2026-01-30 07:14:38“You don’t get to ask me why, Derick.”
The words landed softly. That was what made them hurt. Derick stood in the middle of the living room, jacket still on, one hand gripping his phone like it might explain what his eyes had just seen.
Maya sat on the arm of the couch, legs crossed, wine glass balanced between her fingers. Calm. Comfortable. Like this conversation had been rehearsed. “Say that again,” Derick said.
Maya sighed, already tired. “I said you don’t get to ask me why.”
Caleb shifted near the window. “Man, maybe we should”
“Don’t,” Maya snapped without looking at him. Then her eyes returned to Derick. “You’re making this bigger than it needs to be.”
Derick laughed once. It came out wrong. “Bigger?”
The phone vibrated in his palm. Another message. Another confirmation. He didn’t open it. “You slept with him,” Derick said. “In our bed.”
Maya took a sip of wine. “Lower your voice.”
He stared at her. “That’s your response?”
“What do you want me to say?” she asked. “That I’m sorry?”
“Yes,” Derick said immediately. “That would be a start.”
She tilted her head, studying him. “But I’m not.”
The room went still. Caleb cleared his throat. “Maya”
“No,” she cut in. “He deserves honesty for once.”
Derick’s fingers tightened. “For once?”
“You were comfortable,” she said. “Comfortable isn’t love. It’s laziness.”
Derick took a step closer. “I worked two jobs for us.”
“And still came home empty,” she replied. “Empty eyes. Empty dreams.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Is it?” She stood now, heels clicking softly against the floor. “Tell me the last time you surprised me.”
“That’s not”
“The last time you wanted me,” she continued. “Not because we were married. Because you actually wanted me.”
Derick opened his mouth. Nothing came out. Maya smiled, small and sharp. “Exactly.”
The front door creaked as someone laughed outside. A neighbor. Life continuing. “So this is it?” Derick asked. “You humiliate me, then rewrite the story so you feel better?”
She shrugged. “You humiliated yourself.”
Caleb stepped forward. “Maya, that’s”
“True,” she said. “I didn’t cheat because I’m cruel. I cheated because he was weak.”
The word hit harder than the betrayal. Weak. Derick felt something inside his chest loosen. Not pain. Something colder. “You think I’m weak,” he said quietly.
“I know you are,” she replied. “Look at you. Standing there, waiting for an apology that isn’t coming.”
Derick glanced at Caleb. “You knew.”
Caleb swallowed. “Man”
“You knew,” Derick repeated.
“I told him,” Maya said. “I said if you were any kind of man, you’d already know.”
Derick nodded slowly. “So you both decided I wasn’t worth the truth.”
Caleb looked away. Maya crossed her arms. “This conversation is over.”
“No,” Derick said. “It’s not.”
She laughed. “See? This is what I mean. You think raising your voice changes things.”
“I’m not raising my voice.”
“You don’t have to,” she said. “You’re still small.”
Something finally broke. Derick stepped back. “Pack your things,” Maya said. “I already called a locksmith. The code changes tonight.”
Derick blinked. “This is my house.”
“It was,” she corrected. “I’ll have your clothes boxed by morning.”
Caleb muttered, “Damn.”
Derick looked at them both. Then he smiled. It startled them. “That’s it?” Maya asked. “You’re smiling?”
“No,” Derick said. “I’m listening.”
“To what?”
“To the sound of something ending,” he replied.
She rolled her eyes. “Drama doesn’t suit you.”
He turned toward the door. “Derick,” she called after him. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
He paused, hand on the knob. “I won’t,” he said. “I promise.”
Outside, the city breathed. Horns. Voices. Neon flickering against wet pavement. Caleb followed him out. “Bro, wait.”
Derick stopped but didn’t turn. “I didn’t mean for it to go like this,” Caleb said. “It just… happened.”
Derick finally looked at him. “You sat in my house.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened. “You weren’t there.”
“I was,” Derick replied. “Just not in the room.”
Caleb exhaled. “What are you gonna do?”
Derick considered the question. “I don’t know yet,” he said. “But I won’t be loud about it.”
Caleb frowned. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”
“It shouldn’t,” Derick said.
He walked away. By the time he reached the end of the block, his phone rang.
Unknown number. He answered. “Derick Hale?” a man asked.
“Yes.”
“This is Victor Ames. Maya’s attorney.”
Derick stopped under a flickering streetlight. “That was fast.”
“We’re moving efficiently,” Victor said. “I suggest you do the same.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“There are documents you’ll need to sign. Refusal will complicate things.”
Derick smiled to himself. “Complication is relative.”
Silence. “Excuse me?” Victor said.
“Nothing,” Derick replied. “Send whatever you like.”
The call ended. Derick stood there for a long moment, watching cars pass. His reflection stared back at him from a dark shop window, eyes calm, face unreadable.
A woman brushed past him and apologized without slowing. Derick didn’t respond. He took out his phone and deleted every message. Photos. Contacts. Years reduced to empty space.
Then he opened a new note. One line. Weak men beg. Quiet men plan.
He locked the screen. Across town, Maya laughed as she poured another glass of wine. “See?” she said to Caleb. “He didn’t fight. Just like I said.”
Caleb nodded slowly, unease creeping into his chest. “Yeah. Guess you were right.”
Maya smiled, satisfied. Miles away, under the buzzing streetlight, Derick Hale stepped into the shadows.
And something else stepped out. He didn’t know its name yet. But the city would.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 9 — WHEN GHOSTS BLEED
The engine growled as Ethan pushed the car past its comfort. Red lights blurred into streaks. The city bent around him, familiar roads turning sharp and narrow as he cut through traffic with ruthless precision.He didn’t use sirens. Didn’t need them. Fear cleared paths faster than authority ever could. Jonas’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “Teams are five minutes out.”“Too long,” Ethan replied.“You’re not equipped for direct engagement.”Ethan turned hard onto Maya’s street. “I’m equipped for inevitability.”Silence followed. Jonas knew better than to argue now. Ethan parked three buildings down, engine still running.He stepped out, jacket unzipped, movements unhurried. Anyone watching would mistake him for another late-night passerby. That mistake would cost them.He crossed the street, eyes scanning reflections, windows, parked cars, puddles of old rain. The building loomed ahead, lights dark except for one apartment on the third floor. Maya’s.The front door was ajar. Eth
CHAPTER 8 — THE PRICE OF BEING HEARD
Lucas liked to talk when he felt safe. Ethan had learned that years ago, back when Lucas still borrowed money and promised repayment with dramatic sincerity.Now, safety looked different. It was confidence inflated by victory, by the belief that Derick Hale was dead and buried. That belief made men sloppy.The feed played silently on the wall. Lucas paced his apartment, phone pressed to his ear, drink in his other hand. His laughter was loud, careless.The kind that came from thinking the storm had passed. Jonas watched Ethan from the corner of his eye. “We can mute the audio if you want.”“No,” Ethan said.Jonas nodded to a technician. Sound filled the room. “…telling you, man, it’s clean,” Lucas said. “No body, no mess. Guy just cracked. Happens all the time.”Ethan’s jaw tightened, just a fraction. Jonas leaned closer. “You recognize the voice on the other end?”Ethan listened. The voice was distorted, filtered, but the cadence was sharp. Professional. Curious. “No,” Ethan said. “B
CHAPTER 7 — ECHOES PEOPLE CAN’T EXPLAIN
Ethan didn’t leave immediately. That was the first deviation. He stood just outside the building, under the wash of white security lights, letting the city’s night air cool his skin.The rooftop’s laughter still echoed faintly above him, distorted by glass and height. The phone vibrated.Unknown: You were instructed to exit.Ethan typed with one hand. ''I did. I just didn’t vanish.''A pause. ''Careful.''Ethan slipped the phone into his pocket and stepped into the street. He walked instead of driving. That was the second deviation.The city rewarded walkers with truths drivers missed, arguments spilling out of bars, quiet deals in shadows, the real rhythm beneath curated noise.Ethan moved with the crowd, head down, posture unremarkable. His reflection appeared in a shop window. Adrian Cole looked comfortable. That disturbed him.A familiar voice cut through the air behind him. “Hey.”Ethan didn’t turn. The voice came closer. “Adrian.”He stopped. Caleb stood a few feet away, jacket
CHAPTER 6 — A FACE THAT DOESN’T EXIST
The file arrived at 4:03 a.m. Ethan was still under the overpass, engine off, city noise muffled by concrete and distance. The encrypted phone vibrated once, no warning, no urgency.He opened it. Identity Packet — ACTIVEA face appeared first. Not his. Mid-thirties. Clean haircut. Forgettable in a way that felt intentional. The kind of face people remembered only after it left the room, and even then, vaguely.Name: Adrian ColeOccupation: Independent logistics consultantHistory: Plausible. Boring. Verified.Digital Footprint: Eight years. Clean.Social Access Level: ModerateFlags: NoneEthan scrolled. Bank accounts. Rental history. Travel stamps. A handful of photos at networking events. Smiling beside people who didn’t matter. “Adrian Cole,” Ethan murmured.The phone buzzed. Unknown: Say it.Ethan didn’t hesitate. “I’m Adrian Cole.”Good.Tonight, you’ll attend a gathering, Invitation already sent.Ethan frowned. To who?The reply came with a location pin. His old world. Maya’s wo
CHAPTER 5 — WHEN SHADOWS MOVE
The SUV stayed two car lengths behind him. Not close enough to be aggressive. Not far enough to be coincidence.Ethan merged smoothly into traffic, posture relaxed, hands steady on the wheel. Speed didn’t change. Breathing didn’t change. Panic was loud, and he had already buried loud things.The encrypted phone vibrated once. Unknown: Confirm tail.Ethan checked the rearview mirror casually, like any bored commuter. Headlights. Same grille. Same patience. Confirmed, he typed.Good. Don’t lose them.Ethan’s lips twitched. So this was the lesson. He turned left at the next light. The SUV followed. Right turn. Followed.Three blocks later, Ethan slowed just enough to let a taxi slide between them. The SUV adjusted instantly. Professional.The city stretched out around him, late-night Lagos energy still alive. Street vendors closing up. Music bleeding from open windows. Neon signs flickering like tired eyes.Ethan didn’t rush. He let the SUV believe it had control. The phone buzzed again.
CHAPTER 4 — WATCHING WITHOUT BEING SEEN
The house hadn’t changed. That was the first thing Ethan noticed. Same porch light flickering like it always had.Same wind chimes Maya insisted were “calming.” Same white curtains that never quite closed all the way. Comfort preserved. Like nothing had happened.Ethan sat in the parked car across the street, engine off, hands resting loosely on the steering wheel. The encrypted phone lay face-up beside him, dark and silent. Observe. Do not engage.He watched Maya move through the living room, phone pressed to her ear, pacing in slow circles. “No, Victor, I don’t care how it looks,” she said, voice faint through the glass. “I want to know where he is.”She stopped pacing. Listened. Scoffed. “Don’t tell me to be patient. He doesn’t just disappear.”Ethan tilted his head slightly. She still believed she mattered enough to be chased. Caleb appeared from the hallway, rubbing his face.He took the phone from her hand.“Victor,” Caleb said, lowering his voice, “look… if he’s gone, isn’t that
You may also like
The Secretly Rich Man
Two Ears is Bodhi7.4M viewsRise Of The Disrespected Trillionaire Heir
Blaq81.6K viewsRISE OF THE DISCARDED SON-IN-LAW
Sage Athalar77.8K viewsThe Midnight Heir
South Ashan99.4K viewsTHE BASTARD SON IS REAL HEIR
AL Farwa602 viewsTHE MAFIA'S FORGOTTEN SON
Freezy-Grip1.2K viewsTHE RISE OF THE APEX KING
Six of Spades302 viewsMercy For None
Lulu Hewitt918 views