Falling for my Enemy's Brother-Chapter 50: Eyes in the dark

Frozen in place, her body refused to obey even the slightest command.

Her legs felt like they didn’t belong to her anymore, heavy, locked in place, rooted to the cold cracked ground outside Eclipse Club.

The shadow was still there, still watching. Just standing at the edge of the alley as if daring her to come closer.

Merlina’s body twitched, her muscles tight with panic, but she didn’t take a step.

She wanted to. God, she wanted to rush forward, demand to know who it was, why they were there, if they had been recording her.

But fear held her back.

Not just fear—everything. The blackmail. The video. That damn letter.

The truth she had just learned about her mother.

Her chest tightened. Her pulse thudded like it was trying to escape her body. The air felt thick, sharp in her lungs.

What if they saw everything?

What if they heard what Conor said?

What if they already have the video?

She took one trembling step forward.

And just like that, the figure bolted. A blur of movement swallowed by the shadows. Gone.

Swallowed by the alley like they’d never been there at all.

"Wait," she whispered, but her voice cracked in the middle. Too late. They were already gone.

Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to make sense of the darkness. But it was useless. Whoever it was had vanished.

Her hands were clammy. Her throat burned.

Slowly, she forced herself to walk toward the spot where the figure had been. Her shoes scraped against the gravel, each sound louder than it should be.

Then something on the ground.

A small object catching what little light there was.

She knelt slowly, swallowing hard. Her fingers hovered above it for a second, trembling, before she picked it up.

A cheap broken keychain. Plastic. A cracked cartoon heart dangling by a metal ring. Probably meaningless.

But in this moment, it felt like a threat.

She stared at it, her hands shaking.

Then a touch on her arm.

She screamed. Spun around so fast she nearly lost her balance.

"Merlina! It’s me, it’s just me, Louis!"

His voice broke through the panic. She blinked, chest heaving, heart banging in her ears like a warning bell.

Louis raised his hands, backing off a step. "Hey, hey. I didn’t mean to scare you."

Her mouth opened, but no words came. She felt the tears on her face now. Sticky. Cold. Shameful.

Louis’s eyes softened as he looked at her. "You’ve been crying?"

"I’m fine," she muttered, wiping her sleeve across her face, even though she wasn’t. Her hands wouldn’t stop trembling.

He looked at her like he didn’t believe a word. "What are you doing out here? Alone? What happened?"

She clutched the broken keychain tighter. "Someone was here. I think someone was recording me. I—I saw someone."

Louis’s expression changed instantly. He glanced over his shoulder into the alley. "You sure?"

"I felt it. I know it." Her voice broke on the last word. "They were just standing there. Watching."

"Do you see anyone now?"

She shook her head, swallowing back the rising panic. "No. They ran."

Louis took a deep breath, then wrapped an arm around her. "Let’s get the hell out of here."

She didn’t argue. Her body moved on instinct, numb as he walked her toward his car. The club behind them grew smaller, quieter, until it disappeared. She slid into the passenger seat, the door closing with a dull thud that echoed like the end of something.

She stared down at the keychain in her hand.

Something was wrong.

Deeply, terribly wrong.

And whoever had been watching... they weren’t finished.

Louis glanced over at her, worry etched into every line of his face.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. "What did you and Conor talk about?"

He wasn’t driving yet. Just sitting there, one hand resting loosely on the steering wheel, the other hovering like he wasn’t sure if he should reach for her or give her space.

Merlina stared straight ahead, her grip tightening around the broken keychain in her lap. Her throat felt raw. Her mind a blur.

She didn’t answer right away. She couldn’t.

Because how do you explain something that shattered everything you thought you knew?

"I asked him about everything," she said softly, voice stripped raw. "He denied it. He said he didn’t kill her."

Louis looked at her, brows drawn. "So what did he say?"

Her throat tightened. The words pressed up like acid.

How could she tell him that her mother had been having an affair with Conor Lesnar? That in the video, she hadn’t looked like a victim, but something far worse, desperate. That she had wanted him. Maybe even more than she had ever wanted her own family.

"That he didn’t do it," she murmured again, turning her face toward the window. "That he cared about her. That’s all."

Louis’s voice was gentler now. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head, but it wasn’t convincing.

"No," she whispered, but her whole body told another story. She was trembling, her shoulders tight with tension she couldn’t release. Her fingers dug into the fabric of her jeans like she was holding herself together by force.

"You’re crying. You’re shaking," he said, voice firmer now. "Merlina, that’s not okay. Something’s up."

"It just brought up memories," she said quietly. "Memories I thought I’d buried."

He didn’t speak after that. The silence inside the car was heavy, humming with things neither of them could name.

Then, like a flicker of static, her mind snapped back. A thought, sharp and suspicious.

How did he know she was there?

She turned her head slowly. "Louis... how did you know I was at Eclipse?"

He hesitated for a beat too long.

Instead of answering, he asked, "Why didn’t you tell me you were going to see Conor?"

"I just... I don’t know." Her voice broke.

"You don’t trust me?" he asked.

"Of course I trust you. You know I do."

"Do you want to know how I found out?" he said, eyes on the road but voice low, bitter. "It was humiliating."

She blinked, confused. "How?"

"Craig," he spat the name.

Her breath caught. "Craig Lesnar?" she repeated, startled. "Craig told you I was here?"

"Yeah," Louis said. "He came up to me. Asked if I knew where my girlfriend was. Then he said you were here at Eclipse, talking to Conor. And he just walked away. Like he was proud of himself. Like he knew something I didn’t."

Merlina’s mind raced back to Conor’s voice. ’I never told anyone. Not even Craig.’

Did Craig really not know about the affair? Or had he found out another way? Was that why he was so sure his brother was innocent?

Louis kept talking. "I panicked. I didn’t know where you were. I rushed over, and when I saw you shaking and crying. I knew something was wrong. Why didn’t you call me?"

"I know," she said, closing her eyes. "I’m sorry. I just... I needed to do it alone. I didn’t want it to be about you or Craig or the past. I just wanted answers."

He clenched his jaw. "So I’m a distraction now?"

"No," she said quickly, her hands flying to her face. "Please, Louis. I can’t do this right now. Everything’s crashing down around me. I can’t—"

Her words died as a buzz came from her phone, vibrating once beside her.

She froze.

The weight in her chest returned, heavier, colder. She looked over at the phone in her hand, heart thudding.

Unknown Number:

’I told you to stay away from the Lesnars. Look where that got you.’

Her insides dropped, heavy and numb, the moment she saw the message.

"What is it?" Louis asked, eyes narrowing as he caught the shift in her expression. "Merlina?"

She didn’t answer.

She couldn’t.

Her whole body went cold.

She flung the car door open and stepped out into the night, air slicing through her like knives. Her hands trembled violently as she stared at the screen again.

Then without thinking she opened the phone, pulled out the SIM card, dropped it onto the pavement, and crushed it beneath her heel.

She threw the phone as hard as she could. It hit the ground with a loud crack and slid across the empty street.

Louis jumped out of the car, alarmed. "Merlina—!"

But before he could reach her, her legs gave out.

She dropped to her knees.

And this time she didn’t hold it in.

She collapsed against him as he reached her, falling into his arms like her body was finally admitting it couldn’t take any more. The sobs tore out of her, wild, broken, gut-wrenching.

Louis held her close, shielding her from the night, whispering something she couldn’t hear.

But nothing could quiet the scream inside her mind.

She was being watched. She knew it.

And she was right.

Because not far away, parked down the street, headlights off, engine silent, a pair of eyes followed their every move.

Craig Lesnar sat behind the wheel, face steady, locked down tight.

Jaw clenched.

Eyes glued.

Watching.