Fated reborn - Chapter 208: Chapter 208

Victor's Pov.
I watched Clara for a long moment, the soft rise and fall of her breathing, the way her features relaxed in sleep. She looked peaceful, but I knew better. No one walked away from a night like this unshaken—at least, not unless they had seen it before. And that’s what got to me.
She should be shaken.
Hell, any normal person would be. Seeing someone shot down in front of you, feeling the danger creeping around the edges of your world—it does something to you. It changes you. But Clara? She barely flinched. She carried herself like she had been here before, like she knew exactly how to move past it without letting it crack through her surface.
That wasn't normal. Not for someone like her.
I glanced at Mrs. Moon, her fingers still methodically weaving, never once missing a loop. It was almost hypnotic, watching her work. She was older, wise in that quiet way that told me she had seen more than she ever let on. I had a feeling Clara got more than just her name from her mother.
I leaned back into the couch, exhaling slowly. This whole situation was getting more complicated by the second. Henry being gone didn’t mean things were settling down—it just meant a new storm was brewing. There were too many unanswered questions, too many loose ends that needed tying up. And Clara was right in the middle of it.
She didn’t belong in this world, yet she moved through it like she’d known it all her life.
I rubbed my face, feeling the weight of exhaustion start to press down on me. My mind was still racing, piecing things together, trying to figure out where this was all leading. There was something I was missing, something just out of reach. I needed to get closer to Clara, to understand what she wasn’t saying.
Because she was hiding something. That much, I was sure of.
Clara shifted in her sleep, murmuring something under her breath. I didn’t catch it, but whatever it was, it sounded troubled.
I sighed, pushing myself to my feet. I should leave. I had done my part, made sure she was safe. But something kept me planted there, my feet rooted to the ground like walking away wasn’t an option. Not yet.
Mrs. Moon finally looked up from her weaving, her sharp gaze settling on me.
“You care about her,” she said simply.
I met her eyes, feeling like she could see straight through me. “She’s important.”
Mrs. Moon hummed, setting her weaving aside. “She doesn’t let many people in.”
I nodded. “I’ve noticed.”
She studied me for a long moment before giving a small nod, like she had just come to some kind of decision. “Don’t hurt her.”
I didn’t hesitate. “I won’t.”
She seemed satisfied with that and went back to her weaving, like our conversation had never happened. But her words lingered.
I glanced at Clara again, taking in the way she curled into the couch, the soft crease in her brow. She had walls up, ones she had built carefully over time. I had seen it before—the way people tried to protect themselves by keeping others at arm’s length. But walls could only hold for so long before they cracked.
And I had a feeling Clara’s were already starting to weaken.
I took a seat again, my gaze flicking to the window. The city was alive outside, streetlights flickering, cars passing by, people going on with their lives, oblivious to the kind of night we had just survived.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning.
Henry was gone, but that didn’t mean the danger was. If anything, it meant we had just put a target on our backs. Someone was going to come looking. Someone was going to want answers. And when they did, we had to be ready.
Clara stirred again, her lashes fluttering before her eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few times, focusing on me, a small frown forming between her brows.
“You’re still here,” she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.
I smirked. “You say that like you expected me to be gone.”
She shifted, sitting up slightly. “I did.”
“Well, sorry to disappoint.”
She let out a small breath, brushing her fingers through her hair. “You don’t have to babysit me, you know.”
I leaned forward, resting my arms on my knees. “Maybe not. But I want to.”
She didn’t say anything to that, just held my gaze like she was searching for something. Whatever she found, it made her lips press into a thin line.
“I’m fine, Victor.”
I tilted my head. “Are you?”
She hesitated, just for a second, but it was enough.
“You’re used to this,” I said, watching her reaction closely. “Aren’t you?”
Her jaw tightened, and for the first time tonight, I saw a crack in her armor. It was small, barely noticeable, but it was there.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
“Yeah, you do.”
Silence stretched between us again, heavier this time.
Finally, she sighed, rubbing her fingers over her temples. “It’s late, Victor.”
“That it is.”
She gave me a pointed look, clearly waiting for me to leave. But I wasn’t ready to walk away just yet. Not until I knew more.
“You ever going to tell me what you’re hiding?” I asked.
Her lips parted like she was about to deny it again, but then she stopped herself. Instead, she just looked at me, her expression unreadable.
“Goodnight, Victor.”
I sighed, pushing myself up. “Fine. I’ll go.”
She watched me as I made my way to the door, her gaze lingering just a little too long. I paused with my hand on the knob, turning back to her.
“This isn’t over, Clara.”
A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “It never is.”
I nodded once, then stepped out into the night. The cool air hit me, but it did nothing to clear my mind.
Something was coming.
And I had a feeling that when it did, Clara and I were going to be right in the middle of it.
Whether we liked it or not.