EPISODE FOUR
1369 Words
NICKLAS'S POINT OF VIEW
My chest felt like it was going to give out. I couldn't tell if the thick envelope burning a hole in my fingers or the cold metal chair I'd been trapped in for more than an hour was to blame.
My lawyer said, "Are you sure you want to open that here?"
I didn't respond. Already, my hand was slipping beneath the flap. As if I were defusing a bomb, I took out the files. My mouth was bitter and my throat was dry. It was everything I had been waiting for for the past five years. It was the exact moment I had been waiting for. The reality.
He sat back as if he already knew what I would discover and mumbled, "All right then."
As I turned the first few pages, my heart pounded. The pages were filled with transcripts of court proceedings. images of crime scenes. It's nothing new. I then clicked on the "Evidence Chain" section.
I blinked.
"What on earth is this?"
Leaning forward, I read every line as if it were written in flames. Payments were there. A sequence of monetary transactions took place. All made to a case detective.
"What does that mean?" I knew he had read it too, but he still asked.
"That suggests that someone set me up." My voice broke. "This cop got paid to plant it, so he didn't just make a mistake."
He narrowed his eyes. "By whom?"
I flipped the page.
My fingers went cold.
The father of Jasper König.
"Repeat that?"
"I said." "That bastard's dad paid off the cop who found the gun in my flat," I slammed the paper down. The same firearm with three prints that weren't mine!
He remained silent.
Then I located the document that made my stomach turn.
a change. This change was significant. The amount of half a million was transferred from an account belonging to L. König.
My blood froze.
"Lina?"
I gazed at the page until it became blurry.
Quieter this time, he inquired, "Are you okay?"
I chuckled. Out loud. As if he had just heard the song for his own funeral.
"All right? I am absolutely wonderful. For a crime I didn't commit, I've been rotting for the past five years. The people I had the most faith in were purchasing justice as if it were candy from a*****e.
"Perhaps it's a coincidence," he attempted.
"No," I yelled. Look at the date. I was arrested the day before that wire arrived.
He did not speak.
"Tell me about that."
He didn't.
"Tell me why she kissed me that evening. Why did she plead with me to stay at theparty?. Why did she assure me that everything would be fine?
"I'm not sure, Niklas."
She was aware. She was aware of her family's actions.
The air became heavy. I had trembling hands.
I leaned back and gazed at the ceiling while I closed the file.
"I had faith in her."
He appeared uneasy. "You want me to continue digging?"
Slowly, I nodded.
"Set them all on fire."
His gaze expanded.
"I'm not kidding. The Königs. The attorneys. People often call these individuals fake companions. This rule applies to each and every one of them. Burn them all to the ground.
For a while, we sat in silence.
He questioned, "You still care about her?"
I took a while to respond. I simply gazed at the file once more.
Either she helped destroy me or she was the girl I loved. In any case.
"What?"
"When I return, she will need to look me in the eye."
He remained silent. did not have to.
He was aware already.
The boy they imprisoned wasn't me.
Now I was the storm.
***
It was raining when I left the office. It was, of course. It felt correct. With the file in one hand and its weight greater than any chain I had ever worn, I strode down the street.
A woman handed me an umbrella. From the side, she resembled Lina exactly.
I halted my stroll.
She looked back. incorrect face.
I shifted once more. I shifted faster this time. My head was whirling. I kept hearing her voice.
**"I promise never to allow anyone to harm you."**
Untruthful.
Unless...
No.
What if she was unaware?
What if her father was working behind her back?
What if she knew and said nothing?
I couldn't decide which response made me feel worse.
I couldn't stop the questions from coming in like a flood.
After the first month, why did she stop coming?
Why didn't she respond to my correspondence?
What made her brother smile and say, "You should forget her"?
Was she afraid? Feeling guilty? Or simply... finished?
I arrived at the alley behind my former apartment. It was dark outside the windows. The gate was rusted shut. I kicked it open.
Behind me, something moved.
I quickly turned.
A shape. A shadow.
"Who is present?"
Not a word.
I moved forward.
“Come out.”
A low chuckle. Male. Known.
"You still have that bark, Nik?"
Jasper.
As if he owned the world, he emerged from the shadows.
"I anticipated your eventual return."
I balled my hands into fists.
He smiled. "Don't appear so surprised. All of us have matured. These days, I dress in suits. You wear revenge.”
"Why are you in this place?"
He surveyed the area. "For the same reason as you. Recollections.
"Don't tell lies."
He gave a shrug.
"When you found out, I wanted to see your face."
"You were aware?"
He made fun of me by saying, "Oh, come on." Are you certain that I was unaware of the assistance provided by my father to address my mistake? We both know who shot him.”
"I didn't."
"Exactly."
I moved in closer.
"When I drag your whole family down, are you really going to stop smiling?"
He didn't recoil. "All right. But when you do, you had better make sure Lina isn't in the line of fire.
"What is meant by that?"
He gave a wink. "I don't want to give away the surprise."
Then he vanished.
As simple as that.
The rain came down more forcefully. Like it wanted to get out, my heart pounded against my ribs.
She was aware of something.
She was forced to.
I pulled out my phone. I looked through my old contacts. Like a curse, her name stared back at me.
I gave it a tap.
The call was unsuccessful.
disconnected.
I let the phone drop.
Behind me, a car engine purred.
I pivoted. It was a sleek black car. windows with tints. No plates.
The door opened.
Nobody left.
I remained motionless.
Then a voice.
Robotic, low, and female.
"A warning was given to you."
The door slammed.
The vehicle departed.
I stood by myself in the rain. Buzzing and soaked.
Concerned about what?
She?
The documents?
Jasper?
Every one of them?
I had no idea.
However, I would.
***
I returned to the apartment the following day. The apartment in question was my former residence. The one where they claimed to have located the gun.
There was a strange feeling.
The door stood open.
I entered.
The dust was all over it.
Then I noticed it.
new footprints.
tiny.
women.
Additionally, a red ribbon was tied to the handle of my bedroom door.
Lina's ribbon.
The one she wore in her hair every day.
I grabbed it.
My side ached sharply.
I fell to my knees.
I had a person behind me.
Inhaling.
observing.
Slowly, I turned.
The room is empty.
Nothing.
However, I was aware.
Someone had been there, I knew.
It was a warm ribbon.
She had simply departed.
Why?
What brought her here?
What was the reason behind her running?
It buzzed on my phone.
Just one message.
**Run.**
***
How many more lies awaited?
And why did I feel as though the truth was creeping up on me in the shadows?
What if she wasn't trying to hide from me?
What if she was keeping me safe?
Even worse, what if I were the last person she wished to see alive?
- Writer
