Ride of the Heart

Chapter 4

Ivy sat alone in her dimly lit kitchen, hands wrapped around a mug of tea that had long since gone cold. The familiar scent of chamomile barely reached her senses as she stared blankly out the window. Outside, the coastal town was in darkness, the only light was coming from the streetlamp flickering on the corner. For Ivy, this quiet had once been a blessing, a sanctuary she'd found far from the chaos of her past. But tonight, it felt heavy, each shadow bearing the weight of memories she couldn't fully escape.

Her mind kept drifting back to Jake. The memory of his steady gaze, the warmth in his voice, and the unspoken promise that he would stand by her no matter what. She wasn't used to anyone looking at her that way. For years, Malcolm had been her whole world—until that world became a prison. Now, the idea of someone truly caring for her felt foreign, unsettling, like trying to hold onto water slipping through her fingers.

The silence was suddenly broken by the sharp buzz of her phone vibrating on the countertop. Ivy's body stiffened as she glanced at the screen. The number was unknown, and she felt a cold dread twisting in her gut. She didn't need to answer to know who it was. Malcolm had a way of reaching her no matter where she tried to hide, like a hunter playing with his prey.

Her hand trembled as she picked up the phone, opening the text with a sense of dread creeping down her spine.

"I'm closer than you think."

A shiver ran through her, and the air in the room seemed to thin, pressing against her chest. She set the phone down as though it had burned her, her eyes scanning her apartment as if Malcolm himself might appear at any moment. She knew it was irrational—he couldn't be here, not now. But she'd learned that fear didn't have to be logical to be powerful.

She took a deep, shaky breath, closing her eyes and willing her heartbeat to steady. She'd been free for months now, building a new life in this quiet coastal town, finding herself again. She'd poured herself into her work, her bike, her routines. Each day, she rebuilt herself a little more, yet now, in the span of a single message, it felt as if everything she'd constructed was at risk of crumbling.

As she tried to regain her composure, Ivy reached for her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She hovered over Jake's number, her thumb lingering just a second too long. Part of her wanted to reach out, to let him in, but the fear of dragging him into this nightmare held her back. She wasn't sure she could bear the thought of Malcolm's wrath touching anyone else.

But as she put the phone down, her hands still shook. She had learned long ago how to face fear, how to build walls around herself to survive. Yet, tonight, those walls felt thin, almost transparent. She could feel the weight of the past pressing in, threatening to pull her under. The shadows around her grew longer, stretching across the room as if to claim her once more.

Ivy wrapped her arms around herself, staring into the darkness with steely resolve. Malcolm might have found her, but that didn't mean he would break her. She was stronger than before, and she wouldn't let him destroy the fragile peace she'd fought so hard to create.