his expression had shifted into something cold and dark—it frightened her.

There was a knock at her door, soft but insistent.

Alisa froze, her heart racing. She slowly got up and moved toward the door, peering through the peephole.

It was Damian.

“Alisa?” His voice was soft, almost pleading. “Can I come in?”

She hesitated. Her mind raced with conflicting thoughts. She cared about him, and he had always been there for her… but there was that growing unease she couldn’t ignore. Finally, she opened the door slightly, just enough to see his face.

Damian stood there, soaked from the rain, his emerald eyes wide with concern. “I didn’t mean to scare you last night,” he said quickly, his voice almost trembling. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I… I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Damian,” she said, though her voice didn’t sound as convincing as she wanted it to be.

He stepped forward slightly, his hand resting on the doorframe. “Please, Alisa. Let me in. I just want to talk.”

Alisa looked into his eyes, searching for any sign of the darkness she had seen the night before. But all she saw now was a boy who seemed lost, desperate to be close to her. She sighed and opened the door wider, allowing him inside.

He walked in slowly, almost cautiously, as if afraid of startling her. “I know you’re going through a lot,” he said, his voice soft. “And I want to help. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Alisa crossed her arms, unsure how to respond. “Damian, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but… there are things going on that I don’t understand. And I need space to figure it out.”

His face fell slightly, but he nodded. “I understand. I’ll give you space if that’s what you want. But… I’m worried about you.”

“Why?” she asked, her voice sharper than she intended. “Why are you so worried?”

Damian hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor. “Because…” He looked up at her again, his eyes filled with something she couldn’t quite place. “Because I care about you. You’re the only person who’s ever been kind to me. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

His words tugged at her heart, but there was something unsettling about the way he said it—like his care for her was something more than just concern. It felt like an obsession, something deeper and darker.

She took a step back, needing distance. “Damian… I don’t know if you can protect me from everything. There are things I need to figure out on my own.”

He frowned slightly, his expression tightening. “Like what? What are you trying to figure out?”

“The messages,” she said, watching his reaction closely. “They keep telling me there’s something about my past that I don’t know. Something dangerous.”

Damian’s face stiffened, a shadow crossing his features. “You don’t need to worry about that,” he said quickly. “They’re just trying to mess with your head.”

“But what if they’re not?” Alisa pressed. “What if there’s something I need to know?”

Damian’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, and for a moment, she thought she saw that same flash of anger she had seen the night before. But then he softened again, his expression turning almost pleading.

“Alisa, please… don’t dig into things that could hurt you. I just want you to be safe.”

Alisa narrowed her eyes, her suspicion growing. “Why are you so determined to keep me from finding out the truth? Do you know something, Damian? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

His face paled slightly, and for the briefest moment, she saw something flicker in his eyes—something dark, something dangerous. But he quickly shook his head, his voice trembling. “No. I don’t know anything. I just… I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Alisa took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest. “I think you do know something. And I think you’re hiding it from me.”

Damian’s eyes widened, panic flashing across his face. “No, Alisa, I’m not hiding anything—”

Before he could finish, her phone buzzed again. Alisa’s heart skipped a beat as she quickly glanced at the screen.

Unknown: “The truth will destroy you. But it’s closer than you think.”

Her hands trembled as she looked up at Damian, who was now staring at her with a mixture of fear and desperation.

“Damian,” she whispered, her voice shaky. “What aren’t you telling me?”

His lips parted, as if to speak, but no words came out. He took a step closer to her, his face twisted in anguish. “Alisa… please… don’t push this. I’m trying to protect you.”

But his words only made her more certain that he was hiding something. Something big.

Her pulse raced, fear gripping her as the realization began to sink in. The danger she had been trying to uncover, the person she had been looking for, the one behind the messages…

It was right in front of her.

It was Damian.

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