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Chapter Twenty One:The Trap

Author: Ifee
last update Petsa ng paglalathala: 2026-09-26 02:24:00

SERENA POV

I walked into the apartment at midnight.

The door was unlocked. That should have been the first sign. Nadia would never leave her door unlocked. Nadia was careful. Nadia was paranoid. Nadia was always watching her back.

But I did not think about that. I was too focused. Too eager. Too ready.

I walked in.

The apartment was empty.

Not empty of furniture. Empty of her. Her clothes were gone. Her books were gone. Her photographs were gone. Everything was gone.

I stood in the middle of the living room. Frozen. Silent. Confused.

She was not here.

She had never been here.

I had been tricked.

---

I turned around. I walked to the door. I needed to leave. I needed to get out. I needed to think.

But the door was locked.

I tried the handle. It did not move. I tried again. It still did not move. I pulled. I pushed. I hit it. Nothing.

The door was locked.

And I was trapped.

---

The lights came on.

I spun around. The room was bright. Too bright. I covered my eyes. I tried to see. I tried to understand.

And then I saw them.

Police officers. Everywhere. Behind the couch. In the kitchen. In the hallway. Everywhere.

And in the middle of them all, standing by the window, was Detective Harris.

"Serena Cole," he said. "You are under arrest."

I stared at him.

"For what?"

"Attempted murder. Conspiracy to commit murder. Fraud. Forgery. Embezzlement. The list is long."

I did not speak.

I could not speak.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

Two officers walked toward me. They grabbed my arms. They pulled them behind my back. They clicked the handcuffs around my wrists.

I did not fight.

I did not scream.

I did not do anything.

I just stood there.

And then I laughed.

A slow, cold laugh.

A laugh that held no humor.

A laugh that held only contempt.

"You think you have won," I said. "You think this is over. But it is not over. It is never over."

Detective Harris looked at me.

"What are you talking about?"

"You will see," I said. "You will all see."

They led me out of the apartment.

I did not look back.

---

NADIA POV

I watched from the car.

I was parked down the street. I was with two officers. I was safe. I was protected. I was watching.

I saw them bring her out. I saw the handcuffs. I saw the police cars. I saw everything.

She did not look at me. She did not know I was there. She did not know anything.

But I knew.

I knew she was going to prison. I knew she was going to pay. I knew she was going to spend the rest of her life behind bars.

I pressed my hand against my stomach.

"We did it," I whispered. "We caught her. We stopped her."

I did not know if I believed it.

But I said it anyway.

I had to say it.

I had to believe something.

---

The detective called me the next morning.

"It is done," he said.

"What is done?"

"Serena Cole is in custody. She is not going anywhere. The charges are serious. She is not going to get out."

I closed my eyes.

"What about the others?"

"We are still investigating. Eleanor Ashford. Victor Cole. Everyone. It is going to take time."

"How much time?"

"Months. Maybe a year. Maybe more."

"I can wait."

"I know you can."

I opened my eyes. I looked at the wall. I looked at the light coming through the blinds. I looked at the future I was building.

"Detective."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"You do not need to thank me. I am just doing my job."

"You are doing more than your job. You are saving my life."

He was silent for a moment.

"I am glad I could help," he said.

I hung up.

I sat there in the dark.

I thought about Serena. I thought about the way she smiled at me. The way she looked at me. The way she drove away.

She was gone.

She was finally gone.

But the game was not over.

Not yet.

---

JULIAN POV

I heard the news on the television.

Serena Cole. Arrested. Attempted murder. Conspiracy. Fraud. Forgery. Embezzlement.

I stared at the screen. I did not move. I did not speak. I just sat there. Watching. Listening. Trying to understand.

She was gone.

She was finally gone.

I should have felt relieved. I should have felt happy. I should have felt something.

But I did not feel anything.

I just felt empty.

I picked up my phone. I called Nadia.

It went to voicemail.

I called again.

It went to voicemail.

I called a third time.

It went to voicemail.

I put the phone down.

She was not going to answer. She was never going to answer. She was done with me. She had been done with me for a long time. I had just been too blind to see it.

I lay down on the bed. The bed was hard. The room was cold. The city was quiet.

I thought about Nadia. I thought about the way she used to smile at me. The way she used to laugh with me. The way she used to hold me.

I thought about the baby. The baby she lost. The baby I did not mourn. The baby I replaced.

I thought about the life I had destroyed.

I thought about the life I was about to destroy.

I did not know what to do.

I did not know if I could stop it.

I did not know if I wanted to.

---

NADIA POV

That night, I sat in my new hotel room and stared at the wall.

Serena was gone. The detective had called. The police had her. She was not going to hurt me. She was not going to hurt my baby. She was not going to hurt anyone.

But I did not feel safe.

I did not feel free.

I did not feel anything.

I just felt tired.

I pressed my hand against my stomach.

"We are okay," I whispered. "We are going to be okay."

I did not know if I believed it.

But I said it anyway.

I had to say it.

I had to believe something.

---

I received a message that night.

This one was from an unknown number.

You think you have won. You think you are safe. But you are not. Serena was not the only one. She was not the only one watching. She was not the only one planning. There are others. Others who want you dead. Others who will not stop. Others who will find you. No matter where you go. No matter what you do. We will find you.

I stared at the message for a long time.

I did not respond.

I did not delete it.

I just saved it.

I saved it because I needed to remember. I needed to remember that the game was not over. I needed to remember that there were others. I needed to remember that I was still in danger.

I saved it because I needed to win.

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