Se connecter"No!"Emma screamed."Liam!"But the line had already gone dead.Her hands trembled as she stared at Noah's phone."Noah, call him back!"Noah quickly redialed.Once.Twice.Ten times.Nothing.His calls went straight to voicemail.Sophia collapsed into a chair, sobbing uncontrollably."No.""No.""This is my fault."Emma turned toward her."No."Sophia shook her head."If I never came back into his life—""No.""He wouldn't be suffering because of me."Emma grabbed her shoulders."We're going to save him."Sophia cried harder."What if we're too late?"Noah stood up."We won't be."Both women looked at him.His expression had changed.He wasn't scared anymore.He was angry.Very angry."Liam is alive.""And we're bringing him home."Meanwhile…Liam slowly opened his eyes.Smoke filled the room.His ears rang.Bodies lay on the floor.Blood.Broken crates.Bullet holes.Someone had attacked the warehouse.But not the people who kidnapped him.Someone else.Liam groaned in pain.His ro
Emma froze.Sophia Bennett.The woman from the pictures.The woman whose voice she had heard on the phone.The woman Liam had been hiding.And now—She was standing right in front of her.Noah instinctively stepped in front of Emma."Stay back."Sophia shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks."I'm not your enemy."Emma's eyes filled with pain."Who are you?"Sophia swallowed hard."My name is Sophia Bennett."Emma laughed bitterly."I know that."Her voice trembled."I want the truth."Sophia lowered her head."I know.""Then tell me.""Tell me why you've been with Liam all these months."Sophia closed her eyes."It's not what you think."Emma's heart broke."Then what is it?"Sophia looked up.Her eyes were red from crying."Liam never cheated on you."Emma stared at her."What?""He loves you."Noah frowned."Then why the lies?"Sophia wiped her tears."Because of me."Emma felt anger rising inside her."What does that mean?"Sophia hesitated.Then reached into her handbag.
Emma's hands trembled.The picture of Liam tied to a chair filled her screen.His face was bruised.Blood stained his shirt.And beneath it—You have forty-eight hours left."No!"Tears streamed down her cheeks."Liam."Noah quickly grabbed the phone.His expression darkened."This is bad."Emma looked at him desperately."We have to save him.""We will.""Noah, look at him."Her voice broke."They hurt him."Noah's heart sank.Despite everything, Liam was still his best friend.And seeing him like that made his blood boil."We need the police.""No."Noah frowned."Emma.""They said forty-eight hours.""What if they kill him?""What if we do nothing?"Emma burst into tears."I can't lose him."Noah gently held her shoulders."We won't."But deep down, he wasn't sure.---Inside the warehouse, Liam coughed weakly.His entire body ached.Across from him sat the scar-faced man.Watching.Smiling.Enjoying every second."You know, Liam."The man lit a cigarette."I almost admire your loy
Emma stood frozen.Her phone slipped from her trembling fingers and landed on the couch.Noah quickly picked it up."Emma?"She looked pale."She's alive.""Who?""Sophia Bennett."Noah frowned."The woman from the pictures?"Emma nodded."T-that was her."Noah stared at her in disbelief."What did she say?""She asked for help.""What else?"Emma closed her eyes, trying to steady herself."She said, 'Tell Liam—' and then someone came."Noah's expression darkened."Someone?"Emma nodded."I heard a man."Fear gripped her heart."What if she's in danger too?"Noah placed a hand on her shoulder."We'll figure this out."But Emma shook her head."No.""What?""Liam lied to me.""Emma—""He knew her.""He hid her.""And now both of them are in danger."Tears welled up in her eyes."What if I never really knew him?"Noah's heart broke seeing her like this.He wanted to tell her that Liam loved her.That there had to be an explanation.But even he couldn't understand why Liam had kept Sophi
Emma read the message again."If you want Liam alive, bring Sophia Bennett."Her hands trembled."What does that mean?" she whispered.Noah stared at the screen."I don't know.""But who is Sophia Bennett?"Noah frowned."The same woman from the picture?"Emma nodded."The one hugging Liam."Silence fell between them.Neither of them understood.Why would kidnappers want a woman instead of money?Why Liam?Why Sophia Bennett?And why involve Emma?Noah took a deep breath."We need to tell the police.""No."He looked at her."Emma—""No."Her eyes filled with tears."What if they hurt him?"Noah clenched his jaw."We don't even know who these people are.""But they know us."His expression darkened.That was what scared him the most.Someone had been watching.Watching Emma.Watching Liam.Watching all of them.The next morning, Emma sat in her apartment surrounded by photographs.The anonymous pictures.The text messages.Everything.Noah sat beside her.Neither had slept.Suddenly,
Emma stared at the message.Ask him about Sophia Bennett.Her fingers trembled.Sophia Bennett.Why did that name sound familiar?She searched her memory.No.Nothing.She had never met anyone called Sophia Bennett.Then why did it feel as though she had heard the name before?Her phone slipped from her hand.Liam.She needed to ask Liam.Immediately.She dialed his number.No answer.She tried again.Still nothing."Liam, pick up," she whispered.Again.Voicemail.Her heartbeat quickened.Maybe he was driving.Maybe his phone battery died.Maybe—No.Something felt wrong.At the airport, passengers came and went.But Liam Carter was nowhere to be seen.His suitcase remained beside the bench.Abandoned.His phone lay on the ground.Forgotten.And the black SUV had already disappeared.Meanwhile, Noah stood inside his office, unable to concentrate.Something had been bothering him all morning.A strange feeling.His phone rang.Emma.He immediately answered."Emma?""Noah."Her voice s
Emma stared at the paper in her hands.The rain outside seemed louder now.Every drop striking the window felt like a countdown.For several seconds, she couldn't move.Couldn't breathe.Couldn't think.The words blurred before her eyes.If you're reading this, Emma, then I'm already gone.Gone.Th
Emma barely slept.The picture from the unknown number kept replaying in her mind.Liam.And the woman.Standing side by side.Smiling.Her eyes burned from crying.She had spent half the night zooming in on the image, looking for clues.Was it recent?Old?Who was she?Why would someone send her t
The question hung between them.Heavy.Dangerous.Unavoidable."Are you in love with my girlfriend?"Noah felt his heart slam against his ribs.For years, he had prepared himself for this moment.Years.Years of hiding.Years of pretending.Years of forcing himself to smile whenever Liam kissed Emm
The television flickered softly in the corner of the room.Emma Parker sat curled up on the expensive cream-colored couch in her apartment, her legs tucked beneath her. The room was dim except for the warm glow of a floor lamp and the blue light from the television screen.Outside, rain tapped gent







