CHAPTER 9

Daniel sat at the edge of his bed, staring at his phone with an expression he couldn't quite explain.

It was Friday morning, and for the first time in a long while, he found himself looking forward to the weekend for a reason other than having a break from work.

Clara.

Ever since she had agreed to go on a date with him, he had been thinking about how to make their first outing memorable without making her uncomfortable.

He opened their conversation and read her last message again.

Clara: I'm free this weekend. We can discuss the details later.

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

She had agreed.

That was enough to make his morning better, but he still needed to decide where to take her.

A restaurant seemed too formal. The cinema might not give them enough time to talk. A crowded event would probably make it difficult to get to know each other properly.

He wanted somewhere comfortable, somewhere they could have a conversation without feeling as though the entire world was watching them.

He opened his browser and began searching for places around the city.

After several minutes, he leaned back against the headboard and rubbed his chin.

"What do girls even like?" he muttered.

He immediately shook his head.

That was the wrong question.

He didn't need to plan an outing that every girl would enjoy. He needed to plan one that Clara would enjoy.

Unfortunately, he knew very little about her preferences.

He knew she loved reading when she had the time, took her studies seriously, and could become surprisingly playful when she was comfortable with someone. He had also noticed that she preferred meaningful conversations to conversations that went nowhere.

But he didn't know whether she liked quiet restaurants, outdoor activities, or simply taking a walk while talking about their lives.

He opened their chat again.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard.

Daniel: Good morning, Clara. I hope you slept well.

He paused, considered adding something else, then decided against it.

He didn't want to overwhelm her with messages before her classes.

After sending the text, he placed his phone on the bed and got ready for the day.

He would ask her about her preferences later.

For now, he had his own responsibilities to attend to.

Still, as he left his room, one thought followed him.

He hoped their first date would be the beginning of something worth remembering.

He had no idea that the weekend might bring more than either of them expected.

---

Friday morning arrived with a busy schedule.

Clara woke before her alarm, stretched beneath her blanket, and reached for her phone.

The screen lit up, revealing a new message.

Daniel.

She opened it.

Daniel: Good morning, Clara. I hope you slept well.

A small smile appeared on her face.

Clara: Good morning. I did, thank you. I hope you did too.

She sent the reply, placed her phone on the bedside table, and climbed out of bed.

She had a demanding day ahead of her, and the last thing she wanted was to rush through her morning routine.

After showering, she dressed for school, arranged her books in her bag, and checked her timetable.

Two lectures, a practical session, and an assignment she needed to discuss with her classmates.

She sighed.

"Wonderful."

Her phone vibrated again, but she was already halfway through the door.

She glanced at the screen.

There was no new message from Daniel, only a notification from one of her school groups.

Clara slipped the phone into her bag and hurried outside.

She would check it later.

The morning air was cool, and the campus was gradually filling with students heading to class. Clara adjusted the strap of her bag and quickened her pace.

She arrived at the classroom just enough time before the lecturer.

Amara was already there.

She sat near the window, flipping through her notes with a frown.

Clara dropped into the seat beside her.

"What's wrong with you?"

Amara looked up.

"Everything."

Clara blinked.

"Everything?"

"Yes. My notes are incomplete, I don't understand half of what we covered yesterday, and I have a strong feeling that today's lecture will be worse."

Clara laughed as she brought out her notebook.

"You say this every morning."

"And every morning, I am proven right."

"Maybe you should try studying before the lecture instead of complaining about it afterward."

Amara gave her a wounded look.

"Why would you attack me so early?"

"I'm helping you."

"Your help is suspiciously painful."

Before Clara could reply, the lecturer walked into the classroom.

The conversations around them gradually faded.

Everyone returned to their seats as the lecturer arranged his materials and wrote the topic for the day on the board.

Clara straightened in her chair.

Whatever complaints Amara had about the morning, they would have to wait.

The lecture began.

Within minutes, Clara understood why Amara had been so worried.

The lecturer introduced a new topic, moving through the concepts with a speed that left several students struggling to keep up. He explained one principle, connected it to another, and then introduced a third before some students had finished writing down the first.

Clara concentrated on her notes.

Every so often, she paused to make sure she understood what she had written.

Beside her, Amara stared at the board with a look of deep concentration.

A few minutes later, Amara nudged Clara's elbow.

Clara glanced at her.

Amara pointed discreetly at a sentence in her notebook.

Clara read it and frowned.

It was a question.

What exactly is he saying?

Clara pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh.

She wrote a short explanation beneath the question and pushed the notebook back toward her friend.

Amara read the note and gave her a grateful smile.

Then the lecturer turned around.

"Is there something amusing at the back?"

Both girls immediately faced forward.

"No, sir," several students answered.

The lecturer studied the class for a moment before continuing.

Amara lowered her head, pretending to write.

Clara bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

When the lecture finally ended, the lecturer closed his book and looked around the room.

"Before you leave, I want everyone to remember that your first assessment is approaching. I expect you to read beyond the notes I give you. The material covered in class is only the beginning."

A collective groan rose from the students.

The lecturer raised an eyebrow.

"If you have enough energy to complain, you have enough energy to study."

The class fell silent.

He gathered his things and left.

For a few seconds, nobody moved.

Then the room erupted into conversation.

Amara dropped her pen onto the desk.

"I'm finished."

Clara laughed.

"You're not finished. You're just dramatic."

"Clara, did you hear what he said? An assessment is approaching. An assessment! We haven't even had enough time to recover from the last lecture."

"That's why he told us to study."

Amara turned to her slowly.

"Sometimes, I wonder why we're friends."

"Because you need my notes."

Amara stared at her before bursting into laughter.

"You're becoming dangerous."

Clara packed her books, still smiling.

They stepped into the corridor, where students were already discussing the assessment.

Some were comparing notes, others were asking questions about the assignment, and a few had gathered around a class representative who was trying to explain the lecturer's instructions.

Clara stopped to listen.

Apparently, they were expected to submit a short written assignment before the following week.

She immediately opened her notebook and wrote down the deadline.

"Another thing to worry about," Amara muttered beside her.

"Another thing to finish," Clara corrected.

Amara groaned.

"You make everything sound so easy."

"It isn't easy. That's why we have to start early."

They joined the small group around the class representative, listened to the remaining instructions, and exchanged contact details with two students who wanted to form a study group.

One of the students, a quiet young woman named Elise, offered to share her lecture notes.

Clara thanked her and promised to send her own notes in return.

By the time they left the corridor, the morning had become busier than either of them expected.

They had barely reached the staircase when Amara stopped.

"Wait. I forgot something."

Clara turned.

"What?"

"My calculator."

"You brought it to class?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you leave it?"

Amara stared at her.

"If I knew that, Clara, I wouldn't have forgotten it."

Clara burst out laughing.

Amara hurried back into the classroom while Clara waited near the staircase.

As Clara stood there, she heard two students talking a short distance away.

"...I'm telling you, I saw him near the administrative building yesterday."

"Are you sure it was him?"

"Of course, I'm sure. Why would I lie about something like that?"

Clara glanced in their direction, but they were already walking away.

She didn't recognize either of them.

It was probably just another campus conversation.

She dismissed it and checked the time.

Amara was taking far too long to retrieve a calculator.

When her friend finally returned, Clara raised an eyebrow.

"Did you have to search the entire school?"

Amara held up the calculator triumphantly.

"Found it."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you. Your support means everything to me."

They headed toward their next class.

For the next two hours, Daniel barely crossed Clara's mind.

There were notes to complete, questions to answer, and a practical session that demanded more attention than she had anticipated.

During a short break, she and Amara joined a few classmates beneath a tree near one of the campus buildings.

They compared answers to the morning's questions and discussed how they planned to prepare for the assessment.

Clara discovered that Elise had already created a document containing additional reading materials.

Impressed, she asked Elise to share it with her.

"You seem very organized," Clara remarked.

Elise smiled.

"My older sister is in her final year. She told me that if I wait until examinations to start reading, I'll regret it."

Amara nodded solemnly.

"Your sister is a wise woman."

Clara laughed.

"You should listen to her."

"I do listen. I just don't always obey."

"At least you're honest."

They continued talking until it was time to return to class.

The afternoon passed in a blur of lectures, handwritten notes, and reminders about the upcoming assessment.

By the time Clara finally left campus, her shoulders ached from carrying her bag, and her mind was crowded with information.

She was tired, but satisfied.

She had completed everything she needed to do that day.

Now, she only had to survive the reading waiting for her at the dorm.

---

That evening, Clara sat at her desk with her books spread out in front of her.

Her room was quiet except for the occasional sound of a passing vehicle outside and the soft turning of pages as she moved between her textbook and notebook.

She had changed into comfortable clothes, tied her hair back, and placed a glass of water beside her books.

Her phone lay near the edge of the desk.

She had checked it when she arrived home and found Daniel's morning message, along with a few notifications from her classmates.

There had been nothing else from him.

She wasn't sure why she had expected another message.

Perhaps she had become accustomed to seeing his name on her screen.

Or perhaps she was simply curious about the date they had agreed to go on.

Either way, she had decided not to spend the evening staring at her phone.

She had promised herself she would finish her reading before going to bed, and she intended to keep that promise.

She highlighted an important paragraph, made a note in the margin, and turned to the next page.

Ten minutes later, she was interrupted by a message from Amara.

Amara: Are you studying?

Clara smiled.

Clara: Obviously.

Amara: Send me the notes from today's practical.

Clara: I knew there was a reason you messaged me.

Amara: Don't be like that. You're my best friend.

Clara: And you're a professional note collector.

Amara: A very talented one.

Clara laughed quietly and sent her the requested notes.

She was about to return to her textbook when her phone vibrated again.

This time, the message was from Daniel.

Daniel: I've been thinking about something.

Clara frowned slightly.

She wondered what he wanted to discuss.

Clara: What is it?

The typing indicator appeared.

Then it disappeared.

A few seconds later, it appeared again.

Clara waited, her eyes fixed on the screen.

She could almost imagine him typing and deleting his words, trying to find the right way to express himself.

Finally, another message came through.

Daniel: I know you don't open up to people easily. I just hope that, with time, you'll feel comfortable enough to tell me things you don't tell everyone else.

Clara stared at the message.

It wasn't a bad thing to say.

In fact, it was thoughtful.

She appreciated that Daniel wanted to know her beyond the ordinary conversations they shared.

But she had known him for only a short time. There were parts of herself she hadn't even learned how to explain, let alone share with someone else.

She didn't want to make promises she wasn't ready to keep.

After considering her response, she began typing.

Clara: I think trust takes time. I can't force it, but I believe it can grow when two people are honest with each other.

She sent the message and returned to her book.

A moment later, her phone vibrated again.

Daniel: I agree. I just hope you'll give me that chance.

Clara read the message slowly.

Then she replied.

Clara: I'm trying, Daniel.

For once, he didn't respond with a joke.

Daniel: That's enough for me.

Clara placed her phone face down and returned to her reading.

His response was simple, but it left her with a strange sense of quiet.

She wondered whether he understood that she was giving him a chance already.

Perhaps he did.

She turned another page and forced herself to concentrate on the material in front of her.

For the next twenty minutes, she made steady progress.

Then her phone vibrated again.

Clara reached for it, expecting another message from Daniel.

Instead, she saw a notification from an unfamiliar number.

The message contained no greeting.

No introduction.

Just one sentence.

Unknown Number: Clara Hernandez, you should be careful about the people you trust.

She stared at the screen.

For a moment, she wondered whether it was a wrong number or some foolish prank.

She read the message again.

It included her full name.

Her fingers moved over the keyboard.

Clara: Who is this?

She sent the message.

It was marked as delivered.

But no reply came.

Clara waited a few seconds before checking the number. There was no profile picture, no status, and no information that could help her identify the sender.

She considered asking Amara whether she recognized it, but stopped.

She didn't want to turn an unexplained message into a bigger issue than it might be.

Perhaps someone from school had obtained her number through one of the class groups.

That was possible.

Still, the message was strange.

She returned to her conversation with Daniel, then opened the unknown number's chat again.

Nothing had changed.

She placed the phone on her desk and tried to continue reading.

But a few minutes later, another message arrived.

Unknown Number: You don't know Daniel as well as you think you do.

Clara went still.

Her eyes moved from the message to Daniel's name in her contact list.

She read the unfamiliar sender's words again, searching for some explanation that would make them less unsettling.

Who was this person?

And why were they bringing Daniel into it?

She picked up her phone and opened her conversation with him.

For several seconds, she considered asking whether he knew anything about the message.

Then she stopped.

She had no idea whether the sender was telling the truth, making assumptions, or deliberately trying to cause trouble.

She needed more information before drawing conclusions.

Clara returned to the unknown number's chat.

Clara: What are you talking about? How do you know him?

This time, the reply came almost immediately.

Unknown Number: Ask him what happened last year.

Clara stared at the words.

Last year?

What had happened last year?

She began typing another question, but before she could send it, the sender's profile picture changed.

A photograph appeared.

Clara leaned closer to the screen.

It was a picture of Daniel.

He was standing outside a building she didn't recognize, wearing a dark shirt. Beside him stood a young woman whose face was partly turned away from the camera.

But strangely her clothes looked familiar, obviously she had seen them on someone before, someone she never thought, she would be reminded off.

Clara's stomach tightened.

A familiar dread began crawling up her skin because that person in the photo was her sister maria, who went missing from home last year.

Then she noticed something else.

Daniel wasn't smiling.

He was staring directly at the camera with an expression she had never seen on him before.

Clara's phone vibrated again.

A new message appeared beneath the photograph.

Unknown Number: Before you go on that date, you deserve to know why he really wants you.

Clara's heart began beating faster.

She looked at the photograph again, then at Daniel's name.

A moment later, another notification appeared.

This one wasn't from the unknown number.

It was from Daniel.

Daniel: Clara, there's something I need to tell you before we meet tomorrow.

She stared at his message.

Then another one arrived.

Daniel: Please don't believe anything anyone tells you about me until you've heard my side.

Clara stopped breathing for a moment.

She hadn't told him about the messages.

She hadn't mentioned the photograph.

And she certainly hadn't told anyone that she was beginning to wonder whether there was something about Daniel she didn't know.

So how could he possibly know?

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

Before she could type a response, the unknown number sent one final message.

Unknown Number: He's already warned you, hasn't he?

Clara stared at the screen, unable to look away.

Then her phone rang.

Daniel's name appeared across the display.

For several seconds, she watched it ring.

Finally, she answered.

"Hello?"

There was silence on the other end.

Then Daniel spoke, his voice unusually serious.

"Clara, listen to me carefully. Whatever message you received tonight, don't reply to that number again."

Her lips parted.

"How do you know about the messages?"

Another silence followed.

Long enough for Clara to realize that he was choosing his words carefully.

Then he said something that made her sit upright in her chair.

"Because, Clara, I know exactly who sent them."

She swallowed.

"Who?"

Daniel exhaled slowly.

"Someone I thought I'd never hear from again."

Before Clara could ask another question, the call abruptly ended.

She stared at her phone.

A second later, a new message appeared from the unknown number.

Unknown Number: Now you know he's been keeping secrets from you.

Clara looked from the message to the photograph.

Tomorrow was supposed to be her first date with Daniel.

But suddenly, she wasn't sure she knew the person she had agreed to meet.