ANMELDENChapter 177: The Choice That Breaks Everything“You created it to survive yourself.”The words didn’t echo.They settled.Heavy. Final.Like something that had always been true—just buried deep enough for her to pretend otherwise.Ariana couldn’t breathe.Not properly.Each inhale felt forced, like her body wasn’t sure how to function anymore.“No…” she whispered.But even she could hear it.That wasn’t denial.That was fear.Real fear.The kind that comes when something starts to make too much sense.Her hands trembled at her sides.“This doesn’t make sense,” she said again, louder now. “I’m not—whatever you’re trying to say I am.”The girl on the chair didn’t interrupt.Didn’t argue.She just watched.Like she had already been here before.Like she had already seen Ariana react exactly like this.“You weren’t always this version,” the girl said quietly.Ariana’s head snapped up.“What does that even mean?”Silence.Then—“It means you changed.”Her chest tightened.“I didn’t change
Chapter 176: The Truth That Shouldn’t Exist“…you weren’t human.”The words didn’t fade.They echoed.Not around her.Inside her.Ariana’s body snapped back into the room like she had been thrown.Her knees hit the floor hard.Air rushed into her lungs in sharp, broken breaths.“No—”Her voice cracked immediately.“That’s not true.”But it didn’t sound like denial.It sounded like fear.Real fear.The kind that comes when something feels too close to the truth.Her hands pressed against the ground, fingers trembling as she tried to steady herself.“That’s not possible,” she said again, louder this time.The girl on the chair didn’t move.Didn’t interrupt.She just watched.Waiting.Like she already knew how this would go.Ariana forced herself up, shaking her head violently.“I’ve always been human.”Silence.The girl tilted her head slightly.“Have you?”The question slipped in quietly.But it hit harder than anything else.Ariana froze.Her pulse spiked.“Yes.”The answer came fast.
Chapter 175: The Thing That Watches“…on you.”The words didn’t feel like a warning.They felt like something that had already been happening.Ariana’s throat went dry.“No.”But even as she said it—Her body reacted.A strange pull deep in her chest.Subtle.Familiar.Like something had always been there… quietly taking.Her hand moved to her sternum.Pressed lightly.Her heartbeat was steady.Too steady.Like it wasn’t hers alone.“That’s not possible,” she said, her voice lower now.The girl on the chair didn’t argue.She didn’t need to.“Then why do you feel it?” she asked quietly.Silence.Ariana didn’t answer.Because she did.That pull—That quiet draining sensation—It wasn’t new.She had just never noticed it before.Her breath came uneven.“…how long?”The girl’s eyes softened slightly.“Since the beginning.”Ariana shook her head immediately.“No. I would have known.”“You weren’t meant to.”Her chest tightened.“Why me?”The question slipped out before she could stop it.I
Chapter 174: The First Time She Opened It“I remember you.”The voice didn’t echo.It didn’t fade.It stayed.Like it had always been there… just waiting for her to finally hear it.Ariana couldn’t move.Her body locked, her breath trapped somewhere between her chest and her throat.“No…” she whispered.But the word came out wrong.Weak.Because something inside her—Something buried—recognized it.The machines around the room surged violently, lights flickering like they were struggling to stay on. The air felt thick, charged, alive in a way that made her skin crawl.“Did you hear that?” she snapped, turning to the girl on the chair.But the girl didn’t look surprised.That was the problem.She just watched Ariana.Quiet.Almost… resigned.“You’ve heard it before,” she said softly.Ariana’s heart slammed.“No, I haven’t.”The girl didn’t argue.She just held her gaze.“You just don’t remember.”Silence.Ariana’s pulse pounded louder.“I would remember something like that.”“Would yo
Chapter 173: The Truth Beneath Everything“Something that built it.”The words didn’t just sit there.They pressed in.Ariana felt it in her chest, in her throat, in the way the air around her suddenly felt heavier—like the room itself was listening.“No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “No, that doesn’t make sense. Systems don’t just—build themselves.”The girl on the chair didn’t argue.She just watched her.And that was worse.Ariana took a step back, her mind racing too fast to catch up with itself.“You’re lying again.”Her voice was sharper now, but it lacked conviction.Because something deep inside her—Something she didn’t want to acknowledge—Was already starting to believe it.The girl exhaled slowly.“I wish I was.”Silence.The machines hummed low, almost like a heartbeat now. Not mechanical anymore—organic.Ariana noticed it.And it made her stomach turn.“This isn’t over,” she said quickly. “You said you went deeper. You saw it.”Her eyes locked onto the girl’s
Chapter 172: The Lie That Feels Real“…that I built for you.”The machines screamed.Not malfunctioning.Not breaking.Reacting.Ariana’s ears rang as the lights above flickered violently, shadows stretching across the walls like something was trying to crawl out of them.Her breath came out sharp.Uneven.“No…”Her voice felt small in the room.“This doesn’t make sense.”The girl on the chair watched her.Calm.Too calm.Like she had already seen this reaction before.Like Ariana was following a script she didn’t know existed.“You always say that first,” the girl murmured.Ariana’s head snapped up.“…always?”Silence.Then—A faint smile.“You think this is the first time you’ve made it back here?”Her heart skipped.“No… this is different.”“It always is.”The words sank deep.Uncomfortable.Ariana shook her head quickly.“No. I went deeper. I saw things—things you couldn’t fake.”The girl tilted her head slightly.“Like what?”Ariana opened her mouth—Then stopped.Her mind reache
Chapter 61 – When the Truth Steps Into the LightAriana’s POVI didn’t sleep that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Victor’s face at the exact moment he realized he was losing control. Not shouting. Not threatening. Just that flicker of fear he tried—and failed—to hide.Fear is dangerous in
Chapter 71 – The Thing They BuriedAriana’s POVThe industrial district didn’t look like a place where truths survived.It looked like a place where things were stored until people forgot they existed.Rust climbing metal fences. Warehouses with boarded windows. Streetlights that flickered like the
Chapter 64 – The Price of KnowingAriana’s POVEthan’s mother didn’t sit back down.She stood there like she was bracing for impact, shoulders squared, eyes steady in a way that came from long practice. The kind of stillness you learn when moving only makes things worse.“He followed you,” she said
Chapter 75 – The Sound Between HeartbeatsI didn’t breathe.Not fully.Not until I heard it again.A faint shift. Wood settling. Or a shoe against old flooring.My mother was standing beside me. The front door was still open. Cold air drifting in.Which meant whoever made that sound was upstairs.I







