Charles was breathing very hard, his chest rising and falling like waves crashing on a shore. His face had gone pale, torn with grief, rage, and heartbreak tangled into one, damp with sweat and tears. He didnât look at me when he spoke again.âKevin became blinded by greed,â he said, his voice hoarse. âHe wanted more money. Even when it was clear we were running out of time, he still wanted more. I begged him, Mia. I pleaded with him. I told him ten million was enough. Enough to start over somewhere far away where no one knew us. We could disappear, begin a new life.âHis hand curled into a fist, his eyes burning. âBut he didnât care. He looked at me and said, âWhy leave with just ten million if we could have more?â Like it was nothing. Like it was chips on a damn table.â Charles let out a dry, bitter laugh.âI wanted to leave him there. God knows I did. I had that bag in my hand. I was halfway to the door. ButâĶ heâs my brother, Mia. My twin, my other half. I couldnât just go.â His vo
The moment I realized Charles had slammed the gun far from his reach, something inside me lit up. He'd lost gripâliterally and emotionallyâand that gave me an edge. He was unraveling, and I knew I was getting him exactly where I needed him to be.After he screamed that Kevin betrayed him first, I clapped slowly, loudly, my eyes wide with mock amusement. "Bravo!" I shouted. "Really, that's your defense? That's all you've got?"His face twisted in confusion and anger. "You expect me to believe that nonsense?" I snapped. "You really want me to believe that Kevinâwho isn't even here to defend himselfâis the villain, and you're the poor, misunderstood twin? No, Charles. From where I stand, it's pretty damn obvious you're the one who betrayed him.""Shut up!" he barked. "You don't know what you're saying. You don't know anything!""I know what I see," I said, stepping closer, careful to keep my voice firm. "You're sitting here, pretending to be him, threatening me, abusing Ravenâwhile Kevin
âRaven!!â I screamed, louder than I ever had, shaking Raven and tapping her cheeks. âRaven! Raven, wake up! Donât do this to me!âMy voice cracked, my heart pounding as I knelt beside her limp body. Tears blurred my vision as I kept slapping her face lightly, desperate for a response. Nothing. She wasnât moving. Her lips were pale. Her skin felt colder by the second.I tapped again, this time harder, pressing my trembling hand against her cheek. Behind me, Charles chuckled, slow and mocking. He was twirling the pistol in his hand like it was a toy. His legs were crossed, his face relaxed, like watching me break was entertainment.âNo use screaming, sweetheart,â he said. âThis whole place is soundproof. You could wail till your lungs collapse, no one would hear a thing.â He winked. He winked at me?!That wink. That stupid, smug wink. Something inside me snapped like a rubber band stretched too far. I wiped my tears with the back of my hand. My cheeks were damp, my makeup a mess. My hea
As I stepped into the compound, my eyes scanned the surroundings instinctively. The house was magnificentâan impressive white-marbled exterior with long glass windows, trimmed hedges at the base, and black tiled stairs leading up to the main entrance. It screamed wealth.The driveway curved inwards like a private crescent, sleek and clean. But my gaze froze. Parked close to the entrance was the carâthe exact one I saw earlier that day at my new apartment. Kevin's car. The same car he was inside, kissing that blonde woman.My stomach twisted. How could this man be so inconsiderate? It felt like everywhere I turned, something was waiting to confirm the truth I was determined to unravel.I turned back. Raven was still by the gate, silently crying. I didn't speak. I didn't have to. I simply waved at her to come in but motioned for her to leave the gate open. She nodded faintly and walked toward me, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.No words passed between us. She simply turned t
I stood there, frozen. Raven was smiling. Like nothing in the world was wrong. Like she hadnât whispered for help through a breathless call. Like she hadnât written that word in red inkâHELPâon the back of a cafÃĐ card and slipped it into my jeans.But I quickly snapped back to reality. No. I wasnât going to be fooled by her smiles. Not again."Iâm not falling for this, Raven," I said, stepping forward. My voice was low but intense. "You might be acting under duress. I donât care how calm you look right now. Somethingâs not right."She blinked at me, still smiling. "Mia, what are you talking about? Youâre not making any sense.""Stop pretending!" I snapped. "I saw the card. I saw the number. I spoke to you on the phone. I heard your voiceâyour breathing, your panic. Donât lie to me."Ravenâs smile trembled slightly. She looked over her shoulder. "HowâĶ how did you even find me? What are you doing here, Mia?"My patience was draining. "You really want to act like this is a coincidence? L
27 AMBER CRESCENT, GREENFIELD ESTATES â RAVEN BRADFORD MOORE The name and address glared back at me from my phone screen. It was all thereâright in front of me. Raven had given me everything I needed the previous day. The estate, the timing, even the way she asked me to walk her to the junction. She had been trying to help me help her.Greenfield Estates. She said it casually, like it was just where she lived, but now I knew better. It was intentional. She wanted me to remember. Raven had been trying to lead me here all along.I quickly punched the address into my mobile map. It loaded, processing... then blinked to life. Twenty-five minutes. That's all it would take to get there.I looked at the time on my dashboard. 6:35 p.m. Every second counted now.I turned on the ignition and gripped the steering wheel. I took in a sharp breath, and whispered to myself, "This is for abandoning our friendship when you needed me the most." Then I slammed my foot on the accelerator.The car roare