Maybe

Chapter 33 Truth Untold

I slowly woke up, everything still blurry as I tried to process what had just happened. Suddenly, Owen flashed in my mind, and I opened my eyes wide, panic rising within me. I looked around, realizing I was in a car. The seatbelt fastened. I tried to unbuckle it but froze when I noticed someone sitting in the driver's seat.

It wasn't Owen.

The man beside me had cold eyes, his gaze fixed on the road. His long fingers gripped a bottle as he drank from it, the water slipping down his throat, intensifying the thirst that had taken over my body. I was sitting next to him, yet he ignored my presence completely, as if I didn't exist.

"How long are you planning to stare at me?" His voice was deep and cold, still not sparing me a glance.

He had definitely changed. Matured.

"How did I get here?" I asked, glancing around, suddenly feeling less frantic and more confused. I stopped struggling, sensing some strange safety in this moment, though I couldn't explain why.

"First, ask yourself how you ended up in his hotel room," he replied, his cold voice still jarring, though somehow more familiar—an older version of him that was more distant, more electrifying.

"He said he had something to show me," I murmured, barely believing my own words.

"A man told you he had something to show you, so you went with him to his room, where some things in his bedroom were arranged to be used on you," he said bluntly, his words sinking deep into my chest. I looked away, feeling the weight of his words, unable to comprehend how I'd gotten myself into this situation.

              "That's not who you are, Ely." I heard his voice, and the name hit me like a wave. It had been so long since I'd heard it. I turned to look at him, but my gaze faltered when he spoke again.

"You wanted to stay away from me, so to ignore me, you went with him."

I hated how he knew everything.

I looked away, staring out the window as I tried to keep my emotions in check. "So why didn't you leave me there?" I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I want to stay away from you. If that's what I want, then you should do the same."

"That's not who I am," he responded quietly, his tone firm yet unyielding.

"Then who are you?" I snapped, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "What do you want? Our lives are so messed up. We don't belong together. Stop meeting me."

I turned away, but deep down, I knew nothing would be that simple.

"I won't do it unless you give me back the key."

My entire body froze when I heard him mention the key. Trying to play it cool, I responded, "What key?"

"The key that you stole."

I couldn't hide the surprise in my voice. "I didn't steal anything."

He didn't back down, his eyes sharp and unwavering. "You've checked the files too; I know that."

The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, I didn't know how to respond.

Flashback

I pushed open the tiny door, revealing a mix of old books, scattered files, and a small, hidden box.

"I recognize this box," I muttered, my curiosity sparking.

I lifted the lid and found a collection of letters, business files, and keys. But it was the key that caught my attention. I grabbed it and set the box aside, feeling the weight of its significance. Underneath the box, more files lay stacked, and I began sifting through them. One file stood out, marked with bold red letters: Red Notice.

I pulled out my phone and started taking pictures of the documents inside.

The first page was marked with a name: Aiden.

As I scanned the contents, the details turned my stomach:

I got addicted to drugs at a very young age.

He tried to poison his father nine times but failed.

He burned his father alive in their own house.

Numerous criminal records, each more disgusting than the last.

The list went on, each line a horrifying testament to the darkness of his actions. My hands shook as I absorbed the chilling details.

"Oh my God, there's so many crimes he's committed."

I muttered under my breath, my stomach turning as I read the list of his actions. A dangerous stalker, criminal, murderer—the words felt like a punch to the gut.

Suddenly, I heard a sound, and instinctively, I knew it was my mom. Panic surged through me, so I quickly shoved everything back into place, making sure everything was exactly how I found it. But I didn't put the key back. I slipped it into my pocket, hoping that whatever was happening, I could figure it out later.

End Of Flashback

The memories from the thriller book I had been reading seemed to blur with reality, and I suddenly found myself in my father's office, seeing the files and meeting Ethan. Then, there was Aiden—his presence felt so real, but it all turned out to be just a dream. None of it had happened. I was still at home, holding that mystery book, when I had drifted off to sleep.

I snapped back to the present, unbuckling my seatbelt and trying to get out of the car, but it was no use—the door was locked. He sat there unfazed, watching me struggle with an almost detached expression.

"You know Aiden kidnapped your mom, tortured her, and has been after you, right?" he said, his voice cold and matter-of-fact. "That's why you had to leave the city. He's still after you."

The words hit me like a jolt of electricity. I remembered the man who had been stalking me, sending me countless messages, lurking in the shadows. It was none other than Aiden.

"He wanted to burn you in that house along with your father, but he failed because your father saved you."

I stopped struggling, my body stiffening as his words sank in. A cold chill ran down my spine, and I couldn't move, couldn't speak. My mind raced, trying to process what he was saying, but everything felt like it was moving in slow motion.

"He thought we would get married and that I would inherit everything, so he tried to seduce you. But when that didn't work, he decided to kill you. He tried to kill me many times, too. That's why your mom abandoned him and took everything away from him. She didn't put him in jail because, despite everything, she still loved him."

He spoke with an eerie calmness, his voice almost flat, as if he were telling a simple fact. His eyes didn't meet mine; he focused instead on the road ahead, as if none of this mattered to him. There was no tremor in his tone, no flicker of emotion. Just cold, brutal indifference.

His words were drenched in hatred, but his face showed nothing—no anger, no pain, just emptiness. The kind of emptiness that made my stomach twist.

I couldn't look at him. My mind screamed at me to say something, anything, but all I could do was stare blankly ahead.

And in that silence, I could feel everything he said pressing down on me, suffocating me with the weight of truth I hadn't been ready for.

"For money, he did everything. He forced my mom to marry Anthony, thinking he'd get all the property in his name, but instead, Anthony named everything on me and my sister. That's what made him even more furious. My dad, Anthony tried his best to keep us safe, but there's no chance left. He told me to stay away, said he'd take care of it, but I'm not going anywhere until I skin Aiden alive."

His words were sharp, laced with a chilling certainty that sent a shiver down my spine. He spoke with such cold, unwavering conviction that I could sense the danger in every word.

I didn't know what to make of it. He was serious—dead serious.