The veil of hearts

Even Her Silence was Mine

ALEKSI's POV

The smaller room reeked of fear and disinfectant. Joshua Bennett was slumped in the metal chair where we'd left him, zip-ties cutting into his wrists, an IV line snaking from his arm to a bag of saline solution. His head lolled forward, dark hair matted with sweat and dried blood from where we'd had to subdue him during the initial capture.

Johnny moved behind him and administered the counteragent. Within seconds, Joshua's eyelids began to flutter.

"Wakey, wakey, Dr. Bennett," I said cheerfully, pulling up a folding chair and sitting directly in front of him. "Time to rejoin the land of the living."

Joshua's eyes opened slowly, unfocused at first, then sharpening as consciousness returned. The moment he saw me, his entire body went rigid.

"You," he breathed, his voice hoarse from the sedative.

"Me indeed," I replied with genuine warmth. "I do hope you slept well. You're going to need your strength for what's coming."

"Where is she?" Joshua demanded, struggling against his restraints. "What have you done with Aina?"

I laughed—a delighted, almost giddy sound that echoed off the concrete walls. "Oh, Dr. Bennett, you have it backwards. The question isn't what I've done with her. The question is what she's about to do for you."

"I don't understand."

"Your lovely girlfriend received some rather distressing news about your disappearance," I explained, settling back in my chair like we were having tea instead of conducting an interrogation. "And being the heroic little thing that she is, she's decided to come rescue you."

I tilted my head, studying his expression with scientific interest. "Oh, Dr. Bennett. Such a touching display of self-preservation disguised as nobility. But we both know the truth, don't we?"

"She won't come," Joshua repeated, but his voice lacked conviction. "Why would she risk her life for someone who's just... we're not even together. She disappeared three weeks ago without a word."

"Disappeared to protect you," I said softly, watching the flicker of hope in his eyes. "Because even without confessions, even without pretty words or promises, she loves you enough to walk away rather than see you hurt."

I leaned forward, my smile widening. "And that, my dear boy, is exactly why she's already on her way here."

"You're lying."

I pulled out Joshua's phone and showed him the message thread, watching as his eyes scanned Aina's words. The despair that crossed his features was absolutely exquisite.

"She's walking into a trap," he whispered.

"She's walking into destiny," I corrected gently. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment, Dr. Bennett?"

"I don't care—"

"Since I was eighteen years old," I continued as if he hadn't spoken. 

I stood and began pacing around his chair, my voice taking on an almost dreamy quality. "But you know, Dr. Bennett, everyone assumes this is about revenge. About finishing what our fathers started. About turning her into some kind of research subject for memory manipulation experiments."

"Isn't it?" Joshua asked, his voice hoarse.

I stopped pacing and turned to face him, my smile widening. "Oh, my dear boy, you're thinking so... clinically. So small."

I moved closer, crouching down until we were eye level. "Let me tell you what this is really about. Let me tell you about a eighteen-year-old boy who watched surveillance footage of a nine-year-old girl and fell so deeply, irrevocably in love that it reshaped his entire existence."