ログインA familiar, charming face with shoulder-length brown hair, sharp blue eyes, and other defining handsome features is staring at me, yet I still can't seem to recognize the person standing in front of me because of the words he just uttered. I'd call them blasphemous if they came out of someone else's mouth, but they didn’t.They came straight from the horse’s mouth—aka my friend, Jayden Logan.I can't believe what he just suggested. And what’s even more provoking is him having the guts to repeat himself after I expressed my disbelief initially.For us to move on and forget what happened? That’s what he boldly said.Like hell that’s a plan that will work.He’s been in the hospital for nearly a month, hovering between life and death, while we were ferociously praying he’d recover swiftly—even having mental breakdowns when there was no progress in his health reports—doing everything we possibly could to protect him. He’s the witness and also the victim of the incident that landed him here
"What?" Ava's bewildered exclamation cuts me out of my trance. "Selective amnesia?""Yes," Dave affirms solemnly. "We are hoping he recovers from it soon."Disbelief courses through me as I process the bad news. God, I can't believe it.A tidal wave of disappointment crashes over me, washing away the optimism I once had about this investigation. What do you mean we had to endure Jayden not speaking for weeks only to end up with this?Selective amnesia… what the fuck?How did we even get here?I don't even know what to feel right now—only that I’m overwhelmed with pain and anger."H-how come?" I hear myself ask Dave after some time. "What caused the amnesia?""Trauma," Dave responds, turning to me."What do you mean?" I press, casting a glance at Jayden, who's now drinking from a bottle of water.Redirecting my gaze to Dave, he explains, "The brain tends to block out certain disturbing memories as a way of coping after a traumatic incident. We all know what happened to Jay, so this is
My heart pounds with both elation and relief on our ride to the hospital. Ava clearly shares my emotions, judging by the grin etched across her face as she navigates the road."I told you this would all be over soon, Whit. Now look— Fuck, I'm so happy." She blasts the horn by accident, prompting me to turn my head."Keep it down, will you?" I say, trying to hide my own grin and act like I'm not the happiest person on the planet right now."Sure, sure, whatever," She waves me off, "Pretend to be nonchalant all you want."I roll my eyes, looking out the window as a smile breaks across my face. The realization that Jayden is now speaking—and will soon be able to give his testimony about what happened—has my heart racing with joy.You have no idea how long I've waited for this day to come. And now, it's finally here.This nightmare of reality will soon be over.I just want our lives to go back to normal. Maybe now I'd even have to suspend my plan to break into SIHL, since Carl will be dea
I stir awake from slumber the following morning to the familiar smell of coffee and toast. Ava's doing, no questions asked. And I need no soothsayer to tell me she’s the lingering presence I feel around my bed. I can literally feel her gaze drilling into my face. While I didn’t want to open my eyes, honestly, I get fed up when I don’t hear any receding footsteps in the next two minutes. It obviously means she’s still standing by my bed, waiting to voice her concerns. I haven’t forgotten how we called it a night yesterday. I know she has a pile of questions waiting for me, and Lord knows I’m not in the mood to talk. But since I don’t want her to worry, I snap my eyes open and shift into a sitting position. "Good morning," I say warily, not looking at her. "Good morning, Whitney." Ava takes a seat beside me on the bed, her gaze scrutinizing as she studies my demeanor. She hesitates, then raises a hand to my forehead to check my temperature. "I'm not sick," I tell her flatly
Unknown Number: I know you're deliberately ignoring me, Whitney. Wrong decision, if you ask me.Carl's—or rather, the person I assume is Carl—next message pops up on my screen while I'm still reeling in disbelief. My nerves churn.Ava is chattering away as she eats, but I can barely hear anything she's saying. My heart races with trepidation as I stare at the messages from the unknown ID, still wondering how the hell he got my number.I contemplate blocking him straight away, but I second-guess myself.Another notification ding pulls me completely out of my thoughts.Unknown Number: In case you haven't figured it out yet, it's Carl, baby. Hello to you too.I can literally hear the smug in his words — he finds this amusing.A shiver of annoyance runs through me and my expression hardens. My fist clenches around my phone as I fume silently.However, I'm brought back to reality."Are you even listening to anything I've been saying so far, Whit?" Ava asks, sounding disappointed.Suddenly
WHITNEYI squeeze the key in my palm — the same key Devin gave me three days ago — trying to calm my fraying nerves.I've been feeling this way since my last meeting with Devin. Since I agreed with his plan to take down Carl once and for real. I should feel motivated that I have a reliable accomplice, willing to assist me on this — unlike Ava. But I swear my fear has overshadowed every delight I should feel.It's because I know who I'm up against. The last thing I want is for what happened the first time to repeat itself — I mean getting caught in the act, by Carl. That's mostly what's got me worked up.I've tried doing stuff to take my mind off the anxiety. But nothing seems to be working, I swear. I feel so anxious about everything. About the pending mission to break into Carl's locker.The mission is set for two days from now, and I'm not sure if I'm even ready. Devin texted earlier this evening, asking if I was still on board with the plan. And even though I'm shitting my pant







