I stood in the middle of the street, staring at the message until the words blurred.
THE QUESTION ISN'T WHO LOVES YOU.
IT'S WHO WANTS YOU DEAD.
My fingers tightened around my phone.
Three men.
Malik.
Dominic.
Adrian.
I had known Malik the longest. He was the person I had trusted with my heart.
Dominic was my best friend's brother. I barely knew him, yet somehow I had already become involved in his dangerous world.
And Adrian…
I didn't even know what Adrian was to me.
He was my teacher.
My most irritating teacher.
The man who always seemed to know more than he said.
The man who had saved me from walking directly into danger without even explaining how he knew it was coming.
And now someone was telling me that one of them wanted me dead.
I quickly locked my phone.
I needed to get home.
I had barely entered my room when my phone rang.
Malik.
I stared at his name.
Normally, seeing it would have made me smile.
Today, it made my stomach twist.
I answered.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"Home."
"Are you alone?"
I frowned.
"Why are you asking?"
"Lina, just answer me."
"Yes. I'm alone."
There was silence.
Then he exhaled.
"Good."
"Malik?"
"I'm coming over."
"No."
His voice changed.
"Why?"
"Because I need answers."
"About what?"
"Everything."
Another silence.
"You've been talking to Dominic."
It wasn't a question.
I sat on my bed.
"How do you know?"
"He told me."
"Then you already know what I want to ask."
"Lina, please."
"No."
My voice cracked.
"I am tired of everyone protecting me with lies."
"I'm not lying to you."
"Then tell me the truth."
"I can't."
I closed my eyes.
"Why?"
"Because the truth could put you in more danger."
I laughed bitterly.
"I'm already in danger!"
He didn't respond.
I heard something in the background.
A door closing.
Then a man's voice.
I didn't recognize it.
"Is that her?"
My heart stopped.
"Malik?"
The line went silent.
"Malik?"
The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Then it rang again.
This time, it wasn't Malik.
It was Dominic.
I answered immediately.
"Dominic?"
"Where's Malik?"
"I don't know. He called me and—"
"Listen carefully."
His voice sounded breathless.
"Don't let Malik come to your house."
My stomach dropped.
"Why?"
"Just trust me."
"Everyone keeps telling me to trust them!"
"Lina, I'm serious."
"What happened?"
"I think someone has found you."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
I heard a noise behind him.
Dominic lowered his voice.
"I have to go."
"Wait!"
The call ended.
I sat completely still.
Two men.
Two warnings.
And no answers.
Then someone knocked on my door.
I froze.
"Lina?"
My heart almost stopped.
It was my best friend's voice.
I opened the door.
She stood there, breathing heavily.
"What are you doing here?"
"I called you several times."
"I didn't hear my phone."
She entered and shut the door behind her.
Her eyes immediately went to my face.
"What happened?"
I handed her my phone.
She read the messages.
Her expression changed.
"Oh my God."
"I know."
She looked at me.
"Who are the three men?"
I didn't answer.
She already knew.
"Malik, Dominic and Adrian?"
I nodded.
She paced around the room.
"This doesn't make sense."
"Exactly."
"Maybe they're trying to turn you against them."
"Maybe."
"Or maybe one of them really is dangerous."
I looked at her.
"Which one?"
She shook her head.
"I don't know."
Then her eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait."
"What?"
"You said Adrian was talking to someone."
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
I remembered.
I told you to stay away from her.
She cannot know what happened.
My stomach tightened.
"I think Adrian knows something about me."
"Something about you?"
"Yes."
"Lina, what if this started before Malik?"
I stared at her.
"What do you mean?"
"What if Malik isn't the beginning?"
The room became strangely quiet.
Before I could answer, there was another knock.
My friend looked at me.
"Were you expecting anyone?"
"No."
The knock came again.
Three slow knocks.
My blood ran cold.
I moved toward the door.
My friend grabbed my wrist.
"Don't."
We stood silently.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message appeared.
OPEN THE DOOR.
I looked at my friend.
She shook her head.
Another message.
YOU ALREADY KNOW ME.
My breathing became shallow.
Whoever was outside knew I was reading the messages.
Then came the final one.
ASK MALIK ABOUT THE NIGHT HE FIRST MET YOU.
I stared at the screen.
I remembered that night.
The first time Malik had spoken to me.
The first time he had smiled at me.
The first time I thought something about him was different.
But suddenly…
I couldn't remember exactly where it happened.
I couldn't remember why he had approached me.
I couldn't even remember who had introduced us.
My best friend noticed my expression.
"Lina?"
I whispered,
"I don't remember."
"Remember what?"
"The first time I met Malik."
She stared at me.
"You've known him for months."
"I know."
"So?"
I looked at her.
"I can't remember how we met."
The knocking stopped.
We waited.
Nothing.
Finally, my friend opened the door a few inches.
Nobody was there.
Only a small brown envelope lay on the floor.
She picked it up.
"Don't open it."
I looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because everything that comes into your life lately seems to come with a warning."
She was right.
But curiosity had already taken control of me.
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
I pulled it out.
My breath caught.
It was Malik.
But he wasn't alone.
He was standing beside Dominic.
And beside them…
was Adrian.
All three men were younger.
Much younger.
They stood in front of the same abandoned warehouse.
On the back of the photograph were four words.
YOU'VE KNOWN THEM BEFORE.
I dropped the photograph.
"No."
My friend picked it up.
Her face went pale.
"This can't be real."
I shook my head.
"There's no way."
Then I noticed something in the corner of the photograph.
A little girl.
Standing several feet behind the three men.
Her face wasn't visible.
But she was wearing a bracelet.
A small silver bracelet with a heart-shaped charm.
I looked down at my wrist.
The same bracelet was there.
The bracelet I had owned for as long as I could remember.
My hands began to shake.
"Lina?"
I couldn't speak.
For the first time, the mystery wasn't outside my life.
It was inside it.
And somehow…
Malik, Dominic, and Adrian had been part of it long before I ever knew their names.