I felt like shit.
Fuck.
I kissed Theo. What the hell is wrong with me?
I was probably giving him the wrong signals—again. I didn't mean to. I never meant to. But apparently, I can't stop hurting him, no matter how hard I try. My thoughts spiraled, beating me down with every breath.
It wasn't supposed to go like this.
Stupid Almasi. Gah—I hate that name.
I couldn't wait to get rid of it. Maybe I'd change it to something normal. Something boring. Smith. Bentley. Anything but Almasi. Anything that didn't carry all this baggage and blood and shame.
I was unraveling. Sad. Angry. But at who?
Aiden?
Theo?
My father?
...Or maybe just myself—for being such a fucking idiot.
I sat in the car, still and quiet for a while, letting the chaos in my head settle. Eventually, I found something close to peace.
I needed to find Theo.
I had to apologize. This night wasn't supposed to end like this. We were meant to have fun, not drown in drama.
I opened the door and stepped out of the car, ready to head back to the mansion.
Then—
Boom.
An explosion tore through the air.
The sound cracked the sky in half.
My heart dropped.
Screams erupted all around me. People scattered in every direction, panicked and frantic. The ground trembled beneath my feet.
Then came the gunshots. Loud, sharp, rhythmic—like a deadly drumbeat.
No. No, no, no—God, no.
I turned back toward the house, legs already moving before my brain caught up.
Julie.
She was still inside.
"Julie!" I screamed, trying to push through the flood of people rushing the opposite way.
"JULIE!" I cried again, voice raw, throat burning.
No answer.
The air was thick with smoke and fear and chaos. People shoved past me, some bleeding, others sobbing. I barely noticed the pain in my chest—I was too focused, too terrified.
I reached the entrance.
Glass littered the steps like glittering confetti from hell. The doors were wide open, but everything beyond them was shadow and screaming.
"JULIE!"
Nothing.
I took one step forward—
Then everything went black.
Something hit me—hard—on the back of the head.
And I dropped.
_ _ _
When I came to, everything was a blur. Voices echoed around me, muffled and distant, like I was underwater. I couldn't make out a word. Just noise. Chaos. A high-pitched ringing screeched in my ears.
I tried to sit up.
Pain shot through my skull. I winced, instinctively reaching for the back of my head. My fingers came away wet and sticky.
Blood.
My stomach twisted.
Shit. Julie… I need to find Julie.
Theo would be fine. He had an army of guards around him, not to mention his father. And the other Almasi boys? I couldn't care less.
But Julie?
Julie.
I muttered her name like a prayer and tried to push myself up again—
"Hey there, Almasi."
I froze.
The voice was calm. Too calm. Familiar.
I looked up, and there he was.
Aiden.
Dressed in black from head to toe, a bulletproof vest clinging to his chest, a sleek black gun in his hands—he was reloading it with casual precision.
"What the hell… Aiden?"
He smiled—that smile—but this time it was warped. Twisted. Not the one I used to melt for. This grin held no warmth. Only malice.
"Fancy meeting you here," he said, stepping closer.
"You… you did this?"
He tilted his head, as if he were genuinely considering it. "Well… sort of. It's complicated."
My heart pounded.
I couldn't breathe.
"What's going on?" I whispered, more to myself than to him.
He didn't answer right away. Just kept that unnerving grin plastered on his face. But something in his eyes had changed. They weren't playful anymore. They were cold. Hollow.
He squatted beside me, then gripped my chin with gloved fingers. His touch made my skin crawl.
"It was so much fun messing around with you."
I stared at him, stunned. No. No, no, no—he couldn't mean that.
He couldn't.
This was the guy I fell for. The one who made me laugh, who touched me like I mattered. Like I wasn't just another Almasi name.
But looking into his face now, I realized I didn't know him at all.
He was a stranger in the skin of someone I loved.
"How could you do this?" I rasped. "Who are you?"
He didn't flinch. Didn't blink.
"I told you once, didn't I?" he said, eyes narrowing. "You know nothing about me."
Then he raised the gun and pressed the barrel to my temple.
"Listen, I know you have questions," he said almost lazily. "But I'm not obliged to answer any of them… because this is where you die."
My heart shattered.
So I was nothing. Just a game. A toy.
If he didn't care, he deserved an Oscar—because he played the part perfectly.
"After everything?" I whispered. "All this time… and I meant nothing to you?"
He sighed like I was exhausting.
"If I'm being honest, I actually enjoyed it," he said. "But in reality? You really are nothing to me."
I clenched my jaw. I wanted to cry, but I refused. He wouldn't get that satisfaction. If he wanted to kill me, he'd have to do it without seeing me break.
But… he hesitated.
Just for a second.
He didn't pull the trigger.
That was all I needed.
I grabbed his arm, twisted, and kicked him hard in the gut. He stumbled backward, catching himself before he could fall. I scrambled to my feet, dizzy, unsteady, but upright.
I looked around.
Where were we?
This place… it wasn't familiar. Smoke drifted in through a broken window. Distant gunfire echoed in the background. Sirens howled far off.
I didn't have time to think.
He was back on his feet. I lunged, trying to grab the gun, but he caught my wrist midair and slammed his fist into my jaw. Pain exploded across my face.
I crashed to the floor.
He laughed.
"Do you really think you can fight me?"
We both stood.
I was shaking. My vision blurred. But I wasn't backing down.
I was scared—but I was furious, too.
Julie. Where the hell was she?
"Aiden," I said, breathing hard. "Where is she?"
He tilted his head again, as if amused. "I told you—I'm not answering anything. But if I had to guess…" he smirked, "she's probably dead."
Time stopped.
I couldn't breathe.
The image of Julie lying in rubble, eyes open and lifeless, burned into my brain.
Rage erupted inside me.
I screamed and threw myself at him, fists flying. But he blocked every hit like it was a joke. Then he slammed his fist into my stomach. The air rushed from my lungs.
I doubled over—and he uppercut my chin, snapping my head back.
Then he pinned me to the wall.
His face inches from mine.
"You're weak," he whispered, laughing.
That word.
That tone.
The position we were in—it was familiar.
A memory struck me like lightning.
Years ago. The alley. The beating.
I was younger then. Smaller. I'd gotten jumped by a group of kids, and I'd thought I'd die there. But someone showed up—took them all down like they were made of paper. He'd grabbed me, slammed me against a wall, and looked at me with cold eyes.
"Why are you so weak?" he'd said.
I never forgot those words.
Never forgot him.
And now—now I saw it.
The same stance.
The same eyes.
The same voice.
"…Hayden?" I breathed, heart skipping a beat.
His expression cracked.
For the first time, he looked stunned.
"The fuck did you just say?"