Between Two Lies

Ariana stirred from sleep, her body still aching in places that reminded her of the chaos they had narrowly escaped. The bruises were fading slowly, but the ones in her mind and heart felt deeper,fresh wounds layered with suspicion and truths no one dared to say out loud.

Liam was still asleep beside her.

Peaceful. Trusting.

Too trusting.

The morning light entered through the hotel room's curtains,Ariana eased out of bed, careful not to wake him. Her bare feet made no sound against the marble floor as she tiptoed across the room.

The laptop still sat on the small desk in the corner, its screen black but not shut. The USB was right where she had left it, protruding like a secret whispering her name.

She hesitated.

Then she sat down and tapped a key.

The screen blinked to life, the same encrypted files staring back at her like silent sentinels. Her pulse quickened as she scrolled through them again.

She opened a folder she hadn't tried before,a series of image files.

Most were blank. So