couldn't breathe.
Daniel was alive.
The man I had believed existed only in an old photograph was standing somewhere in the darkness, watching me remember him.
My hands trembled as I stared at the picture.
Daniel.
Older now.
Harder.
There was something cold in his eyes that hadn't been there when we were children.
But the scar above his eyebrow was unmistakable.
I had seen it before.
In my dreams.
In broken memories.
In the nightmares that always ended with screaming.
I stepped backward.
"Lina?"
Malik's voice came from behind me.
I turned quickly.
He was standing near the doorway, his face pale.
He had followed me.
"Malik," I whispered.
His eyes moved from me to the photograph in my hand.
Then his entire expression changed.
"You found it."
My heart stopped.
"You knew?"
He didn't answer.
"Malik."
"I knew Daniel was alive."
The words hit me harder than they should have.
I walked toward him.
"You knew my whole life?"
"No."
"You knew my childhood."
He looked away.
"Yes."
"You knew about Daniel."
"Yes."
"You knew he was watching me?"
Silence.
That silence was enough.
I slapped him.
The sound echoed through the empty room.
Malik didn't move.
He simply looked at me.
"You lied to me."
"I was trying to protect you."
"Everybody keeps saying that!"
My voice cracked.
"My mother wanted to protect me. Maya wanted to protect me. Adrian wanted to protect me. And now you?"
I laughed bitterly.
"Do you people even understand what protection means?"
Malik stepped closer.
"I was trying to keep you alive."
"And what about the truth?"
His eyes softened.
"The truth almost got you killed."
"Maybe I deserve to know why!"
"You don't."
I froze.
"What?"
Malik's jaw tightened.
"You think knowing everything will make you stronger. It won't. Some things destroy people."
I stared at him.
"Then let them destroy me."
He shook his head.
"I can't."
"Why?"
He didn't answer.
I walked past him.
"I'm finding Daniel."
Malik grabbed my wrist.
"Lina, don't."
I pulled away.
"Don't touch me."
He immediately released me.
For the first time, I saw fear in his eyes.
Not fear for himself.
Fear for me.
"Daniel isn't the person you remember," he said.
"I barely remember him at all."
"That is exactly why you need to stay away."
I looked at the photograph again.
"Then tell me what happened that night."
Malik closed his eyes.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Finally, he whispered,
"Daniel wasn't supposed to be there."
My heart pounded.
"Why was he there?"
"He followed someone."
"Who?"
Malik looked at the photograph.
"Elena."
I felt the room shift beneath my feet.
"Elena?"
He nodded.
"Daniel was looking for her."
"Why?"
"Because he knew she was planning something."
"What?"
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"I swear I'm not."
I studied his face.
There was something different about him now.
Something broken.
"You said Daniel disappeared after the attack."
"He did."
"Then how did he survive?"
"I don't know."
"And Elena?"
"I thought she died."
"But she's alive."
"Yes."
I swallowed.
"Then what happened to my mother?"
Malik's face hardened.
"Your mother tried to expose Elena."
"And that's why everything happened?"
"Partly."
"Partly?"
Before he could answer, my phone vibrated.
I looked down.
Unknown number.
One message.
YOU'RE GETTING CLOSER.
Another message appeared.
BUT YOU'RE ASKING THE WRONG QUESTIONS.
My blood ran cold.
Malik noticed my expression.
"What is it?"
I showed him.
His face changed immediately.
"Give me your phone."
"No."
"Lina."
"No!"
I stepped away.
"I am tired of everyone taking things from me."
He stared at me.
Then he nodded slowly.
"You're right."
I expected him to argue.
He didn't.
Instead, he said quietly,
"You deserve the truth."
I looked at him.
"All of it?"
"All of it."
My heart raced.
"Then start."
Malik took a deep breath.
"The night you were attacked, Daniel wasn't the person who brought you there."
"Who was?"
He hesitated.
I could see the answer hurting him.
"Your father."
My mouth fell open.
"My father?"
"Yes."
I shook my head.
"No."
"Lina—"
"No."
I backed away.
"My father abandoned me."
"I know."
"He wasn't there."
"He was."
I felt tears burning my eyes.
"Why?"
Malik looked down.
"Because he wanted something your mother had."
"What?"
"A document."
"What document?"
"I don't know."
"Then why are you telling me this?"
"Because Daniel found out."
"And?"
"Daniel tried to stop him."
My breathing became shallow.
"Daniel protected me?"
"Yes."
"Then why did he disappear?"
Malik's expression changed.
"Because he was blamed for what happened to you."
I stared at him.
"By who?"
"Everyone."
My eyes filled with tears.
"So Daniel was innocent?"
"I didn't say that."
The room went silent.
"What did he do?"
Malik looked directly into my eyes.
"He made a choice."
"What choice?"
"He saved you."
My chest tightened.
"But someone else died."
I couldn't speak.
Malik continued.
"After that night, Daniel disappeared. Elena took him."
"Took him where?"
"We don't know."
"But he's alive."
"Yes."
"And he's been watching me."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Malik's voice dropped.
"Because he believes he failed you."
I looked at the photographs scattered across the table.
Pictures of me.
Eight years old.
Twelve.
Fifteen.
Seventeen.
Every stage of my life.
Someone had been watching.
Someone had been waiting.
Someone had been protecting me from the shadows.
Then I noticed something.
One photograph was different.
It showed me standing beside my mother.
On the back was a date.
And beneath it, three words.
HE REMEMBERS EVERYTHING.
My fingers went cold.
"Malik."
He looked at me.
I turned the photograph around.
His face went pale.
"Where did you get that?"
"It was here."
He took one step toward me.
"Lina, put it down."
"Why?"
"Because that photograph wasn't here before."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"I searched this room yesterday."
A sound came from behind us.
Click.
We both turned.
The door slowly opened.
No one was standing there.
Then my phone vibrated again.
This time, the message contained only one sentence.
LOOK BEHIND YOU.
I slowly turned.
A figure stood at the end of the hallway.
Tall.
Motionless.
Watching me.
I couldn't see his face.
But then he stepped into the light.
The scar above his eyebrow became visible.
Daniel.
He looked directly at me.
And whispered,
"Lina…"
My heart stopped.
"I told you I would find you."
Then he smiled.
But there was nothing warm about it.
"Now you need to remember what I did."