I still didn’t understand. After everything we’d been through, David just left me like that. Now, all the determination I had built to help him, to help that little girl lying in the hospital bed, as well as Daniel and Dr. John, felt like an empty hope something I would never be able to achieve.
Was everything Dr. John said true? Was it really that hard to go up against Mr. Jimmy? Even Danielm David’s best friend couldn’t bring him down? Had I truly taken the wrong step? The wrong path? Had I failed to uncover the truth?
Why did Dr. John’s painful words, followed by David’s indifference, feel like my entire world was collapsing?
My heart burned. It hurt. I felt suffocated. My breath caught in my throat, something sharp pierced through my chestThe photocopy machine worked as it should. Sheets of paper were copied perfectly. Its humming sounded like the heartbeat of that office, pulsing steadily in the orderly silence. Documents came and went, faces passed by like shadows. I stood still, my eyes watching the stream of paper emerging one by one, as if searching for something more than just a duplicate.It had been two days since David last contacted me. Second by second, day by day, David and his case slowly faded. Strange people and hired killers slowly vanished from my world. I returned to my life, but my mind kept questioning things about David that things no one else knew.I had plenty of information, but no solid evidence about the children. Nothing. As if I had found nothing at all. And yet, I knew so much even about David and his life.Is this the pe
Detective Harry walked ahead of me, leading the way through each corridor of the building. Every room looked busy. Some officers were typing rapidly on their computers, while others were deep in heated debates about cases I couldn’t begin to guess.After a while, we reached a place at the far back of the building. Detective Harry stopped in front of a door labeled ‘Morgue.’A doctor guided us. As the door opened, the sharp scent of formalin immediately rushed out, stinging my nose and triggering a wave of discomfort. The room was cold, dim, and eerily quiet as if time itself had stopped inside. On the left side, metal drawers were lined up neatly, each one holding a tragic story now at its end.The doctor slowly walked over to one of the drawers and gently pulled it open. Inside lay a body covered by a white sheet. Detective Harry stared at it without blinking, his expression unreadable , somewhere between grief and determination.
“Hanna.”Someone called out to me just as I stepped out of the police station. Detective Harry. That stalking detective.“Excuse me? Hanna?”He caught his breath. His face was arranged in that formal expression he always used with me.“Yes, Hanna.”I frowned. First, he called me Mrs. Harper, then Hanna, then back to Mrs. Harper, and now Hanna again.What does he actually want?“Ms. Harper. Call me Ms. Harper,” I said firmly.“But we already agreed to use first names, didn’t we?”I crossed my arms, giving him a sharp look that wasn’t entirely serious.“Then what was that earlier in the room? What did you call me?”He sighed slowly. “That… was just professional, Hanna. I was doing my job. You know that.”I narrowed my eyes, as if weighing his answer.“Weird man,” I muttered, frownin
The scariest thing is when we think we're protected but we’re not.The atmosphere in this room is still the same as when I first came here. Lonely and frightening. I sat on the sofa, my back pressed tightly against the backrest, eyes fixed on the firmly closed front door. My breathing tried to remain calm but my racing heartbeat betrayed me. Only the ticking of the wall clock and the soft hum of the AC kept me company while I waited for the security staff to arrive.Five minutes passed. Suddenly, the doorbell shattered the silence. I jolted.“Security staff” a voice from behind the door said flatly, formal, but there was something off. Too calm. Too perfect.I didn’t respond right away. My heart pounded hard. I stared at the wooden door, trying to pierce it with my gaze. I touched the tip of the knife to my pants leg just in case. “Please show your ID” I said, trying to sound firm though my voice came o
I reached for the camera from the bottom drawer, my fingers feeling cold as I gripped it tightly. For a moment, I took a deep breath, trying to calm the rapid beating of my heart. With heavy steps, I left the warmth of the building behind me, walking toward the exit door.Down there, by the dimly lit street, a black van was waiting. Its headlights were off, but I could feel the invisible gaze watching every movement I made. The night air felt colder, piercing my skin like tiny needles.I quickened my pace, the camera clutched tightly against my chest, as if it could serve as a shield between me and the danger that might be lurking.When I finally stepped up next to the van, I tapped on the window. Hoping they'd come out.“Get out!”The van remained still, no sign of the window rolling down or the door opening.“Hey, GET OUT!” I shouted, my voice louder than usual.A few seconds passed in tense silence until a soft click was heard. The van’s window cracked open just a little.“Sorry, ma
“Who are you?” I said bravely.The knocking sound stopped. Silence. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were the ticking of the clock and the beating of my heart.I latch the door. Then he took the doorknob and opened the door slowly. You could just about see the figure behind the door because there was a small gap in it.He was neatly dressed, wearing a grey suit and black shoes. He stood in the middle, between the two bodyguards, looking relaxed. He has his hands in his trouser pockets and is looking at the crack in my door.Liam.He smiled in a silly way and lifted one hand as if to say hello.“What are you doing here?”“Is that a question?” He asked, not curious, but as if dismissive of my question. “I really wanted to see you.”“What for?” I said quietly in the doorway.“Hey, listen,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck as if trying to calm himself down. Then he took a step closer to my door, which was half-open. His voice sounded a little heavy, almost like a whisp
As David stepped in, Liam suddenly snatched the knife from my hand and pulled me toward him, placing the blade right against my throat.My breath caught, my heart pounded in my chest, while the knife I had just held was now pressed hard against my skin. The pressure was sharp and cold, enough to tell me how dangerous this situation truly was."One more step," Liam said in a low voice, almost a threat, "and I won’t hesitate to kill her."I could feel the chill of the blade against my neck, my body trapped in his iron grip. The room fell silent. All I could hear was the thumping of my racing heartbeat, merging with my short, trembling breaths.David froze in place, his eyes shifting between Liam and me. His gaze was calcu
I sat on the sofa, wrapping myself in a blanket while two police officers interrogated me. Matthew had been with the police since the sirens stopped in front of the building. He said he was the one who called the police after hearing the commotion from outside my room.The CCTV was off, and the knife that could have been used as evidence because it had Liam's fingerprints on it also disappeared, as if everything had been clearly orchestrated. How could the CCTV not work during the incident? Someone must have tampered with it beforehand. Hearing the officer’s explanation, I had already suspected it. Whoever did it, whether it was Liam or David, they were two people I could never defeat alone and unarmed.All the evidence pointing to David and Liam was gone. Everything was gone. The evidence I had gathered over weeks vanished without a trace."So, you didn’t see what he looked like?"I shook my head. Lied. “They were wearing masks and everything was covered.”“What about his voice?” I
I sat on the sofa, wrapping myself in a blanket while two police officers interrogated me. Matthew had been with the police since the sirens stopped in front of the building. He said he was the one who called the police after hearing the commotion from outside my room.The CCTV was off, and the knife that could have been used as evidence because it had Liam's fingerprints on it also disappeared, as if everything had been clearly orchestrated. How could the CCTV not work during the incident? Someone must have tampered with it beforehand. Hearing the officer’s explanation, I had already suspected it. Whoever did it, whether it was Liam or David, they were two people I could never defeat alone and unarmed.All the evidence pointing to David and Liam was gone. Everything was gone. The evidence I had gathered over weeks vanished without a trace."So, you didn’t see what he looked like?"I shook my head. Lied. “They were wearing masks and everything was covered.”“What about his voice?” I
As David stepped in, Liam suddenly snatched the knife from my hand and pulled me toward him, placing the blade right against my throat.My breath caught, my heart pounded in my chest, while the knife I had just held was now pressed hard against my skin. The pressure was sharp and cold, enough to tell me how dangerous this situation truly was."One more step," Liam said in a low voice, almost a threat, "and I won’t hesitate to kill her."I could feel the chill of the blade against my neck, my body trapped in his iron grip. The room fell silent. All I could hear was the thumping of my racing heartbeat, merging with my short, trembling breaths.David froze in place, his eyes shifting between Liam and me. His gaze was calcu
“Who are you?” I said bravely.The knocking sound stopped. Silence. The only sounds that could be heard in the room were the ticking of the clock and the beating of my heart.I latch the door. Then he took the doorknob and opened the door slowly. You could just about see the figure behind the door because there was a small gap in it.He was neatly dressed, wearing a grey suit and black shoes. He stood in the middle, between the two bodyguards, looking relaxed. He has his hands in his trouser pockets and is looking at the crack in my door.Liam.He smiled in a silly way and lifted one hand as if to say hello.“What are you doing here?”“Is that a question?” He asked, not curious, but as if dismissive of my question. “I really wanted to see you.”“What for?” I said quietly in the doorway.“Hey, listen,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck as if trying to calm himself down. Then he took a step closer to my door, which was half-open. His voice sounded a little heavy, almost like a whisp
I reached for the camera from the bottom drawer, my fingers feeling cold as I gripped it tightly. For a moment, I took a deep breath, trying to calm the rapid beating of my heart. With heavy steps, I left the warmth of the building behind me, walking toward the exit door.Down there, by the dimly lit street, a black van was waiting. Its headlights were off, but I could feel the invisible gaze watching every movement I made. The night air felt colder, piercing my skin like tiny needles.I quickened my pace, the camera clutched tightly against my chest, as if it could serve as a shield between me and the danger that might be lurking.When I finally stepped up next to the van, I tapped on the window. Hoping they'd come out.“Get out!”The van remained still, no sign of the window rolling down or the door opening.“Hey, GET OUT!” I shouted, my voice louder than usual.A few seconds passed in tense silence until a soft click was heard. The van’s window cracked open just a little.“Sorry, ma
The scariest thing is when we think we're protected but we’re not.The atmosphere in this room is still the same as when I first came here. Lonely and frightening. I sat on the sofa, my back pressed tightly against the backrest, eyes fixed on the firmly closed front door. My breathing tried to remain calm but my racing heartbeat betrayed me. Only the ticking of the wall clock and the soft hum of the AC kept me company while I waited for the security staff to arrive.Five minutes passed. Suddenly, the doorbell shattered the silence. I jolted.“Security staff” a voice from behind the door said flatly, formal, but there was something off. Too calm. Too perfect.I didn’t respond right away. My heart pounded hard. I stared at the wooden door, trying to pierce it with my gaze. I touched the tip of the knife to my pants leg just in case. “Please show your ID” I said, trying to sound firm though my voice came o
“Hanna.”Someone called out to me just as I stepped out of the police station. Detective Harry. That stalking detective.“Excuse me? Hanna?”He caught his breath. His face was arranged in that formal expression he always used with me.“Yes, Hanna.”I frowned. First, he called me Mrs. Harper, then Hanna, then back to Mrs. Harper, and now Hanna again.What does he actually want?“Ms. Harper. Call me Ms. Harper,” I said firmly.“But we already agreed to use first names, didn’t we?”I crossed my arms, giving him a sharp look that wasn’t entirely serious.“Then what was that earlier in the room? What did you call me?”He sighed slowly. “That… was just professional, Hanna. I was doing my job. You know that.”I narrowed my eyes, as if weighing his answer.“Weird man,” I muttered, frownin
Detective Harry walked ahead of me, leading the way through each corridor of the building. Every room looked busy. Some officers were typing rapidly on their computers, while others were deep in heated debates about cases I couldn’t begin to guess.After a while, we reached a place at the far back of the building. Detective Harry stopped in front of a door labeled ‘Morgue.’A doctor guided us. As the door opened, the sharp scent of formalin immediately rushed out, stinging my nose and triggering a wave of discomfort. The room was cold, dim, and eerily quiet as if time itself had stopped inside. On the left side, metal drawers were lined up neatly, each one holding a tragic story now at its end.The doctor slowly walked over to one of the drawers and gently pulled it open. Inside lay a body covered by a white sheet. Detective Harry stared at it without blinking, his expression unreadable , somewhere between grief and determination.
The photocopy machine worked as it should. Sheets of paper were copied perfectly. Its humming sounded like the heartbeat of that office, pulsing steadily in the orderly silence. Documents came and went, faces passed by like shadows. I stood still, my eyes watching the stream of paper emerging one by one, as if searching for something more than just a duplicate.It had been two days since David last contacted me. Second by second, day by day, David and his case slowly faded. Strange people and hired killers slowly vanished from my world. I returned to my life, but my mind kept questioning things about David that things no one else knew.I had plenty of information, but no solid evidence about the children. Nothing. As if I had found nothing at all. And yet, I knew so much even about David and his life.Is this the pe
I still didn’t understand. After everything we’d been through, David just left me like that. Now, all the determination I had built to help him, to help that little girl lying in the hospital bed, as well as Daniel and Dr. John, felt like an empty hope something I would never be able to achieve.Was everything Dr. John said true? Was it really that hard to go up against Mr. Jimmy? Even Danielm David’s best friend couldn’t bring him down? Had I truly taken the wrong step? The wrong path? Had I failed to uncover the truth?Why did Dr. John’s painful words, followed by David’s indifference, feel like my entire world was collapsing? My heart burned. It hurt. I felt suffocated. My breath caught in my throat, something sharp pierced through my chest