Chapter: Torn Between Truths
The door slammed behind her as Dee stepped into her room.
She stood there in the silence, numb. The soft hum of the air . The ticking of the clock. The echoes of her own heartbeats — it was all she could hear.
But louder than any sound was Rayyan's face, playing in her mind over and over.
The moment she pointed the gun at him.
The betrayal in his eyes.
The disbelief. The heartbreak.
The quiet "Why?" that his lips didn't speak but his soul screamed.
She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms.
"I didn't want to do that," she whispered to herself.
She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall.
Memories rushed in like a hurricane she couldn't outrun:
Rayyan carrying her into the hospital after the warehouse fire, yelling at the doctors like her life was his only concern.
Rayyan spoon-feeding her soup when her hands were too weak to lift.
Rayyan pulling her close on rainy nights, whispering that he'll protect her — no matter who or what came after them.
Rayyan burning eggs in her kitchen, laughing when she mocked him.
Rayyan brushing her hair out of her face when she slept on the couch.
Rayyan, Rayyan, Rayyan.
He had become the rhythm in her silence, the warmth in her shadows.
And now, she had ripped that thread apart with her own hands.
Her chest felt tight. Her throat burned. She hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face.
Tears soaked through the sleeves of her sweatshirt. Silent. Heavy. Endless.
"I'm sorry, Rayyan..." she whispered. "But I had to. King... he's more important. I can't risk it. I can't trust anyone. Not even... you."
But her heart screamed otherwise.
---
It was 2:03 AM when her phone buzzed, vibrating against the nightstand.
Her swollen eyes blinked. Unknown number.
Her pulse quickened. Stape?
She swiped to answer.
"Hello...?"
The line crackled for a second.
Then a voice replied, low... familiar.
"It's been many days, Dee."
She froze. Her heart sank.
"Duke," she hissed. "How dare you call me?"
Her voice cracked as she wiped the dried tears from her cheek.
"I told you I never wanted to see or hear from you again!"
"I didn't call to fight," Duke said, calm. "I called to help."
"Help? I don't need your help!" Dee snapped, her finger hovering over the 'end call' button.
But then...
"It's about King, Stape... and Ayat."
She froze. The breath in her chest got stuck.
"What?" she whispered. "What do you mean... Ayat? She's in the hospital—"
"No. Listen to me, Dee."
Duke's voice was low and serious. "I've been watching. Tracking. I know something. I found footage. Evidence. Ayat was involved... the night King disappeared. And the night Stape vanished. She was there. With them."
"You're lying," Dee said, but her voice was barely convincing.
"I'm sending you pictures. See for yourself."
A notification blinked. Then another.
Dee opened the photos with shaking fingers.
Photo 1 — Ayat, near a run-down warehouse, wearing the same clothes from the night of King's last sighting.
Photo 2 — A blurry CCTV grab of Ayat running down an alley at 2:36 AM, alone, barefoot. Her face filled with panic.
Photo 3 — A zoomed-in shot of Ayat getting out of a black van with no plates and there a man with her . It's the same date as Dee got hurt . Everyone thought she's must be in hospital.
Dee dropped the phone.
No. No. No.
She picked it up again, barely breathing, and opened the chat.
Dee:
How about we meet and talk about this. In detail.
Duke:
Yes. But you'll have to come to me.
Dee:
Okay...
But as her thumb hovered to close the chat, another thought struck her. A dangerous one.
She typed again.
Dee:
Why are you helping me? What do you gain from this? You hate me.
A pause.
Then his reply came.
Duke:
I just want to understand you better.
Why you're immune to powers. Why you're different.
Pack your bags. I'm taking you out of the city.
Be ready tomorrow by noon.
She stared at the screen, her mind spinning.
She didn't trust him. She couldn't.
She knew Duke had always wanted to know what made her "immune." To powers. To mind tricks. To manipulation. She had secrets — things even Rayyan didn't know.
Going with Duke could be dangerous.
But the pictures.
The footage.
Ayat.
If what Duke was saying was true... then maybe Rayyan was innocent.
Maybe the person Kavin had warned her about wasn't Rayyan.
Maybe it was Ayat.