Episode 8: The Enemy Within
983 Words
I couldn’t breathe.
The room still felt heavy with his words.
“Love is a weakness.”“And weakness gets people killed.”
Then what am I?
A weakness?
Or a mistake he hasn’t fixed yet?
I walked out of the hidden room slowly, my thoughts in chaos.
Everything was changing.
Too fast.
Too deep.
She was his fiancée.
He loved her.
And he let her die.
My chest tightened.
Why does that hurt so much?
I don’t even—
No.
I shook my head.
Focus.
This isn’t about feelings.
This is about survival.
Because now I knew something else.
Something more important.
Someone in this house wanted me dead.
And that meant one thing—
The enemy wasn’t outside.
It was inside.
I walked faster now, my heartbeat matching my steps.
I needed answers.
Real ones.
“Looking for me?”
I stopped.
Dmitri.
Standing near the staircase like always.
Waiting.
Watching.
“Were you following me?” I asked coldly.
He smirked.
“I don’t need to. You walk right into trouble on your own.”
I crossed my arms.
“Cut the games. I know someone sent that man last night.”
His expression didn’t change.
Interesting.
“So?” he said.
“So I want to know who.”
Silence.
Then—
“Why?” he asked.
My patience snapped.
“Because I almost got attacked!” I shouted. “Because I could have died!”
He stepped closer.
Slow.
Calm.
“And yet,” he said quietly, “you didn’t.”
“That’s not the point.”
“It is,” he corrected. “In this world, the outcome is all that matters.”
My jaw tightened.
“I’m not part of your world.”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“You are now.”
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Tense.
“Was it you?” I asked suddenly.
The question hung in the air.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
For a second—
He didn’t answer.
Then—
He smiled.
Slow.
Cold.
“That would be too easy,” he said.
My stomach dropped.
“That’s not a denial.”
“No,” he agreed. “It’s not.”
Fear crept in.
But I didn’t back down.
“Then who?” I pushed.
He leaned in slightly.
“Someone who doesn’t like… change.”
My heart skipped.
Change?
“You,” he added.
My breath caught.
Before I could respond—
“Dmitri.”
That voice.
Cold.
Final.
Alexey.
Standing behind us again.
Always appearing at the right moment.
Dmitri sighed.
“You really need to work on your timing,” he muttered.
Alexey ignored him.
His eyes were on me.
Sharp.
Searching.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Talking,” I said.
“About?”
“About who tried to attack me.”
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
His gaze shifted to Dmitri.
Dark.
Deadly.
“Leave,” he said.
Dmitri raised his hands.
“Relax. I was just helping.”
“You don’t help,” Alexey replied coldly.
Dmitri smirked.
“Not you.”
And then he walked away.
Again.
Like he had all the time in the world.
Silence fell.
Just me and him.
“Don’t talk to him,” Alexey said.
“I’ll talk to whoever I want.”
His jaw tightened.
“Not him.”
“Why?” I challenged. “Because he tells me the truth?”
Big mistake.
In a second—
He stepped closer.
Too close.
“You think he’s on your side?” he asked quietly.
My heart pounded.
“I don’t think anyone is on my side.”
Good answer.
But not enough.
“He’s not,” Alexey said. “And if you trust him—”
“I don’t trust anyone,” I cut him off.
Silence.
“Then listen to me,” he said.
That surprised me.
Because his voice—
Wasn’t cold.
It was serious.
“That attack wasn’t random.”
My breath caught.
“I figured.”
His eyes locked onto mine.
“And it wasn’t meant to scare you.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“It was meant to test you.”
My heart dropped.
Test…?
“Test what?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Then—
“How far I’m willing to go.”
My chest tightened.
“So this is about you,” I said.
“Everything is.”
Silence.
Heavy.
“Then tell me,” I said, my voice softer now. “Who sent him?”
His expression hardened.
“No.”
Anger flared inside me.
“Why not?!”
“Because the less you know—”
“The safer I am?” I finished bitterly.
He didn’t deny it.
“That’s not your choice to make!” I snapped.
“It is,” he said coldly.
“No, it’s not!”
Tension exploded between us.
“I’m not a thing you can control!” I continued. “I deserve to know if someone is trying to kill me!”
His eyes darkened.
“And I deserve to keep you alive.”
Silence.
That hit differently.
“You can’t protect me from everything,” I whispered.
His gaze didn’t waver.
“I can try.”
My heart skipped.
Why does that sound like—
No.
Don’t.
“Why?” I asked.
Big question.
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
Then—
“Because you’re mine.”
My breath caught.
Those words—
Again.
But this time…
They felt different.
Not just control.
Not just power.
Something else.
Something more dangerous.
“I’m not yours,” I whispered.
But it sounded weaker than before.
He stepped closer.
Just a little.
“You are,” he said quietly.
Silence.
Electric.
And for a moment—
I didn’t move.
Didn’t argue.
Didn’t fight.
That scared me more than anything.
Because deep inside…
Something was changing.
And I didn’t know if I could stop it.
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