Chapter Six — The Stranger’s Messag
758 Words
The man standing in front of me knew my name.
That was the only thing I could think about.
Not the way he was looking at me.
Not the fact that I had never seen him before.
Just the fact that he knew me.
“Who are you?” I asked.
My voice sounded stronger than I felt.
The man looked around the bookshop.
The old man behind the counter suddenly looked nervous.
That made my heart beat faster.
Because whatever was happening…
They both knew something I didn’t.
“I asked you a question.”
The stranger’s eyes returned to mine.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
I almost laughed.
That sentence was starting to become annoying.
First Daniel.
Now him.
Everyone seemed to think they could tell me where I belonged.
“I’m getting tired of people saying that.”
A small smile appeared on his face.
Not a friendly one.
More like he found my frustration interesting.
“You’re exactly like her.”
My breath caught.
“Like who?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he reached into his pocket.
I immediately stepped back.
But he only pulled out a small envelope.
He placed it on the counter.
“For you.”
I stared at it.
“What is it?”
“Something you should have received a long time ago.”
I looked at the envelope.
My name was written on it.
My handwriting.
Or at least something very close to it.
I didn’t touch it.
“How did you get this?”
The man didn’t reply.
And when I looked up again…
He was gone.
---
I took the envelope home.
I didn’t open it immediately.
I wasn’t sure why.
Maybe because I already knew whatever was inside would change something.
The diary had done that.
It had opened a door I couldn’t close.
Slowly, I opened the envelope.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
Only one sentence.
“Amara, if you found the diary, it means they failed to keep you away from the truth.”
My fingers tightened around the paper.
Who wrote this?
And how long ago?
I turned the paper over.
Nothing.
No signature.
No date.
Nothing.
Just another mystery.
I grabbed the diary.
Maybe there was something I missed.
I flipped through the pages again.
Then I noticed something.
A page that looked different.
The edges were slightly thicker.
I carefully separated the pages.
A hidden piece of paper was inside.
My heart raced.
It was another message.
This one was shorter.
“Don’t trust the man who carries the Hayes name.”
I froze.
Daniel.
The name appeared in my mind immediately.
I hated that it did.
Because despite everything…
A small part of me still wanted to believe him.
And that was the most dangerous part.
---
The next day, I saw Daniel again.
Not because I wanted to.
Because somehow, he always appeared when my life was falling apart.
He was standing outside a restaurant, talking to someone.
He looked different.
Not softer.
Not kinder.
Just less like the untouchable CEO everyone feared.
For a moment, I saw a tired man instead.
Then he noticed me.
His expression changed immediately.
Back to the Daniel everyone knew.
“What are you doing here?”
I crossed my arms.
“Funny. You always ask me that.”
His eyes narrowed.
“What happened?”
I laughed.
“You’re assuming something happened?”
“With you?”
A pause.
“Something always happens.”
I hated that he was right.
I held up the paper.
His eyes moved to it.
And for the first time…
Daniel Hayes looked afraid.
Not for himself.
For me.
“Where did you get that?”
I watched him carefully.
“So you do know something.”
His silence answered me.
“You’re hiding the truth.”
“Amara—”
“No.”
I stepped back.
“Everyone keeps telling me to stop looking. Everyone keeps acting like I’m too stupid to handle the truth.”
His expression softened slightly.
“That’s not what I think.”
“Then what do you think?”
Daniel looked at me.
And for a second, I thought he would finally tell me everything.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he said:
“I think you’re closer to the truth than you realize.”
Before I could ask what he meant, he walked away.
Leaving me with more questions.
Again.
And a terrible feeling that the truth I wanted…
Was the truth that would hurt me the most.
- Writer
