VOLUME 2 : CHAPTER 1: AFTER THE TRUTH
631 Words
I didn’t know where to start thinking.
I was sitting on the couch, my mind completely full—too many thoughts fighting for space at the same time.
One word kept repeating itself in my head.
“Selected.”
It wouldn’t leave me alone. It felt stuck there, like it had broken something inside me.
The apartment was too quiet.
Not peaceful quiet.
The kind of quiet that feels wrong… like something bad is about to happen.
Adrian was standing by the window, not saying much. Not moving much. Just there.
No explanations. No excuses. No emotions I could understand.
I kept looking at him, trying to read him, but it felt like staring at a locked door with no key.
“I want the truth,” I finally said.
My voice wasn’t loud, but it was firm enough to break the silence.
Adrian didn’t turn right away.
That pause alone made my chest tighten.
When he finally turned, I saw something different in him.
He wasn’t just cold anymore.
He looked tired. Like something inside him had been carrying too much for too long.
“You’ve already seen part of it,” he said quietly.
I stood up immediately.
“That wasn’t part of anything,” I said. “That was a file. Documents. My name written like I was some kind of experiment.”
He stayed quiet for a moment.
That silence felt heavier than any answer.
Then he said, “You were never nothing.”
I let out a short, bitter laugh.
“Everything I’ve seen says otherwise.”
He walked slowly toward the table.
“I didn’t create what you saw,” he said.
“But you were part of it,” I replied quickly.
He stopped.
That was enough of an answer.
“Yes,” he said.
My stomach tightened.
“So it’s true.”
He didn’t deny it.
That silence hurt more than anything he could have said.
“Then explain why my name is in a file,” I said.
He hesitated.
Just a moment.
“That’s because they monitor patterns,” he said.
“Patterns of what?”
Another pause.
“Emotional attachment.”
I froze.
“What?”
Adrian looked at me carefully.
“Everyone in that system is part of an emotional mapping program.”
I shook my head immediately.
“No. Don’t talk to me like I’m in a lab.”
His voice stayed calm.
“That’s exactly what it is.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
“So Elena… the contract… everything…” I stopped, struggling to breathe.
“This wasn’t random,” I whispered.
“No,” he said.
My throat tightened.
“Then what is it?”
He didn’t answer right away.
That silence felt dangerous.
Finally, he said, “A long-term emotional control study.”
My body went cold.
“You’re lying.”
“I wish I was,” he said.
The silence between us felt heavy.
Then his phone rang.
He checked it, and his expression changed instantly.
Not fear.
Warning.
“They know you’re awake,” he said quietly.
My stomach dropped.
“Who?”
He put the phone down slowly.
“The people behind your file.”
Before I could say anything, a loud knock hit the door.
Once.
Then again.
Harder.
We both froze.
Adrian stepped in front of me.
The knock came again.
Then a voice from outside.
Calm. Controlled.
“Adrian. Open the door.”
Silence.
My heart was beating too fast.
Adrian didn’t move.
The voice came again.
“We already confirmed she’s inside.”
My breath caught.
Adrian clenched his fist.
Without looking at me, he said:
“Don’t speak. Don’t move. Stay behind me.”
Another knock.
Then
the door handle started turning.
chapter 2 coming soon..............
- Writer
