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Chapter 33

Penulis: Chommy chilko
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-05-18 23:03:12

Chapter 33: The Warehouse

Ethan stood outside the warehouse, shivering even though he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or what he’d just read. His breath came out in shaky clouds, the wind cutting through his jacket like it wasn’t even there. The building in front of him looked dead—like it hadn’t held anything living in years. Broken windows, rust crawling down the walls, silence too thick for comfort.

But inside was the truth. Or at least, some version of it.

That damn message kept ringing in his head. She’s closer than you think.

Closer. Isla.

God. He hoped she was safe. He hoped to hell she wasn’t already too far gone in whatever game Ezra was playing now. Every time Ethan tried to figure out what was happening, something new came up to twist the story. And Mira’s letters? They didn’t help much. They only made things worse.

He reached into his coat and pulled them out—creased, worn pages that smelled faintly of smoke. Like they’d been hidden in a place full of regret. Mira had written like someone racing the clock. Her handwriting was fast, jagged in places, but careful too. Scared.

> Victor wasn’t the man you thought. He could make anyone believe anything. Even love. I kept things from you, Ethan. From Isla. Maybe I was wrong. But if you’re reading this, you have to keep her safe. Even if it costs you everything.

He didn’t even realize how hard he was gripping the page until it started to tear. He took a breath. Folded it slowly. It didn’t help.

There was a sound then—quiet, like a foot scraping over concrete. Ethan turned, already knowing.

Ezra.

Of course it was Ezra.

He stepped out from the side of the building, hands in his coat pockets, his expression unreadable.

“You got my message,” he said, calm like they were just having coffee.

Ethan didn’t move. “I don’t care what you’re doing. You don’t get to involve Isla.”

Ezra’s eyes narrowed just slightly. “Involve her? Ethan, she’s always been involved. You think hiding her from everything was protecting her? You think Christopher’s little cage was safety?”

“You have no idea what she’s been through,” Ethan snapped.

“I know exactly what she’s been through,” Ezra said, stepping closer. “Because I’ve lived in the mess Victor left behind. And so has she. The only difference is, you’re still pretending the mess can be cleaned up.”

Ethan clenched his fists, heart pounding. He wanted to punch him, but more than that, he wanted to understand why. Why now? Why Isla?

“You want her to hate everything she’s ever known?” he said, voice low. “Because if she sees what I just saw—what’s in Mira’s letters—she won’t come back from that.”

Ezra didn’t answer right away. Then he said, “Maybe she shouldn’t come back. Maybe it’s time she knew.”

He turned and walked toward the warehouse door. For a second, Ethan didn’t follow. Then he did.

Inside, it was darker than he expected. Dust in the air. Machines so old they looked like they’d never worked. Everything was broken or forgotten. Like it was all waiting for someone to come and dig up what had been buried.

Ezra stopped next to a crate and nodded toward it. “It’s all there.”

Ethan didn’t ask. He dropped to his knees and pulled it open. Papers, files, pictures that looked too faded to mean anything—until they started to.

Letters between Mira and Victor. Some angry. Some terrified. One of them had been written the night Mira left. Ethan didn’t even know how she managed to write it. Her words were falling apart on the page.

He found a smaller envelope buried beneath the rest. Still sealed. The wax hadn’t even cracked.

He opened it carefully. And read.

> You will never escape me. And neither will she.

There was a name under it. Not Victor’s. Someone else. A name that hadn’t come up before.

Ethan’s stomach dropped. He felt like the air had been knocked out of him.

So there was more. More than Christopher, more than Victor. This thing had roots deeper than he thought. Maybe deeper than Mira even realized.

He stood up slowly, the letter still in his hand. He didn’t say anything to Ezra.

Ezra didn’t speak either.

The silence said enough.

Ethan turned away and stepped back out into the night. Everything was heavier now. Everything felt tighter.

Isla had no idea how close the past really was. And whatever came next, Ethan knew one thing for sure:

There was no more running.

---

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