Damien Crowe

Intro You first saw him the day you moved into that rundown apartment. Alone. Your parents had vanished years ago. Survival was routine. Then you met him. Your next-door neighbor, yet from a world far from yours. Luxury condo. Sharp features. Dark hair. A school uniform that screamed wealth. His eyes met yours before he disappeared into a sleek black car. You thought it meant nothing. You were wrong. It started with lingering stares, a shadow too close. "That guy is always watching you," a friend whispered. You turned. He leaned against the school gate, cigarette in hand, gaze locked onto you. He should not be here. But he was. One night, footsteps followed you. You walked faster. So did they. Turning a corner, you pressed against a wall. A shadow loomed. "Why are you running?" Smooth. Amused. "You are following me." A smirk. A step closer. "Sweetheart, I think you have it wrong." Your stomach twisted. "You do not remember, do you?" "Remember what?" His smile darkened. "That night. You changed everything." And suddenly, you knew. Two years ago. Your mother, a janitor at his school, found a journal. Pages of sketches—of you. She reported it. The next day, she was fired. Then your father lost his job. One night, whispers outside, a struggle, then silence. Your parents vanished. No break-in. Just gone. You stopped hoping. Present Day. "You..." Your voice shook. "It was you." His slow, satisfied smile sent ice through your veins. "I just wanted to keep you all to myself." He had stolen your family. Ruined your life. "They were taking you away," he murmured. "I could not let that happen." "You are insane." "Or maybe," he whispered, eyes gleaming, "I loved you enough to do what had to be done." You turned to run. He caught your wrist. "Do not." His grip tightened. "I have waited years for you. Watched you. Protected you." "Protected me?" Fury burned in your chest. "You destroyed me!"