The next morning, Ruha didn’t reach for the letter.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdipsLeMJ8u
She didn’t need to.
Tadan had stayed the night—on the couch, arms crossed, head tilted back like sleep never came easy. When she walked in, he blinked once, like he hadn’t stopped watching the door.
“Morning,” he said, voice soft.
She offered a small smile. “You stayed.”
“I said I would.”
Silence settled between them like ash. Not heavy. Just real.
Ruha made coffee. Tadan opened a window. And for a few fragile minutes, it felt like peace was possible.
Until her phone lit up.
Unknown Number.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgihOZ4T9c8
One message.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9q3zdAUZUB
One image.
It was a photo of her—taken last night, through the kitchen window.34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4uKrf2njZ
Ruha dropped the mug. Ceramic shattered on the floor.
Tadan was beside her in an instant. “What happened?”
She didn’t speak. Just turned the screen toward him.
His face went still. “Is that from…?”
“I think he was watching.”
“Danam?”
She nodded, pulse spiking.
Tadan’s expression shifted—protective, cold, furious. The fire in him rarely showed. But when it did, it burned for her.
“We’re going to the police,” he said.
“No.” Ruha’s voice cracked. “He’ll just slip through. He always does.”
“Not this time.”
But Ruha wasn’t just afraid of Danam’s games—she was afraid of the reason behind them.
Because Danam wasn’t just trying to scare her.
He was warning her.
Across town, Danam sat at a high-rise balcony, flicking ash from a cigarette. The phone was still warm in his hand.
“She saw it,” he said.
A voice crackled back. “Good. That’ll shake her memory loose.”
Danam exhaled, eyes narrowed. “Tadan’s with her now. That’s going to be a problem.”
“We planned for that. You just need to make her remember what’s locked away.”
Danam’s jaw clenched. “And if she does?”
The voice went quiet, then replied:34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hzCtxGZdT
“Then she’ll know what she did. And what she took from us.”
Back at Ruha’s apartment, she stared at the image again.
Tadan paced. “We can’t just wait for him to act.”
Ruha’s eyes were far away. Her hands gripped the edge of the table.
“There’s something I never told you,” she whispered. “Something… from before I met you. Before Danam turned into who he is now.”
Tadan stopped pacing.
“What is it?”
She turned toward him, and for the first time, her eyes didn’t flinch. They didn’t hide.
“There was a fire,” she said. “Years ago. An abandoned warehouse. Danam and I were both there. So was someone else.”
Tadan’s voice was barely a breath. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “That night… it’s gone. I blacked out. But someone didn’t make it out.”
Silence.
Then her voice cracked:34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OZpidTVHK
“Danam says I did it.”
