Eye That Don't Lie
288 Words
Chapter 5: Eyes That Don't Lie
The room fell silent.
Tife froze as a familiar figure stepped through the doorway.
Her heart skipped.
"Idris..."
His eyes met hers, filled with relief and regret.
"I've been looking for you everywhere," he said quietly.
Before Tife could respond, another voice cut through the silence.
"Don't take another step."
Umar.
He stood between them, his expression cold and unreadable.
Idris narrowed his eyes.
"So... you're the one hiding her."
"I was protecting her," Umar replied. "Something you failed to do."
The tension between the two men became unbearable.
Tife looked from one face to the other, confused.
"You know each other?"
Neither of them answered.
Instead, they stared at each other like enemies carrying years of unfinished history.
"Stay away from him," Umar warned without taking his eyes off Idris.
Idris laughed bitterly.
"And let her trust a man who keeps secrets?"
"I don't lie to you, Tife," Idris said, finally turning to her. "Everything I did was to keep you alive."
Tife's voice trembled.
"Then tell me the truth. All of it."
Idris took a slow breath.
"The accident that changed your life... it wasn't an accident."
Tife felt the ground disappear beneath her feet.
"What?"
"You were the target."
Before he could continue, Umar interrupted.
"That's enough."
"No," Idris replied firmly. "She deserves to know."
Their eyes locked again, filled with pain, anger... and guilt.
Then Idris spoke the words that changed everything.
"This was never only about Tife."
He looked directly at Umar.
"It's about us."
Silence.
Tife searched their faces.
"What does that mean?"
Umar closed his eyes for a moment before answering.
"It means..."
"...we were once brothers."
Tife gasped.
Nothing she believed was true anymore.
- Writer
