Hope in the Shadows

Starting over seems to be an understatement after her ex leaves no hope. Can she survive?

The city didn’t welcome her.
It swallowed her.

Rylex Hope Carter stepped off the Greyhound bus just after midnight, clutching a duffel bag that wasn’t even half-full. The air smelled like rain and gasoline — sharp, unfamiliar, nothing like the stale quiet of the house she’d escaped. Streetlights buzzed overhead, flickering like they were unsure she deserved the light.

Maybe she didn’t.

Maybe she did.

She tightened her grip on the strap and pulled her hoodie closer around her face. She kept imagining Jaxon’s voice behind her — that low, dangerous calm he used right before he snapped.

“You won’t make it out there, Rylex. You ain’t built for the world without me.”

That had been three hours ago.
She left anyway.

The city hummed around her, people drifting past with tired eyes and fast steps, everyone focused on their own survival. No one looked at her long enough to judge her. No one recognized her. No one whispered about her mistakes, her failures, her bruises.

For the first time in months — maybe years — she could breathe.

She found the address scribbled on her hand:
Apartment 3B — Monroe Street — call when you get here.

It wasn’t home.
Not yet.
But it was far enough away that Jaxon wouldn’t find her right away.

At least, she hoped.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She froze. She didn’t have to look to know who it was. Jaxon had always been quick. Quick to apologize. Quick to accuse. Quick to twist her ribs with guilt until the breath left her.

The vibration stopped.
Started again.

Three messages.

She swallowed hard, her heartbeat thudding in her ears.

Finally, she forced herself to look.

JAXON: Still think you can run?
JAXON: You really wanna do this to us?
JAXON: Pick up the phone, Hope. We need to talk.

Her middle name.
The one he only used when he wanted control.

Rylex locked the screen and shoved the phone deep into her pocket. Her hands shook, but her feet moved. Forward. Toward Monroe Street. Toward something that might one day look like freedom.

She didn’t see the dark SUV parked across the street.
She didn’t notice the figure inside it watching her.

But it noticed her.
It watched every step she took.

Chapter 2

The hallway smelled like old carpet and someone’s burnt dinner.
Rylex stepped inside the building, the door groaning behind her like it hadn’t been oiled since the 90s. Fluorescent lights hummed above her head, washing the beige walls in a sickly glow. It felt nothing like a fresh start — but anything was better than Jaxon’s house.

She climbed the stairs slowly, each step echoing louder than the last. She kept glancing over her shoulder even though she knew he wasn’t there. Not yet.

She reached Apartment 3B and hesitated.

The door was cracked open.

Not much — barely an inch — but enough to send a bolt of panic down her spine.
Her breath stuttered in her chest. The hallway suddenly felt too narrow, too quiet, too wrong.

Did Dani forget to close it?
Or did someone—

Before her mind could spiral further, a voice called out:

“Rylex? That you?”

Relief washed through her so fast her knees almost buckled.

Dani appeared in the doorway — hoodie, messy hair, tired eyes. She looked exactly the same as she did the night Rylex had shown up on her porch four years ago, heartbroken, sobbing, barely able to talk. Dani had always been the safe place she didn’t think she deserved.

“You scared me,” Rylex said, stepping inside.

“You scared yourself,” Dani replied, pulling the door shut. “City’s loud, girl. Not dangerous. Well… not more dangerous than the men you used to date, anyway.”

Rylex tried to smile, but it came out weak. Dani noticed. Dani always noticed.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming tonight,” Dani said, crossing her arms. “Your text just said ‘on my way.’ I figured you meant tomorrow.”

“I had to go,” Rylex whispered. “If I didn’t leave tonight… I wasn’t gonna leave at all.”

Dani nodded slowly, her expression softening.

“Did he show up again?”

Rylex swallowed. Her throat felt like it was closing.

“He… didn’t do anything,” she said. “He didn’t have to.”

That was the truth.
That was always the truth with men like Jaxon Pierce.

He didn’t need fists when he had words sharper than knives. He didn’t need chains when guilt worked better. Control was his favorite drug — and she had spent years being his fix.

Dani stepped forward and pulled Rylex into a hug. The sudden warmth made the tears well instantly. She blinked them back.

“You’re safe here,” Dani said against her hair. “I mean it. You’re safe.”

Safe.
The word felt foreign. Heavy. Fragile.

Rylex nodded and pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Where’s the kiddo?” Dani asked.

“Staying with my sister for the weekend. I didn’t…” Rylex paused, feeling her chest tighten. “I didn’t want to drag him into this mess until I had somewhere stable.”

“That’s fair,” Dani said. “He’ll be fine. You need a night to breathe.”

Rylex dropped her bag onto the couch. The apartment was small — one bedroom, peeling paint, mismatched furniture — but it was warm and real. It didn’t smell like Jaxon’s cologne or taste like his rules.

Her phone buzzed again.

Once.
Twice.
Three times.

Dani frowned. “Is that him?”

Rylex didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. Dani’s expression darkened.

“Block him,” Dani said.

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.”

“No,” Rylex whispered, her voice cracking. “If I block him… he’ll show up.”

There it was — the fear Rylex hated admitting, the fear she lived with like a second shadow.

Dani sat on the arm of the couch, watching her carefully.

“He’s not here,” she said gently. “He doesn’t even know where you’re—”

A car horn blared outside.
Both women flinched.

Rylex’s heart slammed against her ribs. Dani moved to the window instantly, pushing the curtain aside just enough to peek through.

“What color was his truck again?” Dani asked.

“Black,” Rylex whispered. “Tinted windows. Headlight cracked on the left.”

Dani inhaled sharply.

“What?” Rylex asked, barely getting the word out.

Dani didn’t turn around.

“Rylex… there’s a black SUV parked across the street.”

The room tilted.
The air vanished.
Her pulse roared like thunder.

He couldn’t be here. Not this fast. Not tonight.

Dani let the curtain fall.

“You’re staying inside,” she said firmly. “Doors locked. Curtains closed. If it’s him, he’s not getting near you.”

Rylex nodded, even though every muscle in her body told her to run. She sank onto the couch and pulled her knees to her chest.

For the first time since she stepped off the bus, one truth hit her harder than all the others:

She may have left Jaxon—
but he hadn’t left her.

Not even close.

CHAPTER THREE — “THE SUV”

Dani paced the living room like a guard dog, peeking through the curtains every few minutes. Rylex couldn’t look. She didn’t want to see the shape of her past parked outside the window.

She focused on the soft hum of the refrigerator, the creak of the old floor under Dani’s feet, the faint city noise drifting in through the walls. Anything to drown out the memory of Jaxon’s voice.

“You won’t get far without me. You never have.”

Rylex rubbed her hands together, trying to force the tremor out of them. Dani noticed.

“You’re shaking,” she said softly.

“I’m fine.”

“Bullshit.”

Rylex managed a weak smile. Dani sat beside her, not too close — just close enough.

“You think he followed you from town?” Dani asked.

“I don’t know,” Rylex whispered. “He wasn’t there when I left. He didn’t try to stop me. He never does. He just… watches.”

“That’s worse.”

“I know.”

The silence settled heavy between them.

Finally, Dani sighed. “Let me see your phone.”

Rylex hesitated, then handed it over. The screen lit up with the notifications she’d been ignoring.

Three missed calls.
Five messages.
All from Jaxon.

Dani’s eyes narrowed as she read.

JAXON: You’re making a mistake.
JAXON: Answer your damn phone.
JAXON: I’m not mad. Just talk to me.
JAXON: Where are you?
JAXON: Rylex… this isn’t funny. Come home.

“He’s trying to reel you back in,” Dani said. “Classic.”

Rylex looked away. “He always does.”

“What happened tonight? What made you finally go?”

Rylex swallowed. Hard.

“I saw something,” she said. “Something in his eyes. He wasn’t yelling. He wasn’t angry. He was… empty.”

Dani raised an eyebrow. “Empty how?”

“Like he’d already decided something.” Rylex wrapped her arms around herself. “Like he’d already pictured what happened if I stayed.”

Dani’s face softened. “Oh, Ry…”

“It scared me,” Rylex whispered. “More than anything he’s ever said.”

The room fell quiet again, but not peaceful. A sharp, buzzing tension filled the air.

Dani stood and checked the window for the tenth time.

“Still there,” she muttered. “Same spot.”

Rylex’s stomach twisted.

“Do you think it’s him?” she asked.

Dani didn’t answer right away.

“I think…” she said slowly, “if it is him, he’s not getting out. He’s just watching.”

That was somehow worse.

Jaxon didn’t come at you like a storm.
He came quiet.
Slow.
Patient.

A shadow you didn’t notice until it touched your feet.

Rylex stood and moved toward the window before she could stop herself. Dani blocked her.

“No,” she said. “You don’t need to see.”

“I need to know,” Rylex whispered.

She didn’t push Dani aside — she just waited. Dani finally stepped back, letting her approach the curtain.

Rylex lifted one edge, slowly, like peeling back a wound.

Across the street, under a dying streetlamp, sat the SUV.
Black.
Tinted windows.
Engine off.
Still.

Her heart climbed into her throat.

“No…” she breathed. “That’s not his truck.”

Dani exhaled a shaky breath of relief. “Okay. Good. Good.”

“But…” Rylex’s pulse spiked. “The left headlight… it’s cracked.”

Just like his.

Her hand slipped from the curtain. It fell shut.

Dani stared at her. “Rylex—”

“We don’t know it’s him,” Rylex said quickly, stepping back. “Lots of cars have cracked headlights. Lots of black SUVs exist. It could be anyone.”

“Except you’re pale as a ghost right now,” Dani said gently.

“I just need to sleep,” Rylex insisted. “I’ll think clearer tomorrow.”

Dani didn’t argue — but she didn’t look convinced.

“Take the bedroom,” she said instead. “I’ll crash on the couch. If anything happens, I’ll hear it.”

Rylex nodded and grabbed her bag. But as she stepped into the narrow bedroom, she stopped. A chill crawled up her spine.

Her phone buzzed again.

Dani’s voice echoed from the living room: “Do not answer that.”

But Rylex had already seen the preview on her lock screen.

Only one message.

Only two words.

From Jaxon.

I know.

Her breath caught.

It didn’t say what he knew.
He didn’t need to.

And in that moment, standing in Dani’s dim bedroom while the city breathed outside the walls, Rylex felt the truth settle in her bones:

Leaving him wasn’t the end.

It was the beginning.
⭐
CHAPTER FOUR — “I Know”

Rylex stood frozen in the doorway of the bedroom, the glow of her phone lighting her face from below. The words on the screen burned into her vision.

I know.

Her heart thudded so violently she felt it in her ears. In her throat. In her fingertips. She didn’t blink. Couldn’t.

Dani’s footsteps rushed toward her.
“What is it? What did he—”

Rylex turned the screen so Dani could see.

Dani’s eyes darkened instantly. “He knows what? That you left? That you’re safe? That you’re with me?”

Rylex shook her head, her voice barely a breath. “He never explains. He just… lets you fill in the blanks.”

And that was the worst part of Jaxon Pierce— he didn’t have to threaten. He let her own imagination do the damage.

Dani took the phone gently, studying the message like it might reveal more if she glared hard enough.

“Don’t respond,” she said. “Don’t encourage him.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Good. Then go lie down.”

Rylex obeyed because she didn’t trust herself to stay upright much longer. Her legs felt hollow, like she was balancing on splintered wood. She dropped onto the bed, the springs whining beneath her.

The room was dim, curtains drawn tight.
It should’ve felt safe.
It didn’t.

She lay on her back staring at the ceiling, trying to breathe in slow, steady ripples. But every inhale came sharp and uneven.

Her brain wouldn’t quiet.

He doesn’t know where I am. He can’t. I didn’t tell anyone except Dani and my sister. I used cash. I bought the bus ticket last minute. He didn’t follow me. He couldn’t have followed me.

But the cracked headlight.
The black SUV.
The message.

Her pulse skittered.

A floorboard creaked in the hallway.
Rylex sat up instantly, breath held.

Then Dani’s voice drifted through the door, tired but calm.
“Just me, Ry. Getting water.”

Rylex relaxed an inch.

Just an inch.

She lay back down, pulling the blanket to her chest, gripping the fabric until her knuckles ached. The exhaustion washed over her in heavy waves until her eyes finally slipped closed.

She dreamed of Jaxon.

But not in the way she used to — not the yelling, not the fists through walls, not the twisted apologies.

She dreamed of him sitting in his recliner, the TV flickering on his face, that empty expression she’d seen earlier that night.

The emptiness that made her leave.

In the dream, he turned his head slowly, looking straight at her.
His voice was low, steady, familiar.

“Hope… you think I won’t find you?”

Her eyes snapped open.

Someone was knocking.

Three slow, heavy knocks.

Knuckles against wood.
Not loud.
Not frantic.

Controlled.

Rylex’s blood ran cold.

She slipped out of bed and crept toward the door, every step silent, her body trembling so hard she had to grip the wall. She pressed her ear to the door.

Dani whispered from the living room, “Rylex… stay in the room. Don’t move.”

But Rylex was already there.

The knocks came again.

Dani approached the front door, voice steadying itself like someone preparing to walk onto thin ice.

“Who is it?” she called.

A beat of silence.

Then a man’s voice, muffled but smooth:

“Hey. Sorry to bother you. I’m… looking for someone.”

Rylex’s stomach twisted.

Dani didn’t open the door. “Who?”

Another pause. A soft chuckle — polite, practiced.

“Rylex Carter.”

Rylex’s hand flew to her mouth.

Dani’s eyes widened, flicking toward the bedroom door. She spoke louder this time, firm.

“No one by that name lives here.”

“Oh,” the man said lightly. “My mistake.”

Footsteps followed — slow ones — fading down the hall.

Dani stayed still, listening.
Rylex didn’t breathe.

Thirty seconds.
A minute.
Two.

Finally, Dani cracked the curtains just enough to peek.

Her whisper was sharp and terrified:

“Rylex… the SUV is gone.”

Rylex’s knees buckled. She caught the wall, dropping to a crouch as tears stung her eyes.

Dani rushed to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

“It’s okay,” she said. “We’re going to figure this out.”

But Rylex shook her head violently.

“No,” she choked out. “You don’t understand.”

She lifted her face, pale as moonlight.

“That wasn’t Jaxon’s voice.”

Dani froze.

“What do you mean?”

Rylex swallowed.

“I mean… whoever that was… that wasn’t him.”

Her whole body shivered.

“And if it wasn’t Jaxon…”
Her voice cracked.

“…then someone else is looking for me.”