ログイン"Are you going to keep staring at that coffee, or are you actually going to drink it?"The familiar voice pulled Ezekiel from his thoughts as he stood beside the hospital vending machine, a paper cup cooling between his hands.He glanced up to find one of the nurses smiling at him knowingly."I wasn't aware I was being noticed," he replied with a faint smile.The nurse laughed softly before shaking her head."You and your sister, both are the same. Despite being tired and exhausted, always have a smile on your faces, it's a kind of smile that can enlighten anyone's day." Ezekiel lowered his gaze to the untouched coffee, if only his worries began and ended with hospital visits."It became a routine to me," he said quietly. "And, I'm fine!" The nurse looked unconvinced but decided not to argue. After a brief farewell, she disappeared down the hallway, leaving Ezekiel alone once more.The smile vanished from his face almost immediately.His grip tightened around the paper cup as his ga
∆NO POV∆"Do you really think I want any of this to happen, Maddy?" Ezekiel huffed, exhaustion seeping into his voice.The confrontation had left him drained, and even after Maddison stormed out, the words of Maddison continued to echo through his mind like a relentless haunting. Each accusation lingered, digging deeper into wounds Ezekiel had been trying desperately to ignore.Hours slipped by in a blur of uneasy silence, the apartment growing dim as evening settled over the city lights visible through the windows. Ezekiel retreated to the solitude of his room, the door clicked shut behind him like a barrier against the world. He sank onto the edge of the bed, elbows braced on his knees, mind churning through layers of deception and strategy.His phone buzzed softly on the nightstand, drawing him from the spiral. A message from Ariana waited there, a photo attachment. He opened it with trembling fingers, and the image filled the screen, it's a candid shot she'd secretly captured
••NO POV••"Sorin, are you busy?" Ezekiel asked in a light, and casual tone. "I apologize if I'm interrupting anything. I just wanted to know when Zachary will be back. I tried calling him, but he is unavailable and out of network, so I thought I'd give you a call instead."He leaned against the kitchen counter with his phone pressed to his ear. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the blinds, painting striped shadows across the polished marble floor. On the surface, his voice remained easy and relaxed, but it felt like a carefully crafted mask stretched too tightly over the tension etched into his features.However, from the other end, Sorin paused just long enough for suspicion to bleed through the line. "Since when do you call me for idle chit-chat about schedules, Ezekiel? As far as I know you don't even answer Zachary's call and you calling me by yourself is really surprising." Sorin's voice carried that familiar edge, sharp and probing, like a blade testing for weaknesses.
"Are you absolutely sure about this plan?"Ryan's voice sounded strained now, almost as if he hoped Ezekiel would suddenly laugh and admit everything had been a joke.Unfortunately, neither of them laughed and the office remained wrapped in silence while rain tapped softly against the windows outside.Ezekiel sat quietly across from him, his expression calm despite the storm raging inside his chest.The reality was simple, he had already run out of choices.Raymond wanted Zachary and Ariana was being watched.Someone was digging into his father's past once again, and somewhere in the middle of all that chaos stood Ezekiel himself, alone, cornered, most importantly running out of time."I don't have another option," Ezekiel admitted quietly.Ryan immediately shook his head. "No. That's exactly what scares me." "What do you mean?" Ezekiel frowned slightly while rubbing his temples.Ryan leaned forward across the desk. "What you're planning isn't a backup plan buddy." His expression ha
∆NO POV∆"Are you alright?"Ryan's voice sounded distant at first, almost as if it were coming from the other side of a long tunnel.Ezekiel blinked slowly, and the hallway outside Raymond's office tilted slightly before settling back into place.For several seconds, he simply stood there staring at nothing while Raymond's words echoed relentlessly through his mind.Photographs, threats, Ariana and most importantly deadline of one week, the pressure inside his chest felt unbearable."Zeke."A hand landed firmly on his shoulder, this time he reacted.Ryan was standing directly in front of him now, concern written plainly across his face. "Dude, are you okay?"Ezekiel forced a nod.Unfortunately, Ryan looked completely unconvinced, he just grabbed Ezekiel's arm before guiding him down the hallway."You look like you're about to collapse.""I'm fine.""That was the weakest lie I've heard this month."Ezekiel wanted to argue, he really did and the problem was that he no longer trusted his
∆NO POV∆"This all started because of you, Chief Raymond."The accusation landed heavily between them, sharp enough to make the older man visibly pause. For the first time since the conversation began, a flicker of surprise crossed Raymond's face before it was quickly replaced by irritation."Me?" He frowned deeply, leaning back in his chair as if he had just heard something absurd. "What the hell are you talking about, Ezekiel?"Ezekiel held his gaze without backing down. "You're the one who assigned me to get close to Zachary. You're the one who wanted information, access, and evidence. You gave me the mission, and now you're acting surprised because I did exactly what was necessary to complete it."Raymond's expression darkened slightly as the words settled in the room."So if anyone is responsible for this situation," Ezekiel continued calmly, "it's not me. It's you."However, Raymond quietly took a breath of relief. For a brief moment, he had assumed Ezekiel was about to reveal
∆NO POV∆"No... That can't be true." Zachary’s voice was no longer merely cold or commanding. It was something far more dangerous now, something fractured under the unbearable pressure of fear. For perhaps the first time in his life, Zachary truly understood what desperation meant.The room itself
••NO POV••"Little one!"For the first time since Zachary had met Ezekiel, his voice cracked with something no one had ever heard from him before, real, raw, and terrifying fear.The moment Ezekiel’s body slammed into his, shielding him from Raymond’s bullet, everything around Zachary seemed to sto
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"Stay sharp. Something feels off."Ryan’s voice came through the comm device clipped near his collar as our vehicle finally slowed near Sector Four, the fake location I had deliberately planted.The abandoned industrial zone looked exactly how I expected it to.Silent, empty and dead.
∆EZEKIEL POV∆"Zeke, get ready. We are going to make a move tonight."Ryan’s voice came through the phone sharp and urgent, instantly pulling me out of the suffocating spiral my thoughts had been trapped in. I frowned and gripped the phone tighter, a cold feeling already spreading through my chest.







