2025-04-24 22:48:23
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A Shadow Between Us
ZionI didn’t go straight home that night. Honestly, I didn’t even know where I was driving. I just knew I had to keep going and so I kept circling the city like the answer was hidden somewhere in the streets, waiting for me to stumble across it. By the time I stopped the car, I realized I was at Ellen’s building. I chuckled ironically under my breath because part of me knew this was exactly where I’d end up.And so I sat there for a while, with my engine still running, and lights from the street spilling across the hood. My hands stayed on the wheel, but I wasn’t going anywhere. I thought about Aria’s face when she told me, and could not get over one fact. She didn’t beg, she didn’t try to force me to believe her when she told me. That’s what made it stick. Eventually, I climbed out of the car and headed toward Ellen’s building. But just then, I stopped for a moment and turned around. As much as I wanted to find out the truth for myself, I wasn’t sure if this was the right way to go
Between Two Truths
ZionWhen I left Aria’s apartment that evening, my head felt heavier than it had in a long time. The hallway outside her door was quiet, but inside me, everything was loud and unsettled. The air carried that faint city smell of concrete, dust, and faint perfume from someone who had passed earlier, but I barely noticed it. My thoughts drowned everything else.Her words followed me down the steps, every one of them replaying like they were etched into my mind. She had told me Ellen was the one behind the theft, the one who had been taking her identity piece by piece and using it to break us apart. She had said it with such weight, like each word cost her something.I couldn’t believe it. Didn’t want to. I had known Ellen for years, leaned on her during rough times, let her carry burdens I didn’t even realize were there. She had always seemed steady, always ready with advice or with loyalty when people around me were falling away. And now, Aria was telling me all of that had been a mask.
The Confession
AriaZion came to see me late in the evening. I had been sitting by the window for hours, watching the city lights and trying not to think about the conversation I knew would come eventually. When I heard the knock, my chest tightened. I already knew it was him. I could tell by the smell of his musk perfume.He stepped into the room, and the silence between us felt heavy. For a moment, he didn’t say a thing, but then his eyes searched mine, and I could see that he was worried, but also guarded, like he was holding back questions that had been building up for days.“Aria,” he said softly, closing the door behind him. “I need you to tell me the truth. What’s going on? Why does it feel like everything is falling apart around you?”I breathed slowly and folded my hands together, trying to stop them from shaking. For a long moment, I didn’t answer, because I was afraid of what he might say once he heard the truth. Still, I knew I couldn’t hide it anymore.“It’s Ellen,” I finally said. My v
A Question of Trust
AriaI was still on my desk long after the sun had gone down, staring at the badge sitting right in front of me. It was such a small object, barely the size of a credit card, yet it felt heavier than the building I worked in. Every time I looked at it, I saw Ellen’s face, that smug smile she gave me when she finally dropped the act. The proof was right here, but the question kept eating at me: would Zion believe me if I showed it to him?The thought alone made my chest tighten. Zion had always believed in me. He had defended me when nobody else would, stood beside me when things fell apart, and looked me in the eye like I was worth more than my mistakes. But this was Ellen we were talking about. His best friend. The person who had been by his side for years, probably longer than I had. She had been there through everything, and I was terrified that in his eyes, her word might mean more than mine.I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my head in frustration. If I told him, there were on
Betrayal in Plain Sight
AriaI was sitting behind my desk, still reeling from the chaos of the press briefing, when I noticed him hovering near the doorway. The young technician I had planted during the event. He looked pale, like he wasn’t sure if he should even be in my office.“Come in,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “You’ve got something for me?”He nodded quickly and stepped closer, lowering his voice like the walls had ears. “I couldn’t see the hacker’s face during the blackout. It was too dark, and they moved fast. But…” He dug into his jacket pocket and pulled something out. “I managed to pick this up. They dropped it.”He placed the item gently on my desk. At first, it looked harmless, a simple access badge. But the moment my eyes landed on it, my stomach flipped. I knew that badge. I had seen it clipped onto Ellen’s blazer more times than I could count, and in that moment, my throat went dry. “Where exactly did you find this?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.“Near the emer
Shadows on the Screen
AriaThe applause had barely started when the lights cut out, plunging the entire hall into darkness. For a moment, there was nothing but silence and the sound of my own heartbeat thudding against my ribs. My fingers tightened around the podium as if holding onto it would keep me grounded.Then the screens behind me crackled to life with harsh static, and the sound made people flinch. Then it was the grainy footage that appeared next, shaky and clearly filmed from hidden cameras. I recognized the faces instantly; they were members of my executive board, half of them, sitting in quiet rooms, exchanging files, whispering over envelopes stuffed with cash.The distorted voice followed, filling the hall silently.“Your leaders are liars. Your trust has been bought and sold.”As soon as those words echoed, the room broke out in gasps. My stomach turned because I knew exactly what I was seeing. These were the same names I had read in the envelope days ago, and now the whole world was watchin
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