Samantha's POV
The knock sounded in the stillness, its sharpness slicing over my ideas like a razor. My heart racing, I froze and held my palm over the door handle. Though I wasn't sure what I had anticipated, seeing that familiar face staring back at me through the peephole sent off a flood of contradictory emotions—shock, fear, and a sliver of optimism I hadn't let myself feel in a very long time.
"Open up, Samantha," the voice said, this time calmer but with an eagerness that left no space for delay. "We should talk." Just now.
I turned to Alex, whose body coiled with nervousness as he watched me. His voice low, he whispered, "Who is it?" yet I could see the anxiety flickering in his eyes.
My throat constricted, I said, "It's... someone I used to know." There was no time to elabora
