The Truth Begins

The drive to find Ayla felt longer than it really was.

Daniel barely spoke.

I sat beside him, staring through the window as rain covered the glass. My mind was filled with questions.

Who had found Ayla?

Why was she in danger?

And why had she believed leaving me would protect me?

Finally, Daniel stopped outside an old apartment building.

“She's inside,” he said.

I got out immediately.

We rushed upstairs.

The door was slightly open.

Daniel pushed it.

“Ayla?”

No answer.

The apartment was empty.

A chair was overturned near the window. A glass lay broken on the floor.

My heart sank.

“She was here,” I whispered.

Daniel walked around the room.

Then he noticed something on the table.

A small envelope.

He picked it up and handed it to me.

My name was written on it.

Again.

I opened it with trembling hands.

Inside was a single piece of paper.

If you want to find Ayla, stop trusting everyone around you.

I looked at Daniel.

“What does this mean?”

“I don't know.”

Suddenly, Daniel's phone rang.

He answered.

His face became pale.

“What happened?”

He listened silently.

Then he looked at me.

“We have to leave.”

“Why?”

“Because someone knows we're here.”

A loud sound came from downstairs.

Someone had entered the building.

Daniel grabbed my arm.

“Run.”

We rushed toward the back stairs.

My heart was pounding.

For the first time, I realized this wasn't just about a broken relationship anymore.

Someone was hunting Ayla.

And now they knew about me too.

We reached the street and ran into the rain.

After several minutes, Daniel finally stopped.

“We need somewhere safe.”

“Where?”

He hesitated.

“My old house.”

We drove in silence.

When we arrived, Daniel opened an old wooden box hidden beneath the floor.

Inside were photographs, letters, and newspaper clippings.

I picked up one photograph.

It showed a young Ayla standing beside her parents.

I looked at the newspaper clipping beneath it.

The headline made my blood run cold.

Family Disappears After Mysterious Fire.

I looked at Daniel.

“This was your family?”

He nodded.

“My parents died that night.”

I looked back at the photograph.

“And Ayla?”

“She survived.”

“Then who started the fire?”

Daniel stared at the floor.

“We never found out.”

A strange feeling came over me.

I suddenly remembered something.

Ayla had once told me she was afraid of fire.

I had never understood why.

Now I did.

Before I could ask another question, Daniel's phone buzzed again.

This time, there was no call.

Only a message.

You should have stayed away from her.

Daniel showed me the screen.

Another message appeared.

Now both of you will pay.

I looked toward the window.

Someone was standing across the street.

Watching us.

Before I could see the person's face, they disappeared into the darkness.

Daniel closed the curtains.

“We're not safe here anymore.”

I took a deep breath.

“Then we find Ayla before they do.”

Daniel looked at me.

For the first time, he smiled.

“Now you're finally ready to hear the truth.”

And somewhere in the darkness outside, someone was already watching us.