CHAPTER 10: THE SECRET BEHIND THE NEW JOHN
814 Words
The night was quiet.
Inside the large house, everything seemed to be in its place.
But for Johana...
Nothing was right.
She walked slowly from one room to another.
Her arms were folded across her chest.
Her thoughts were far away.
The words of the young man who had stood outside the gate kept replaying in her mind.
"Johana..."
"Amara..."
"I am your husband."
She stopped near the window.
She looked outside.
"Who was that man?"
she whispered.
That question was tormenting her.
Because it wasn’t just the fact that he knew her name.
He knew things that were impossible for him to know.
Things about their family.
Things that even the journalists who had followed John for years never knew.
The day they first met.
The place where they met.
The words John had told her when they had nothing.
Even the smallest private details about their family.
Johana closed her eyes.
"This is impossible..."
She shook her head.
"But how could he know?"
She remembered the young man’s eyes.
He did not look like someone searching for money.
He looked like someone who had lost everything.
But fear stopped her from believing him.
After all...
The man standing before her did not have the face of the John she knew.
She let out a long breath.
At that moment...
Footsteps were heard behind her.
Before she could turn around...
Arms gently wrapped around her from behind.
Johana flinched slightly.
But the voice made her calm down.
"It’s me."
"You’re safe."
It was the new John.
He had approached her quietly.
Johana said nothing for several seconds.
She was still confused.
The new John continued in a soft voice.
"I know today has been a difficult day for you."
"You have seen many things you never expected."
Johana remained silent.
She looked at him through the reflection in the glass.
"Something is not right."
Those words made the new John go quiet.
"That young man..."
"He knew too much."
"He knew things that no outsider could possibly know."
The new John sighed.
"Don’t worry about that man."
"But you know yourself that something is happening here."
Johana turned to look at him.
For the first time...
She saw that even the new John carried a heavy weight in his heart.
As if there was something he was hiding.
The new John held her hand.
"Johana..."
"What matters is that I am here."
But deep inside Johana’s heart...
One question still remained.
"If that man is not John..."
"How did he know my entire life?"
The new John remained standing in the living room.
His eyes were fixed on the window.
Through the curtains, he could see the gate of the house.
The exact place where, only moments earlier...
The real John had stood, crying and begging to be allowed to enter his own home.
But now...
There was no one there.
He took a deep breath.
Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
He pressed a saved number.
There was no name attached to it.
It rang only once.
Then someone answered.
"Boss..."
The Tall Man’s voice came through.
But before he could continue...
The new John interrupted him.
"Silence."
A heavy silence followed.
"What job did I give you?"
No one answered.
"I asked..."
"What job did I give you?"
The Thin Man swallowed.
"To get rid of him."
The new John tightened his jaw.
"Get rid of him?"
"No."
"I did not give you a job to hurt him."
"I did not give you a job to chase him away."
"I did not give you a job to lose him."
For the first time, his voice rose.
"I gave you a job to KILL HIM!"
Silence filled the other end of the phone.
The Short Man tried to defend himself.
"Boss... he surprised us."
"He was badly injured."
"But he still escaped from us."
The new John laughed.
It was not a laugh of happiness.
It was a laugh of contempt.
"Three people..."
"With weapons."
"With training."
"You failed against one unarmed man."
"And you think that is something to be proud of?"
The Tall Man took a breath.
"We will find him."
The new John shook his head.
"No."
"You still don’t understand."
His voice became heavier.
"Listen carefully."
"No matter the cost..."
"I do not want to see him alive."
"If he gets a chance to speak..."
"If he tells anyone the truth..."
"...everything we have worked for will collapse."
Silence fell.
Then he added in a cold voice:
"And if that day happens..."
"Do not wait for punishment from someone else."
"I will bury you myself."
The Tall Man’s hand tightened around the phone.
"We will not fail again."
The new John ended the call without saying another word.
He remained standing.
His face showed no emotion.
Then a voice was heard behind him.
- Writer
