LOGIN"Anna!" Her voice echoed through the woods. "Carden!" The priest’s voice came immediately after. It was morning. Anna and Carden had fallen asleep after the heavy rain and their previous encounter. Anna was curled into Carden’s arm like a baby, both of them still lying naked. "Anna!" Her mum’s voice came through again. The voice was getting closer this time. Carden jolted awake. He turned to see Anna lying close to him, naked; his eyes ran over her bare body. Damn, she’s so hot, he gasped to himself. He could feel his body becoming aroused by the glance of her; her face—damn, nothing seemed as beautiful as it. He didn’t mind having a beautiful experience with her, but the voices from afar made it difficult for him. "Anna," he called softly. Anna stretched her body and turned to the other side, sleep still in her eyes. "We need to go. They are looking for us," Carden said as he stood up to dress. Anna murmured unknown words; Carden smiled at the sound. "Let’s go, An
Carden took a stroll far from the house into the woods . The thought of Carlos’ death weighed heavily on his heart. Sister Vera had called earlier to inform him that the police had come to move the body to the morgue. Carden decided to walk a few miles away from the house. He cried silently, wondering how Arnold had taken the important people in his life. Revenge and pain filled his heart. He had no idea who to talk to anymore. Then a hand reached for his shoulder — soft and delicate. He turned slowly and saw that it was Anna. “What’s wrong?” Anna spoke softly. Carden stood speechless. “I saw you leaving the house, and I had to follow you. I’m sorry about Carlos’ death, but you need to get yourself together.” Carden sighed heavily. A loud thunderstrike filled the sky, and the wind blew fiercely, carrying leaves away. “It seems it’s going to rain heavily. Let’s go back home,” Anna suggested. Carden nodded as they turned to leave. He hadn’t realized he had walked f
⸻ The recorder clicked off. Silence filled the room like smoke after a gunshot. Eric Jose leaned back slowly, studying Anna’s face. “Everything you said… are you willing to repeat that under oath?” Anna swallowed. “Yes.” Her mother reached for her hand under the table. Carden hadn’t moved. He stood by the window, staring through the torn curtain at the empty woods outside. Fred spoke first. “Officer, if we move against Arnold, we cannot fail. He has money. Influence. Guards.” Eric nodded once. “Men like him always think money erases evidence. It doesn’t. It just buries it. We dig.” Carden finally turned. “No,” he said calmly. “We don’t dig.” They all looked at him. “We cut.” There was something different in his voice now—no heat, no shaking. Just calculation. Fred watched him carefully. “What are you thinking?” Fred’s phone buzzed. A text came to him from his inside man. “Mr. Williams just arrived at the mansion. Arnold’s plans aren’t real, Boss.” F
⸻ Carden sat upright on the couch, elbows resting on his knees, his phone still in his hand. Carlos was dead. He didn’t know it yet — but something inside him already felt it. The unknown caller. The package. Mr. Arnold. The way the man had said his real name. Carden’s jaw tightened. There was no running anymore. Arnold knew. About him. About Anna. About everything. A soft knock interrupted his thoughts. Three short taps. That was Fred’s signal. Carden quickly rose and unlocked the door. Fred stepped in, his expression unusually blank — too blank. Eric Jose stepped in after him. Carden frowned, surprised to see someone else. “Who’s this?” he asked. Fred turned to speak, but Eric Jose stretched out his hand first. “I’m Officer Eric Jose,” he said. Carden shook his hand firmly. “And what are you doing here?” Carden asked curiously. Fred cut in. “He wants to speak with Anna.” Just then, the priest walked toward them, rubbing his eyes. He had just woken up. Fred had
It was early morning at their hideout. Anna lay curled against her mother on the bed, both finally surrendered to exhausted sleep. Carden lay awake on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Sleep wouldn’t come. His mind was a battlefield. He had come searching for Anna… only to uncover secrets about himself — secrets that changed everything. And Carlos. He needed to talk to Carlos. He was the only one who might understand what he had discovered about his past. Carden had tried calling him several times. No response. Then suddenly — his phone rang. Carlos. He grabbed it immediately. “Hello? Man, where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you!” Silence. “Carlos? Hello? Can you hear me?” Nothing. Just breathing. Faint. Then— The call ended. A cold wave of unease washed over him. He dialed again. No answer. Moments later, another call came in. Unknown ID. Carden hesitated before answering. “Hello?” “Good morning, Mr. Carden.” His blood froze. They knew his real n
Carden’s voice trembled. “So that skull belongs to my father?” Fred looked at him, pain heavy in his eyes. “Yes.” Silence swallowed the room. Anna slowly reached for Carden’s hand. He didn’t pull away—but his jaw tightened, his eyes dark with something deeper than anger. It was vengeance. The priest cleared his throat. “Arnold kept it there as a warning, a reminder of what happens to betrayal.” Carden let out a bitter laugh. “Betrayal? My father tried to stop a monster.” “And that,” Fred said quietly, “is why you’re still alive. Arnold never found out where Elias sent you. If he had…” “He would have finished the job,” Carden completed. Anna squeezed his hand tighter. “You’re not alone anymore.” ⸻AT THE MANSION.. Arnold arrived at the mansion. The whole place was chaotic. Immediately he stepped out, he shot a gun into the air. “How did y’all let it happen?”The call he got earlier before ending Carlos was from sister Vera and she had told him everything as inst
⸻ ⸻ Carden stared at his phone, his pulse ticking louder with every second. Who sent it? And who was watching him? The screen was dark now, harmless-looking, but the message clung to him like a second skin. I’m watching you. Four words, simple and precise, yet heavy enough to shift the air in
⸻ ⸻ “Oh my God…” Father Damien froze at the threshold of the room. The air inside was thick, stale, carrying a smell he couldn’t place at first—old paint, dust, something metallic. The walls were lined with portraits, dozens of them, stacked and hung without order. Naked women. Some painted so
⸻ ⸻ “Fred!” Carden caught him just as his knees finally gave way. Fred’s full weight crashed into his arms, nearly pulling them both to the floor. Rain streamed off Fred’s clothes, dripping steadily and pooling across the wooden floor of the small room. His breathing was shallow and uneven, eve
A car pulled into the mansion. “The priest is here,” Arnold heard. He walked up to welcome him. “What took you so long? Or did my driver delay you?” he asked, looking at the driver before returning his gaze to Father Damien. Father Damien knew he couldn’t tell the truth, or the driver would be br







