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The evening sky was already darkening when Aira reached home.
She took a long shower, letting the warm water fall over her trembling body. But no matter how hard she tried, Rayan's words echoed in her mind.
"I will kill you."
Her hands shook as she turned off the tap. Wrapping a towel around herself, she stared at her reflection in the mirror—pale, frightened, lost. After getting dressed, she went to the kitchen and started washing the dishes, hoping the sound of running water would drown her thoughts.
Her phone suddenly rang.
It was Liza.
"Where are you, Aira?" Liza asked cheerfully.
"I'm at home," Aira replied softly.
"Oh! Me and Maria are going to eat hot pot. Come with us!"
Aira hesitated. "No… I'm tired."
"Don't say no," Liza insisted. "Come on, please!"
Maria's voice joined in too, teasing her. After a moment of silence, Aira sighed.
"Okay… I'll come."
Soon, the three of them were sitting inside Pipa Yuan Hot Pot Restaurant, one of Crimson City's most popular places. Liza and Maria were laughing, talking nonstop, enjoying every moment. Aira tried to smile, but her heart felt heavy.
Liza noticed it.
"Aira," she said softly, "you look sad. What happened?"
Aira shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine."
Liza didn't push her then.
After finishing dinner, they decided to walk home together. First, they dropped Maria at her house.
"Good night!" Maria waved with a bright smile.
As they continued walking, Liza glanced at Aira again. That sadness was still there.
"Okay," Liza said seriously, "tell me now. What's wrong?"
Aira stopped walking.
"Rayan…" she whispered. "He told me he would kill me."
Liza sighed, not looking surprised.
"He's always like that. He doesn't want anyone around him. He hates people becoming a barrier to his work. That's why no one dares to get close to him."
Aira frowned.
"But why? Why is he like that? Why can't he be friendly to anyone?"
Liza shook her head. "I don't know."
They reached Liza's house. Before going inside, Liza turned back.
"Don't think too much about what he said, okay? Just ignore him."
"Okay," Aira replied.
After Liza went inside, Aira continued walking alone. The street was quiet.
Near her house, she suddenly stopped.
At the small park nearby, she saw Rayan.
He was talking to a girl.
Aira quickly hid behind a tree, her heart pounding. She tried to listen, but couldn't hear their conversation. After a while, the girl walked away.
Who is she? Aira wondered.
She remembered Liza's words—ignore him.
So she turned away and went home.
After locking the door, her hand stayed on the doorknob for a moment. Her mind replayed the scene at the park.
Is she his girlfriend?
She shook her head and laughed bitterly.
"Why am I even thinking about this?" she said out loud.
She messed up her hair and punched her pillow in frustration before lying down on the bed.
She picked up her phone to text Liza—but stopped.
Ignore him, Liza had said.
So she put her phone down.
Just then, her phone rang again.
"Grandma," she answered.
Her grandma's warm voice filled her ears.
"How was your first day at high school? Did you make friends?"
Aira smiled softly. "Yes. I made a friend named Maria."
They talked for a while, sharing small things, until finally—
"Good night, my dear."
"Good night, Grandma."
After ending the call, Aira closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
That night, she dreamed of her mother and father.
When she woke up suddenly, her heart was racing, her body cold with fear.
She grabbed her phone and looked at the screen.
2:47 A.M.
Her nightmare wasn't over yet.
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