Chapter 9

Syria’s POV

The vehicle then came to rest, and in silence, I got out of it. I paid the fare to the driver, closed the door, and breathed deeply. My gaze deliberately shifted to the cemetery entrance gates.

I froze, looking at the engraved stone sign posted on the entrance. My chest constricted. It had been such a long time since I last stepped foot here. Years, perhaps. But returning to this place, it all came back to me, all the things I'd worked so hard to bury. The past, the pain, the betrayal.

I clamped my hands into fists and made myself keep calm. I couldn't lose control now, not here. I had to remain calm.

I began to walk, the step after each hesitant one sounding like it might be my last, towards the graves. But as I prepared to take yet another step in the direction of a familiar tombstone, I was ambushed.

I barely had time to process what was happening before shadows began shifting around me.

At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks, but then I noticed movement.

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