I don't sleep that night.
I don't dream either.
I sit in my bed, knees pulled to my chest, eyes fixed on nothing.
Every word Noah said keeps echoing in my head:
"When I saw you, I thought I was seeing the light I destroyed once."
It might be the most beautiful thing anyone has ever told me.
And yet, it hurts.
At eight in the morning, Mila storms into my apartment, hair tied in a battle bun, laptop under her arm.
"Okay. No more emotions. We're switching to investigation mode."
"Good morning to you too."
"No time to waste. I dug all night."
She puts her laptop on the coffee table and motions for me to sit.
"I looked into Clara Durand. Want to hear this?"
I nod, even though my stomach is already tightening.
Mila opens article pages, forums, digital archives.
"I found something strange. Clara wasn't just an amateur photographer like Noah told you. She worked for LovLink."
I snap my head up.
"The app?"
"Yep. Community manager during the launch. She handled test profiles, ads, promo pictures."
A cold wave runs through me.
"You mean… she created some accounts?"
"Exactly. Including Noah's."
I freeze.
"Wait what?"
"Look."
She shows me a screenshot from the official LovLink account, posted before the accident:
"Thanks to our testing duo for this beautiful photo campaign — Clara D. & Noah L."
I reread the sentence several times.
"They worked together…"
"Or more likely, she created his profile. Maybe even orchestrated their 'meeting.'"
My hands start to shake.
Everything fits too perfectly: the photos, the car, the canal… and now the app.
"Mila… if Clara worked for LovLink, and Noah was involved in the campaign… maybe the accident wasn't just an accident."
"That's exactly what I'm thinking."
She zooms in on a line from the original news article:
"According to witnesses, the car was speeding after an argument regarding a promotional contract."
I straighten up.
"A contract?"
"Yes. LovLink was launching a campaign called 'Love in Motion.' Their couple was supposed to be the face of it."
"And if they argued because of that…"
"Then the accident may not have been a romantic tragedy, but a professional conflict."
Mila closes her laptop, serious.
"Léna, this guy is tangled in a story where everything overlaps: love, guilt, and a company with every reason to bury the details."
I stand abruptly.
"I need to talk to him."
"No. Léna, stop. You don't have to save him."
"I don't want to save him, Mila. I want to understand."
She sighs, already defeated.
"Then promise me one thing: you don't go alone."
I promise.
But the moment Mila leaves, I grab my phone.
I open the last conversation with Noah.
"We need to talk."
He replies almost immediately.
"I knew you'd come back."
"Not for you. For the truth."
"Then meet me at the studio."
The studio is dark, nearly empty.
The photos have been taken down, the red notebook is gone.
Noah is sitting on the floor, hands clasped around his knees.
"I knew you'd come," he says without looking up.
"You knew a lot of things, apparently."
He gives a sad smile.
"Mila showed you the articles, didn't she?"
"Yes. And I learned Clara worked for LovLink."
He nods.
"She did."
I sit across from him, cautious.
"Then tell me the truth. From the beginning."
He inhales slowly.
"Clara and I never had a simple story. We met on LovLink, but not by chance. The company wanted a 'showcase couple' a perfect love story to promote the app. We were supposed to act in love."
"Act?"
"Yes. And then… we actually fell for each other."
His eyes cloud.
"But when she wanted to quit the project, they threatened her. Clauses, contracts… things I never fully understood. That night, she was furious. She said they had orchestrated everything—even our fights. That nothing was real."
I listen, frozen.
"And then?"
"Then she wanted to expose everything. She took the car, I tried to stop her. She was speeding, I tried to calm her down. I remember the curve, the crash… and then nothing."
He lowers his head.
"When I woke up, she was gone. Nathan showed up minutes later. He was the one who called the paramedics, who talked to the police. And I… I let him."
I stare at him, stunned.
"So all this time, you were carrying his guilt… and yours."
"Yes. Because I was guilty of something else: letting LovLink turn us into a lie."
I stay silent.
Everything fits now: the past, the brother, the guilt.
But one question burns in my throat.
"And why me? Why choose me?"
He finally lifts his eyes.
"Because your profile appeared on LovLink on the anniversary of her death."
"So what?"
"You had the same bio. Word for word."
A chill runs down my spine.
"Impossible."
"Believe me, I checked it a hundred times. This isn't a coincidence. Someone put you in my path, Léna."
I step back.
"You think LovLink…"
"…is replaying the story. Again."
I leave the studio without a word.
Outside, the rain starts again.
I look at my phone.
LovLink is still there, pale pink icon, glowing faintly.
I stare at it for a long time.
Then a notification appears.
"New match: Nathan L."
My blood runs cold.