"Who is he?" Jade whispered, her voice barely audible.

Lucas’s jaw clenched. "Someone I thought I’d left behind."

Before Jade could ask more, the man knocked—three sharp raps against the wood that seemed to echo in the quiet cottage. Lucas took a step forward, his hand hovering over the door handle. For a moment, he hesitated, as if weighing whether to open it or not.

Then, with a deep breath, he pulled the door open.

The man standing outside was tall, dressed in a sleek black coat that made him look like he had just stepped out of a corporate boardroom, not a small seaside town. His dark hair was slicked back, and his eyes—cold, calculating—settled on Lucas with a chilling familiarity.

"Lucas," the man said smoothly, his voice carrying a hint of menace. "It’s been a while."

Jade instinctively stepped back, her gut telling her that this man was bad news. Lucas didn’t respond right away, his posture tense, like he was preparing for a confrontation.

"What do you want, Damon?" Lucas finally asked, his tone clipped.

Damon’s lips curled into a smirk as he casually glanced past Lucas and into the cottage. His eyes briefly landed on Jade, and the cold look in them made her skin crawl.

"I’m just here to talk," Damon said, his voice deceptively calm. "You didn’t really think you could disappear without consequences, did you?"

Lucas’s expression darkened. "I’m done with that life. You know that."

"Do you really think it’s that simple?" Damon asked, stepping closer. "You can’t just walk away, Lucas. You owe a debt, and debts have to be paid."

Jade’s mind raced, trying to piece together what was happening. Lucas had mentioned leaving the city, needing a break—but this… this felt like something much darker.

"I don’t owe you anything," Lucas snapped, his voice hardening. "I’m not part of that world anymore."

Damon chuckled, a low, unsettling sound. "You may not want to be, but that doesn’t change the facts. You were part of it, and you left loose ends. I’m just here to remind you of that."

Lucas’s hands balled into fists at his sides, his knuckles white with tension. Jade could see the conflict in his eyes—the urge to fight, to defend himself, but also the weariness of someone who had been running for too long.

"Leave," Lucas said, his voice steely. "Whatever business you think we have, it’s over."

Damon’s smirk faded, replaced by a cold, calculating stare. "You can’t outrun this, Lucas. Sooner or later, it’s going to catch up to you." He glanced at Jade again, his gaze lingering for a moment longer than necessary. "And it looks like you’ve got more to lose now."

Something inside Jade snapped at the implication. She wasn’t some pawn in whatever game this was. Taking a step forward, she met Damon’s gaze head-on, her voice firm.

"You need to leave," she said, her heart pounding in her chest, but her voice steady. "Now."

Damon raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by her defiance. "Feisty," he said, his eyes flicking between her and Lucas. "I wonder if she knows who you really are."

Before Jade could respond, Lucas stepped in front of her, shielding her from Damon’s gaze. "You’ve said your piece," Lucas growled. "Now get out."

Damon’s smirk returned as he took a step back, his hands raised in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. I’m leaving. But consider this a warning, Lucas. You can’t hide forever."

With that, Damon turned and walked back to his car, the sound of his footsteps crunching against the gravel breaking the tension in the air. Lucas didn’t move until the car had pulled away, disappearing down the narrow road that led out of town.

The moment the car was out of sight, Jade let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She turned to Lucas, her mind swirling with questions, but the look on his face stopped her. He was pale, his jaw tight, his eyes staring at the ground like he was lost in thought.

"Lucas," Jade said softly, stepping closer to him. "What just happened? Who was he?"

Lucas let out a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair. "Damon is… someone from my past. A past I’ve been trying to forget."

Jade frowned, her curiosity and concern growing. "What kind of past? Lucas, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on."

For a moment, Lucas didn’t answer. He seemed to be struggling with something, as if part of him wanted to tell her but the other part was still holding back. Finally, he sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"I used to be involved with… people," he said, his voice low. "Bad people. Damon was one of them. I thought I could get out, that I could leave it all behind when I moved here. But I guess I was wrong."

Jade’s heart sank. She had sensed that Lucas was carrying some kind of burden, but she hadn’t expected this. She wanted to ask more, to dig deeper into the truth of his past, but she could see the pain in his eyes—the guilt, the regret.

"I didn’t want to bring this here," Lucas continued, his voice heavy with remorse. "I didn’t want to drag you into it."

Jade shook her head, stepping closer to him. "Lucas, you didn’t drag me into anything. I’m here because I want to be. But you have to let me in. You can’t keep shutting me out."

Lucas looked at her, his eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and guilt. "I don’t want you to get hurt, Jade. That’s the last thing I want."

"I can take care of myself," Jade said, her voice firm. "But we can’t face this alone. Whatever this is, we deal with it together."

For the first time since Damon had shown up, Lucas smiled—just a small, tired smile, but it was enough to make Jade’s heart ache.

"Okay," he said quietly. "Together."

But even as the words left his mouth, Jade couldn’t shake the feeling that things were far from over. Damon’s visit was just the beginning, and whatever storm was coming, they were only just starting to feel the first gusts of wind.