Ariel lay still on her bed, arms folded under her head, staring blankly at the ceiling. The fan spun slowly, lazily, like it didn't care that she was unraveling inside.
Sleep had long abandoned her.
She had tossed, shifted, fluffed her pillow a dozen times. Nothing helped. Not when her mind kept circling the same name...Alex.
It had been one week and three days since he disappeared.
Now, he was supposed to return tomorrow. Just thinking about it stirred something sharp in her chest. Hope? Maybe. Or just confusion mixed with something dangerously close to longing.
She barely even knew him,not really. They hadn't spent much time together. Most of their moments had been tense, strange, electric. She couldn't even tell where they stood. Friends? Enemies? Lovers? Something else entirely? Every time she tried to define it, the word twisted in her mouth.
But none of that stopped her from missing him.
Her fingers itched for her phone, and after a moment, she gave in. The screen's light stung her eyes, but she scrolled anyway, determined to tire herself out.
That's when a headline caught her attention.
SCUMBAG GOT BEATEN.
She blinked. "Scumbag?" she muttered aloud, curiosity instantly grabbing her by the throat.
She tapped it.
A shaky video started playing. Clearly taken in secret. The camera zoomed through the chaos outside a hospital entrance. Flashes of sirens. Shouting. Then..Simon. Being wheeled in, flanked by security, half-conscious. His face looked like it had been smashed in with rage itself. Bruises bloomed across his skin. His shirt was torn. His body slumped.
Ariel sat up.
"What… the hell…?"
This was the same Simon who once looked untouchable. Ruthless. Cold. Not like this. Not broken. Not bleeding.
She leaned forward, watching closer. Trying to make sense of it.
What could've done that to him?
Her fingers gripped the sides of her phone.
If Simon looked like that… what happened to Alex?
Then, something in the corner of the video caught her eye.
A man. A tall one. Hood up. Darker hair than Alex's usual color. Wearing glasses, which Alex never wore. But..he paused mid-step for a second.
Her stomach dropped.
That walk. That posture. That quiet power like the world should step aside for him. She had seen that before.
"Alex?" she whispered.
She rewound the clip. Zoomed. Paused.
The quality was garbage, but the way he stood, the way he tilted his head slightly, the casual command in his stance,it screamed him. But he looked… off. Like a shadow of someone she almost knew.
Why would he be at the hospital?
Why in disguise?
Her heart pounded louder with each question. What if it wasn't him? What if it was? Was he involved in what happened to Simon? And if he was, why?
She wanted to call him. So badly. Ask him directly. Demand the truth.
But she didn't.
They hadn't shared enough for that,not really. And even when he was around, he had been distant. Busy. Always halfway gone.
He told her Simon was cruel, asked her how she could love someone like that.
She didn't know who to trust anymore.
Maybe that wasn't Alex in the video. Maybe it was just her heart playing tricks.
She dropped the phone beside her, burying her face into her pillow.
But even in the silence, a single, stubborn thought echoed in her mind:
"If he lies to me tomorrow… I'll know. And if he dares lie…"
Her jaw clenched.
"Then I'll kill him."
And for once…
She wasn't sure if she meant it metaphorically.