CHƯƠNG 23: THE VOICE FROM BEFORE
The past doesn't knock.
It kicks down the door... with a voice I thought was buried forever.
---
The video went dark.
The screen was black, as if swallowing everything.
This safe room, which I once thought was a fortress, now felt heavy, silent to the point where I could hear the surging sound of blood in my ears, like waves crashing on the shore. My heart pounded, *Evelyn, are you trembling?*
Diego broke the initial silence. He spun around, his eyes fixed on me, his voice slow but sharp as a razor:
"That voice... how sure are you?"
I swallowed hard, not daring to breathe.
Viktor was on the other side, silent. Just watching. His eyes were no longer cold. They were pitch black, a kind of black that swallowed everything, more dangerous than an explosive rage. I felt it pierce my chest.
"Evelyn," he whispered, his voice deep like a death sentence, "don't lie to me."
She exhaled weakly: "Seventy percent."
Diego ground his teeth, a sound she clearly heard:
"What about the other thirty percent?"
"It's... a feeling," Evelyn whispered, her throat dry. "The feeling of someone who was once too close... so close I thought he was my only salvation."
Viktor tightened his grip on the back of her chair, she felt his knuckles turn white, veins bulging:
"How close?"
I looked up, straight into the abyss of his eyes:
"It's not what you two are imagining."
Diego scoffed, but his smile was twisted, like a cut on his lip:
"We imagine all sorts of things, muñeca. You have to be direct."
I leaned back in the chair, my palms icy cold, sweat pouring out:
"V.S. is the only one who knew me... before I became 'Evelyn Sinclair' in this hellhole of Blackhaven."
Viktor froze, as if punched:
"Before us?"
"Before this whole damn world."
Diego stepped closer, his breath hot on my skin:
"Who the hell is he?"
Evelyn shook her head, her voice trembling:
"I don't know who he is now. But back then... he pulled me out of a place even worse than Blackhaven. A place where I almost truly died."
The statement dropped to the floor, like a ticking time bomb. The air was suffocating.
Viktor whispered, his voice cracking with suppressed emotion:
"Now he wants to drag you back to that hell?"
She shook her head, slowly, her heart aching:
"No... He thinks I belong to him. Because he saved me."
Diego growled, his eyes bloodshot: "Saved my ass. That's possession."
She looked at him, her voice faltering: "But some saviors... only save to keep you."
The air solidified like concrete.
Viktor spun towards Diego. Their eyes met for only a second, but she clearly felt it: V.S. was not an anonymous ghost. He was a real threat.
---
The screen suddenly came to life.
Cold white letters on a black background: "BLACKHAVEN WILL KILL YOU.
I AM THE ONE WHO KEEPS YOU ALIVE."
Diego gave a dry laugh, but it was full of malice:
"A love letter?"
Viktor whispered, his voice like a storm:
"More like a declaration of war."
Evelyn looked at the words, her heart pounding as if it would burst from her chest:
"He's not here to kill you two..."
Diego squinted, his eyes flashing with fire: "Are you defending him?"
"NO!" I yelled, my voice breaking. "I'm just saying... he doesn't need me dead!"
Viktor lunged forward, standing tall in front of her, his shadow eclipsing all light:
"But we need you alive."
His voice was deep and resonant, not shouting, not growling, but pressing down on her chest like a rock:
"And now, in Blackhaven, only Diego and I decide that."
Diego stood shoulder to shoulder, his breath warm on Evelyn's skin:
"Not V.S. Or the past. Not that damn five million dollars."
Evelyn felt trapped between two storms that were no longer desire. But pure possession, a life hanging by a thread.
She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure:
"If he really wants me... he won't stop at a message."
Diego smirked, his eyes gleaming with sick pleasure:
"Exactly. He'll try."
Viktor cut in, his voice steely: "And he'll fall flat on his face."
Diego stared at Viktor.
"If he gets in here... do I shoot first or you?"
Viktor replied concisely, without blinking:
"Kill first. Interrogate later."
She shivered, goosebumps rising all over her body.
"What if he's not here to kill?"
Diego leaned down, his face inches from hers, his eyes dark as black holes:
"Then we'll kill him for daring to covet you."
Evelyn clutched her clothes, her voice lost:
"Why are you two..."
Viktor interrupted, whispering close to her lips:
"Because from the moment you stepped between us... you no longer belong to one man."
Diego whispered behind her neck: "You are our intersection."
The room fell silent for a beat. Her heart stopped beating.
Suddenly, the security system wall glowed bright red.
A flashing dot appeared on the map of the southern Eclipse basement.
Diego spun around: "Intruder!"
Viktor asked quickly: "How many?"
"Unclear. But not the main entrance."
She stood up, her legs wobbly.
"He's here already?"
Diego looked at her, his voice deep and muffled: "No. This is bait."
Viktor pulled her closer, his hand hot on her back:
"Bait to separate me from you."
Diego looked at Viktor: "You stay with her."
Viktor immediately replied: "No. You should."
Diego gave a faint, challenging smile:
"They're luring you away. Not me."
Viktor glared at Diego, then turned to her:
"He'll send another message."
Evelyn stood frozen: "What message?"
Diego whispered, his voice like a curse:
"Let's see... when the past calls your name, which one of us will you run to."
She shook her head vigorously: "I'm not running anywhere!"
Viktor grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her gently, eyes meeting his deep gaze: "It's not about what you want."
Diego behind her, his voice a lingering whisper:
"But when he appears... who will you stand between."
Her personal phone suddenly vibrated violently, an unknown number calling.
"Vee. I'm right at the base of Eclipse."
My heart truly stopped...