SHADOWS OF HER NAME
572 Words
~Leanah~
The night air was cold against my skin, but the chill that settled in my bones had nothing to do with the weather. I stood by the study’s doorway, folder pressed to my chest, Genevieve’s warning still fresh in my ears.
“Put it back. Forget what you saw.”
How could I?
I couldn't unsee Amira’s name.
I couldn’t ignore the document with my name on it.
And I couldn’t silence the voice inside me that whispered something far worse than betrayal.
What if Amira didn’t die the way they said she did?
---
That night, I couldn’t sleep. My thoughts ran in circles, each one darker than the last.
I needed help.
I needed someone who didn’t belong to this house.
So I did the one thing I promised myself I wouldn’t —
I called my best friend, Elara.
She answered on the second ring. “Leanah? God, where have you been? You disappeared!”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m okay. Kind of.”
“What do you mean kind of? Are you in trouble?”
“I don’t know. I think… I think I married into something dangerous.”
---
The next morning, I met Elara at a quiet café far from the estate. She stared at me as if I’d come back from the dead.
“You got married secretly? To a billionaire?!”
“I didn’t choose him. It was arranged. But I stayed. And now…”
I showed her the copy I made of the file.
Elara’s eyes widened as she read Amira’s journal entry.
> “If something happens to me, it won’t be an accident.”
“Leanah,” she said slowly. “This girl… she knew she was in danger. And look at this—” she tapped the page with my name, “—what if you were chosen for a reason?”
I nodded. “I think they needed someone to replace her.”
---
~Aiden~
Genevieve’s voice was sharp on the phone.
“She’s looking, Aiden. She’s digging into Amira.”
I closed my eyes. “I told her not to.”
“You know what happened the last time. You want her to end up the same?”
“No,” I snapped. “I’ll handle it.”
But the truth was…
I didn’t know if I could.
Because the more Leanah learned, the more I realised—
I didn’t want to lose her.
Not like I lost Amira.
---
~Leanah~
That night, I wandered the garden behind the mansion. The moonlight was soft, but my thoughts were sharp.
I thought I was alone.
Until I heard it.
A voice.
“…He never stopped loving her.”
I froze behind the hedge. The voice was Genevieve’s.
“She was a mistake,” someone else replied — a man.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Too curious. Too clever. Just like this one.”
“Should we stop her before it’s too late?”
“No,” Genevieve said coldly. “We’ll wait. Let her find the truth herself. Let it break her.”
I clutched my coat tighter and turned away, careful not to make a sound.
They didn’t know I was there.
But now I knew the truth.
This wasn’t just about love.
It was a game.
And I was already too deep to get out.
---
To be continued in Chapter 11...
- Writer
