CHAPTER V
The Distance I Choose
Nexa's Point of View
I slipped into my car — the door shutting behind me with a quiet thud, sealing me inside my own controlled space. A sanctuary of silence. Of rules. Of distance.
Malti and Jenny would follow in another car. That was the arrangement. Not because I asked them to… but because they knew me well enough by now.
I don't like people sitting beside me.
I don't like anyone touching my things — my seat, my bag, my mirror, my space.
Not even those closest to me.
It's not personal. At least… not entirely.
I don't know when it started, this aversion to closeness in confined spaces. Maybe it was back when I realized that the people who sat beside me the longest were also the ones who eventually left — or worse, stayed only to break me slowly.
Whatever the reason, this car became my boundary. The one place that was truly mine — untouched, unshared. Controlled.
People say I'm cold. Maybe I am.
But I'd rather be cold in my own silence than warm in forced company.
Malti understands — even if she doesn't like it. She's loud, unpredictable, and chaotic in all the ways I'm not… but she's never tried to cross that line.
And Jenny? She just nods. Quiet, gentle Jenny — who knows exactly when to push and exactly when to pull away.
They're following me now. I can see their car in the rearview mirror.
A part of me feels guilty, like I should have let them ride with me — laughed with them, shared stories, acted like a real friend. But guilt is a feeling I've long since learned to bury beneath reason.
Because this is who I am.
Alone — not because I don't have anyone.
But because I choose to be.
This car is more than just metal and leather and tinted glass.
It's my silence.
My rules.
My escape.
And tonight, as I drive toward a house I never truly felt at home in — toward a father who expects perfection and a mother who wears masks better than I do — I need this bubble of isolation.
Because when I arrive…
I'll have to pretend.
Pretend to be happy.
Pretend to be their daughter again.
Pretend the memories of their neglect don't still weigh on my bones.
So for now, I drive. Alone.
And I breathe.
Because once I get there…
I won't get to breathe again for a very long time.
The Stranger in Velvet Shadows
Nexa's Point of View
The highway roared beneath my tires, the world around me a blur of lights and shadows. My car was flying — full speed, clean glide, no interruptions. Just the sound of the engine and the silence I craved so desperately.
But then…
Something shifted.
Something I couldn't see — but I felt it.
The steering wheel twitched under my hands. The brakes pressed gently without me touching them. My pulse quickened. Someone… something… was controlling my car.
And before I could process the how or why — the car came to a complete stop.
Just like that.
I didn't wait to think. I flung the door open, stepping out with my special knife hidden tightly in my hand. My senses were sharp, alert, trained on the unseen. I was ready.
But I wasn't fast enough.
Cold steel kissed my throat before I could even blink.
The very same knife I had drawn — now pressed against my neck. Poetic, really.
I froze.
Not out of fear, but calculation.
I knew when to strike. And I knew this wasn't that time.
So I slid my knife back into its sheath — quiet, careful, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to bite.
Behind me… I felt her.
Not saw. Felt.
Her breath grazed my skin — soft, measured. Her presence was undeniable. Her grip, steady. But it wasn't just strength I sensed… it was something else. Something unmistakably feminine. The curve of her fingers, the silk of her skin, the rhythm of her breathing. She was a woman.
And I say that not out of assumption, but certainty.
I never miscalculate people.
"Don't move," she said. Her voice was low, calm — not threatening, but commanding. "Do as I say, and no one gets hurt."
I gave a slight nod.
She didn't hesitate. "Get in the car," she ordered.
But before I could move, she was already inside — sliding into the passenger seat like she owned it, like she'd done this a hundred times.
Impressive.
I followed, taking my place behind the wheel, and for a brief moment… I allowed myself a glance.
One glance.
And it was enough to shake me more than the blade ever could.
She was stunning. But not in a fragile, delicate way. No — she was wild beauty. Big, enchanting eyes, so otherworldly in color they didn't belong to any species I'd ever encountered — and trust me, I've met them all.
Witch? Vampire? Fairy? Dracula? Werewolf?
She could've been any of them. Or none. Maybe something else entirely.
She wore a party dress — elegant, dark, shimmering like midnight silk. Either she had escaped from a celebration or was on her way to one. Either way, she didn't belong here… in my car… on this empty stretch of highway.
Then she spoke again.
"Turn the car toward Omega Mansion. I have to get to the birthday party. I'm expected there — I'm a guest of the Chief Minister's daughter."
The irony nearly made me laugh.
If only she knew who she was sitting beside.
The Chief Minister's daughter — the very person she was searching for…
Was me.
I didn't say a word. I just looked at her once, then turned the car around.
She had no idea what she had walked into.
No idea who she had just threatened.
No idea what I was capable of.
No idea that the moment we arrived at the mansion…
She would no longer be the one in control.
Because I was already planning.
Planning how to unmask her.
How to find out who she was.
Why she wanted into Omega Mansion.
What her real reason was.
And when the time was right…
I'd make sure she realized exactly whose throat she had held a knife to.
Let her enjoy the ride for now.
Because when we reached the gates…
I'd be the one holding the blade.
To be continued…