جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 100

The house was quiet when Amelia woke up. Her throat felt dry, so she slipped out of bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen. She did not bother turning on the main lights. The small light above the counter was enough. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it slowly. After placing the glass in the sink, she started walking back upstairs. Then she noticed something on the couch. A black bag. Amelia stopped. She recognized it immediately. “Mark is back,” she whispered to herself. She had expected him to return earlier, but the house had been so quiet that she had not heard him come in. She looked toward the front door, then picked up her robe from the arm of the couch and continued upstairs. She had barely reached the top step when she heard something. A voice. Amelia stopped. It was coming from Evie’s room. She frowned. Why was Mark in Evie’s room at this hour? She took another step. Then she heard Evie. “Mark?” Amelia’s eyes narrowed. She moved closer. The door was not

“Mom.”She stopped. I swallowed.“How long were you standing outside my door?”Amelia turned her head slightly. For a moment, I thought she would finally answer. Instead, she simply looked at me.I stared back at her, unable to say anything. Mark stood beside me, looking like he wanted to say something, but I could tell he was afraid of making things worse.“Evie,” Mom said softly. “Is there something you don’t want me to know?”My heart sank.“No.”The answer came too quickly. Mom noticed. Her eyes stayed on mine. They were calm, but there was pain behind them.“Then why do you look so scared?”“I’m not scared.”“Evie.”I looked away. She stepped closer.“I am your mother. If there is something going on, you can tell me.”“I told you already. It isn’t what you think.”“Then help me understand what I heard.”I swallowed. Mark finally spoke.“Amelia, please. She’s tired. We can talk about this tomorrow.”Mom turned toward him. “No.”“Amelia—”“I said no, Mark.”Her voice was still quie

I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my mother’s face. The hurt in her eyes stayed with me long after she left my room. But there was something else keeping me awake. The video. Alex had used it to threaten me, and now I finally understood how he had gotten it. Ethan. It had to be him. I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my phone. I had already deleted the video from Alex’s phone. I remembered doing it because I had been terrified he would use it against me again. But if Ethan had given it to him, there was a good chance Ethan still had a copy since i already made sure it was deleted from Alex's phone That thought made my stomach turn. I couldn’t let that happen. If Ethan still had the video, then everything I had done to get Alex to delete it would be all for nothing. I needed to meet Ethan. The problem was that I couldn’t simply call him and say, “Delete the video.” He would know immediately that I had figured him out. And if he told Alex, I would be in

I kept walking until I reached my car. I opened the door, threw my bag onto the passenger seat, and stood there for a moment, staring at it. Ethan’s phone was inside. I had actually taken it. A strange sense of relief spread through me, but I refused to celebrate yet. I still had no idea whether the video was on the phone. Until I knew for sure, I could not allow myself to believe this was over. I got into the car and started the engine. My hands tightened around the steering wheel. What if the video was gone? What if Ethan had moved it somewhere else? What if Alex had another copy? Too many questions filled my head. I glanced at the bag beside me. “I just need to know,” I whispered. Then my phone buzzed. It was Joy. “Evie, where are you?” “I’m on my way home.” “You’re missing the celebration.” I smiled. “What celebration?” “The one where we celebrate not destroying the entire event.” I laughed softly. “You guys are being dramatic.” “I’m serious. Everyone i

After that day, the next few months were peaceful for me. For the first time in months, I woke up without checking my phone. I didn’t reach for it the moment I opened my eyes. I didn’t wonder if Alex had called. I didn’t worry about another message waiting for me. I simply got out of bed. It felt strange. But it felt good. Days passed. Then weeks. Alex didn’t contact me. Not once. At first I kept expecting him to appear again. Every time my phone rang, I would glance at the screen, expecting to see his name. But it never did. Slowly I stopped expecting it. I stopped checking my phone every few minutes. I stopped looking over my shoulder whenever I left the office. I finally started feeling normal again. Mark has also not been seeing me lately because of how suspicious my mom is these days. And Aurora was doing better too. The successful event brought more attention than I expected. A few days later, Joy walked into my office with a folder in her hands and a huge smile