MasukDiane’s POVThe moment I stepped off the plane, I couldn’t breathe properly.All I could think about was Kian.Ever since he called me—his voice broken, cracking with panic—saying Aria was missing, I hadn't been able to sleep, eat, or even focus. I rushed every single thing on my work trip just to get back as fast as I could. I needed to see him. I needed to know he was okay.But as the car drove me toward his house, this awful feeling settled in my chest. Heavy. Cold. Like something was wrong.The mansion was too quiet when I stepped in. My heels echoed through the hallway as I walked, heart pounding, nerves shot. I didn’t even call out his name—I just kept walking straight to his room. I don’t know why… I just felt like something was off.And the moment I pushed the door open, I froze.Ava.Half-naked.On top of Kian.My stomach turned.What the actual—?“What the hell are you doing?!” I shouted, stepping fully into the room.Ava spun around, her face pale with shock. “I–I—”I didn
Ava’s POVRyan had just dropped me off.I waved as his car disappeared down the street, a smug smile tugging at my lips. Tonight was the night. Everything we’d planned, everything I deserved was finally falling into place.The air felt thick with excitement as I stepped into Kian’s mansion. The grand silence of the house wrapped around me like a secret. My heels clicked softly on the floor as I made my way in, nerves fluttering in my stomach like butterflies or maybe that was just adrenaline.I took a deep breath, whispering to myself, “You can do this.”I had already played this scene in my head a thousand times — how I’d seduce him, how he’d have no choice but to believe what I wanted him to believe. Once the sedative kicked in, the rest would be easy.I was halfway up the stairs when I stopped suddenly.“Crap.”I forgot the coffee.I rolled my eyes and turned back around, heading straight to the kitchen. No way was I messing this up now.The kitchen was dim, I reached for one of th
Ryan’s POVThe car hummed low on the road as the city lights faded behind us. I was behind the wheel, but my mind wasn’t on the road so much as it was still replaying every moment from the cemetery earlier. Ava sat beside me, scrolling through her phone.We had just dropped Grandfather at home, and now it was just the two of us in the car again.For a moment there, I honestly didn’t know what to think.At the Kian's house… then at the cemetery… when those officers told us they found a body?I’d felt something like panic rising inside me.What if… what if it was Aria?Even though I was the one who made sure she was locked up in a house far away from the city, even though I’d arranged every detail with precision, my brain still twisted in confusion for a moment. Had she escaped? Had something gone wrong?It was a strange, sick kind of fear — the kind that creeps up on you when things don’t go exactly as planned.But once we realized it wasn’t her?Oh, that relief…Ava broke the silence
Aria’s POVThe room was dim, the only source of light a small bulb in the ceiling that flickered once in a while like it could go out any second. The air felt thick, damp and heavy. I’d gotten used to the smell—sort of. A strange mix of old dust, something moldy, and faint traces of cigarette smoke. I didn’t know how long I had been here. Days? A week? Time didn’t feel real anymore. The windows were locked tight with heavy bars, and the door hadn’t opened unless someone was bringing me food or water.I sat curled up on the cold mattress in the corner, arms wrapped around my knees, staring at the blank wall. My head throbbed slightly from lack of sleep, or maybe it was stress. Or fear. Or hunger. I didn’t even know anymore.Ever since that night—the night I stupidly went to meet that man—I had been locked in here. They’d forced me into the back of a car, masked and silent, like they’d been waiting for me. I’d screamed and fought. But it didn’t matter. They brought me to this quiet hous
Kian's POVThe moment the officer said I had to come and confirm if it was Aria’s body, my knees buckled.I staggered backward and nearly crashed to the ground, only managing to grab the edge of the table nearby to keep myself from collapsing. My entire body went cold. My hands were shaking, sweat dripped down my temples, and my heart was slamming so hard in my chest it felt like it was trying to break out.No. No, no, no.My mind was spiraling. I could barely hear anything around me. Just a dull ringing in my ears and the echo of those words. A body… pregnant… matched her description…It’s a lie. It has to be.Aria can’t be dead. She wouldn’t leave me like this. Not my Aria. No—never."Are you sure it’s her?" my grandfather’s voice cut through the fog in my head. He sounded shaken, something I rarely ever heard from him.One of the officers stepped forward. “We can’t say for sure yet, sir. But the victim fits the description Mr. Kian gave. That’s why we need him to come and identify
Kian's POVI dropped the glass in my hand with a dull clink. My fingers twitched, my head heavy and spinning. I tried to stand, but the dizziness hit like a wave, and my knees buckled. Ava caught me. “Kian!” she gasped, grabbing my arm.I yanked away from her touch like it burned. I didn’t want her pity. I didn’t want anything.Dragging myself forward, I made it to the living room, my legs barely cooperating. Ava trailed behind like a shadow I couldn’t shake. And there they were. My grandfather sat stiff and proper on the chair, his hands clasped in front of him. Ryan leaned lazily against the wall, eyes already gleaming with mockery.I sank into the couch before I collapsed. Every bone in my body ached.“You’re here,” Grandfather said quietly.Ryan's eyes swept over me from head to toe, and then just like that he burst into a loud, mocking laugh that scraped at my nerves like nails on glass.He walked around me, slow, deliberate, like a predator circling its wounded prey.“Damn, Ki







