I peeled myself from the bed and sat up. I could feel the hunger chewing on my intestines, I really needed to get something to eat. But before I could do that, I replied to Chris’s text. I told him that I understood and that I had no issue with him leaving me without telling me. Then I proceeded to reply to Fallon’s text. I told her to send me the address and I would be there, but that if it was about the deal that she was offering, my mind still was not going to change. She then replied, ‘Forget about the meet-up, I have other plans.’I stared at the message for a few seconds and then shrugged lightly. I did not mind. I needed the day anyway; to be able to relax and do some deep thinking. Getting out of bed, I headed for the shower. I removed my clothes and stepped under the warm spray, letting it wash away the remnants of sleep and uncertainty. The water cascaded over me, soothing my tense muscles and calming my racing thoughts about everything that had been going on, if only f

Her words hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the cruelty and injustice that had befallen her family at the hands of their ruthless enemies.“Oh my god,” I whispered as I took in the information. She could not be lying, she obviously could not. I could see the pain in her eyes. I could almost feel it, myself. “My father was targeted by their thugs,” Fallon said, her voice barely above a whisper now. Her eyes were glossy, causing my heart to break. “He was brutally attacked, left for dead in the wreckage of his own mine. By some miracle, he survived, but he was never the same. The trauma…it changed him.” Tears welled up in her eyes, and I instinctively reached out to grasp her hand in a gesture of comfort and solidarity. Despite the type of relationship that she and I had, at this moment, we were bound by her pain. “If you don’t mind me asking, did your father return to work? Did he ever try to make the Kingston pay?” She chuckled dryly, taking her hand out of my hold. “He’s

As Chris shifted uncomfortably beside me, I could sense the weight of his unease. His attempt to deflect my questions raised some suspicions in me but I tried to put it aside for now. “The gold,” I repeated, my voice steady despite the turmoil stirring within me. “What do you know about it?” He chuckled as he raised an eyebrow. “The gold that my family stole?” He ran his hand through his hair, some of his confidence returning. “Why do you say it like that? Who even told you that we stole gold?” Fallon had already explained it all to me, and she had even given me all the evidence I would need if there were any doubts left in my mind. “So you know about the gold?” He hesitated, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. “Linda, I…I don’t know much about it. It’s just a rumor, a story that has been passed down through my family. I never thought much about it, and I’m surprised that you even know about it.” He shrugged lightly. I studied his face, searching for any sign of deception. But

His silence was loud, very loud. A part of me wanted him to beg for me to stay, for him to assure me of his love. I wanted him to apologize and tell me that everything was going to be alright. I wanted him to tell me the truth about his family and that he would help Fallon. But all those were just in my head. They were not real. And no matter how badly I wanted them to be real, they wouldn’t. So I decided to break the silence. “I’ll stay at a friend’s place for a while,” I continued, my voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions that were dancing in me. “Just until we figure things out.”He made a small sound with his throat before speaking, “You barely have a friend here, Linda. What are you doing?” Having him say that out loud made my heart do a weird thing. I never really noticed that he was right. I had no real friends here. My life was back in the United States, here was just felt like I was on vacation or was a tourist. I really needed to figure things out. And trust me

Was I tripping? Was I hallucinating what I just heard?It was not a loud and noticeable sound but it did catch my attention. My heart started to pound but I tried to convince myself that it was just my mind playing games.I continued to shower, the water washing away the foam that the body wash had made but some still lingered.My eyes were closed, I did not want to get some foam in them, knowing they would burn a lot if I did.“You should learn to mind your business, Linda,” A voice echoed in the bathroom, causing my heart to drop.I almost fell to the ground as I tried to find something to grip onto. “Who’s there?!” I was panicking, I did not know what to do. But luckily for me, the water from the shower was still pouring.It helped wash my face and body off the remnants of body wash. I quickly opened my eyes, looking everywhere so I could see who was in there with me.I was so scared that it felt like the insides of my head were rising like yeast. “Put this around you, dear,” The