Episode Two: The Hidden Truth
302 Words
The apartment smelled like vanilla and old perfume. Zara’s scent still lingered in the curtains, in the folds of her favorite scarf tossed across the couch. Zina stood in the doorway, her heart heavy, her mind racing.
She hadn’t been back here since the funeral.
Now, everything felt frozen. Untouched. Like Zara would walk in any moment and ask why she looked so stressed.
Zina closed the door softly behind her, shutting the world out. She moved to the shelf above the desk—where Zara always kept her journals. They used to joke about it, how Zara treated her diary like it was the CIA's secret files.
Except now... maybe it was.
She found the latest journal: soft blue leather, edges frayed. When she flipped it open, a folded piece of paper dropped to the floor.
It was sealed with red wax. No name. No date. Just one word pressed into the wax:
“Truth.”
Her hands trembled.
She broke the seal.
> “If you’re reading this… then I’m already gone.
He said no one would believe me.
But if anything happens to me, start with Park.”
Zina’s eyes widened. Park? That name felt like ice in her blood. Not because it was uncommon—but because she’d heard it before.
She rushed to Zara’s closet, digging through files, photo albums, old receipts. And there it was.
A printed email. A name at the top.
Park Joon-ho. CEO. Aeternis Group.
The same man who stood at the funeral in black, watching her like a statue.
Her breath caught.
Zara was scared of him. And Zina was starting to understand why.
She wasn’t just chasing the truth anymore.
She was entering a game where everyone wore masks.
And hers… was about to come off.
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[End of Chapter Two]
- Writer
