Semua Bab I Saved Him And Paid For It : Bab 41 - Bab 50

The photograph lay where it had fallen. Aria stared at it without touching it again.The image had been taken outside St. Matthew's Hospital. She remembered the day clearly. Ethan had insisted on walking her to a taxi after her checkup because she had nearly fainted in the parking lot.Someone had been close enough to capture that moment.Close enough to know which hospital she visited.Close enough to wait.She bent down, picked up the photograph by its edges, and turned it over.Blank.No fingerprints.No markings.Only the message on the front.Next time, come alone.A sharp knock interrupted her thoughts.She quickly slipped the photograph into a folder before opening the office door."Morning."Ethan stood outside holding two cups of coffee."You skipped breakfast again, didn't you?"She accepted the cup with a small nod."You look like you barely slept.""I didn't."He studied her face for a moment."What happened?""Nothing.""You've been saying 'nothing' a lot lately."Before

The morning rain had stopped just before dawn, leaving the city wrapped in damp gray light. Aria adjusted the strap of her bag and stepped out of her apartment building. The air smelled of wet concrete. Normally, she would have headed straight toward the subway station without a second thought. Today, she paused. A black sedan sat across the street. Its engine wasn't running. The windows were tinted too dark to see inside. Her pulse skipped once. You're imagining things. She started walking. When she reached the corner, she glanced behind her. The sedan remained where it was. She let out a quiet breath and continued toward work, convincing herself that the sleepless nights were finally catching up with her. She didn't notice another car pull away from the opposite side of the street a few seconds later. — Two blocks behind her, Damien lowered the newspaper he'd been pretending to read. "Keep your distance," he said through the hands-free earpiece. "I don't want her no

The photograph stayed in Aria's hands long after the parking lot had emptied.A younger version of herself stood at the end of a hospital corridor, circled in red.You were there first.She read the words again.Then again.Nothing about the picture made sense.She didn't remember anyone taking it. She didn't even remember being in that hallway.A car door closed nearby.Aria folded the photograph and slipped it into her bag before turning.Damien had crossed the parking lot."You left in a hurry.""I finished early."His eyes lingered on her face. "You're pale.""I'm fine."It was an automatic answer.Damien didn't believe it."You've been saying that a lot lately."Before Aria could respond, his phone vibrated. One of the security men."The camera footage is ready, Mr. Cole.""I'll be there."He ended the call without looking away from her."My driver will take you home.""I can go by myself.""No.""I'm not asking for permission."For a brief moment, the old Damien surfaced—the man

The call ended.Aria remained frozen on the sidewalk, her phone still pressed against her ear.Traffic flowed around her. A bus hissed to a stop nearby. People brushed past without noticing the color drain from her face."I want you to remember."The words echoed louder than the city.She checked the number.Unknown.No caller ID.No trace.A horn blared behind her, startling her back to the present. She slipped the phone into her bag and continued walking, but every reflection in every shop window made her glance twice.Someone knew where she worked.Someone knew her number.Someone wanted her to remember something she couldn't.From half a block away, Damien watched her disappear into the subway entrance.His security chief lowered a pair of binoculars."We lost the caller.""You never had him," Damien replied."The call was routed through multiple prepaid numbers.""The phone company confirmed it."Damien's expression darkened."This wasn't random.""No.""They're testing her."The

The rain had finally stopped. Gray clouds still hung low over the city, but the streets glistened beneath the afternoon sun as Noah Reed parked outside an aging evidence storage facility on the outskirts of town. The building looked forgotten. Its faded sign leaned sideways, and rust crawled across the iron gate. Perfect. Places like this were where inconvenient truths usually went to die. The elderly clerk frowned when Noah showed his identification. "I already told the last investigator everything." "I'm not the last investigator." The old man sighed before unlocking another cabinet. "You people never stop digging." Noah didn't answer. He watched as several dusty archive boxes were pulled onto the counter. Files. Storage drives. Recovered police evidence. Most of it was supposed to have been destroyed years ago. Supposed to. Noah carefully opened the first box. Nothing. The second contained photographs from unrelated traffic accidents. The th