"Hello, Lina."
The voice coming through my mother's phone was calm.
Too calm.
I stared at the screen.
DAD.
My mother's hand trembled as she held the phone.
Nobody spoke.
"Who are you?" I asked.
A quiet laugh came through the speaker.
"You already know."
"No, I don't."
"You've spent your entire life looking for me without knowing it."
My heart pounded.
"Are you Gabriel?"
Silence.
Then—
"Yes."
My mother closed her eyes.
I stared at her.
"You know him."
She didn't respond.
"Mom!"
She finally whispered,
"Yes."
The voice returned.
"She's been protecting you from me for twenty-three years."
"Why?"
"Because she knows what happened."
I felt anger rising inside me.
"What happened?"
Gabriel laughed softly.
"That is a conversation we should have in person."
"No. You're going to tell me now."
"You're brave."
"I've had to be."
"You sound like your father."
I froze.
"Samuel?"
"Yes."
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"You knew my father?"
"I knew him very well."
"Did you kill him?"
Silence.
My mother looked at me.
Then Gabriel answered.
"No."
I breathed out.
"Then who did?"
"I didn't pull the trigger."
"But you know who did."
"Yes."
"Tell me."
"Not over the phone."
"Why?"
"Because there are people listening."
Everyone immediately looked around.
Adrian's eyes moved toward the trees.
Malik stepped closer to me.
Gabriel continued.
"You are standing in a cemetery, surrounded by people who have lied to you."
I looked at everyone.
"Then tell me who I can trust."
He laughed.
"That is exactly why I called."
"Why?"
"Because you have trusted the wrong person."
My eyes moved to Malik.
He looked at me.
"Lina, don't listen to him."
Gabriel spoke again.
"Ask Malik what happened the night your father died."
Malik's face tightened.
I stared at him.
"What happened?"
"Lina—"
"Tell me."
Malik looked away.
Gabriel said,
"He was there."
I felt my chest tighten.
"Malik?"
"Yes."
"You were there when Dad died?"
"I told you I was."
"No. You told me you were there to protect me."
"I was."
"Then what happened?"
Malik's eyes filled with pain.
"I arrived too late."
"For what?"
"To save your father."
The phone remained silent for a moment.
Then Gabriel said,
"That's not the whole truth."
Malik's expression hardened.
"Don't do this."
"Why don't you tell her what you did?"
My heart dropped.
"What did he do?"
Malik looked at me.
"I made a mistake."
"What mistake?"
"I trusted someone."
"Who?"
He didn't answer.
Gabriel laughed.
"Your mother."
My mother looked horrified.
"No."
Malik turned toward her.
"You told me Samuel was safe."
My mother shook her head.
"I thought he was."
"You sent me to the wrong location."
"I didn't know!"
My mind spun.
"What are you talking about?"
Malik stepped toward me.
"Your mother told me your father was hiding at an apartment. She asked me to go there."
"And?"
"He wasn't there."
"Where was he?"
"The warehouse."
I stared at him.
"The warehouse?"
"Yes."
The same warehouse where Malik and I had recently been trapped.
My stomach twisted.
"Why?"
"Because Richard had taken him there."
"Then what happened?"
Malik looked at the ground.
"I found Daniel."
My eyes moved to Daniel.
"You were there too?"
Daniel nodded.
"I was."
"And Dad?"
Daniel's voice broke.
"He was already dead."
I closed my eyes.
"No…"
Gabriel interrupted.
"Your father wasn't dead."
Everyone froze.
I opened my eyes.
"What?"
"He was alive when Malik arrived."
Malik's face went pale.
"No."
Gabriel continued.
"He was wounded. Barely conscious."
"Then what happened?"
"You know what happened."
"I don't!"
"You need to ask Malik."
I looked at him.
"Did you see my father alive?"
Malik swallowed.
"Yes."
My heart shattered.
"You lied."
"I was trying to protect you."
"You said you arrived too late!"
"I thought he was going to die."
"But he wasn't dead."
"No."
I stepped backward.
"What did you do?"
Malik's eyes filled with tears.
"I carried you away."
I frowned.
"What?"
"Your father told me to take you."
"Why?"
"Because Richard's men were coming."
"And you left him?"
"He told me to!"
I couldn't stop the tears.
"You left my father there."
"Yes."
"Did you know he would die?"
Malik shook his head.
"No."
Gabriel spoke.
"He didn't die there."
My breath stopped.
"What?"
"Samuel survived."
I stared at the phone.
"That isn't possible."
"It is."
My mother covered her mouth.
"Gabriel…"
"You've lied to her long enough."
My hands started shaking.
"My father is alive?"
"No."
My heart dropped.
"He survived the attack."
Gabriel's voice became colder.
"But he died three days later."
"Who killed him?"
This time, there was no hesitation.
"Your mother."
The world stopped.
I looked at my mother.
She shook her head violently.
"No, Lina."
"Gabriel is lying."
"Then why did he say it?"
"Because he wants you to hate me."
I stared at her.
"Did you kill Dad?"
"No."
"Did you shoot him?"
"No."
"Then what happened?"
She began crying.
"I found Samuel after the attack."
"And?"
"He was dying."
My heart cracked.
"What did you do?"
"I held him."
She wiped her tears.
"He asked me to promise something."
"What?"
"To protect you."
"Then why did you disappear?"
"Because Richard was coming."
"And Samuel?"
She closed her eyes.
"He gave me something."
"What?"
She reached into her bag.
Slowly, she pulled out a small metal box.
My eyes widened.
"What's inside?"
She looked at me.
"The reason your father died."
Before she could open it, the phone suddenly went dead.
Everyone froze.
Adrian looked toward the trees.
"We have to leave."
"Why?"
He pointed.
A red laser dot appeared on the ground beside my feet.
My blood turned cold.
"Lina, DOWN!"
Malik tackled me to the ground.
A gunshot cracked through the cemetery.
Then another.
Adrian fired toward the trees.
Daniel pulled my mother behind a gravestone.
I crawled toward the metal box.
It had fallen from my mother's hand.
I grabbed it.
Then I saw something engraved on the lid.
A name.
Not Samuel.
Not Richard.
Not Gabriel.
MALIK.
I looked up at him.
He was staring at the box.
And the expression on his face told me one thing.
He knew exactly what was inside.
"Hello, Lina."
The voice coming through my mother's phone was calm.
Too calm.
I stared at the screen.
DAD.
My mother's hand trembled as she held the phone.
Nobody spoke.
"Who are you?" I asked.
A quiet laugh came through the speaker.
"You already know."
"No, I don't."
"You've spent your entire life looking for me without knowing it."
My heart pounded.
"Are you Gabriel?"
Silence.
Then—
"Yes."
My mother closed her eyes.
I stared at her.
"You know him."
She didn't respond.
"Mom!"
She finally whispered,
"Yes."
The voice returned.
"She's been protecting you from me for twenty-three years."
"Why?"
"Because she knows what happened."
I felt anger rising inside me.
"What happened?"
Gabriel laughed softly.
"That is a conversation we should have in person."
"No. You're going to tell me now."
"You're brave."
"I've had to be."
"You sound like your father."
I froze.
"Samuel?"
"Yes."
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"You knew my father?"
"I knew him very well."
"Did you kill him?"
Silence.
My mother looked at me.
Then Gabriel answered.
"No."
I breathed out.
"Then who did?"
"I didn't pull the trigger."
"But you know who did."
"Yes."
"Tell me."
"Not over the phone."
"Why?"
"Because there are people listening."
Everyone immediately looked around.
Adrian's eyes moved toward the trees.
Malik stepped closer to me.
Gabriel continued.
"You are standing in a cemetery, surrounded by people who have lied to you."
I looked at everyone.
"Then tell me who I can trust."
He laughed.
"That is exactly why I called."
"Why?"
"Because you have trusted the wrong person."
My eyes moved to Malik.
He looked at me.
"Lina, don't listen to him."
Gabriel spoke again.
"Ask Malik what happened the night your father died."
Malik's face tightened.
I stared at him.
"What happened?"
"Lina—"
"Tell me."
Malik looked away.
Gabriel said,
"He was there."
I felt my chest tighten.
"Malik?"
"Yes."
"You were there when Dad died?"
"I told you I was."
"No. You told me you were there to protect me."
"I was."
"Then what happened?"
Malik's eyes filled with pain.
"I arrived too late."
"For what?"
"To save your father."
The phone remained silent for a moment.
Then Gabriel said,
"That's not the whole truth."
Malik's expression hardened.
"Don't do this."
"Why don't you tell her what you did?"
My heart dropped.
"What did he do?"
Malik looked at me.
"I made a mistake."
"What mistake?"
"I trusted someone."
"Who?"
He didn't answer.
Gabriel laughed.
"Your mother."
My mother looked horrified.
"No."
Malik turned toward her.
"You told me Samuel was safe."
My mother shook her head.
"I thought he was."
"You sent me to the wrong location."
"I didn't know!"
My mind spun.
"What are you talking about?"
Malik stepped toward me.
"Your mother told me your father was hiding at an apartment. She asked me to go there."
"And?"
"He wasn't there."
"Where was he?"
"The warehouse."
I stared at him.
"The warehouse?"
"Yes."
The same warehouse where Malik and I had recently been trapped.
My stomach twisted.
"Why?"
"Because Richard had taken him there."
"Then what happened?"
Malik looked at the ground.
"I found Daniel."
My eyes moved to Daniel.
"You were there too?"
Daniel nodded.
"I was."
"And Dad?"
Daniel's voice broke.
"He was already dead."
I closed my eyes.
"No…"
Gabriel interrupted.
"Your father wasn't dead."
Everyone froze.
I opened my eyes.
"What?"
"He was alive when Malik arrived."
Malik's face went pale.
"No."
Gabriel continued.
"He was wounded. Barely conscious."
"Then what happened?"
"You know what happened."
"I don't!"
"You need to ask Malik."
I looked at him.
"Did you see my father alive?"
Malik swallowed.
"Yes."
My heart shattered.
"You lied."
"I was trying to protect you."
"You said you arrived too late!"
"I thought he was going to die."
"But he wasn't dead."
"No."
I stepped backward.
"What did you do?"
Malik's eyes filled with tears.
"I carried you away."
I frowned.
"What?"
"Your father told me to take you."
"Why?"
"Because Richard's men were coming."
"And you left him?"
"He told me to!"
I couldn't stop the tears.
"You left my father there."
"Yes."
"Did you know he would die?"
Malik shook his head.
"No."
Gabriel spoke.
"He didn't die there."
My breath stopped.
"What?"
"Samuel survived."
I stared at the phone.
"That isn't possible."
"It is."
My mother covered her mouth.
"Gabriel…"
"You've lied to her long enough."
My hands started shaking.
"My father is alive?"
"No."
My heart dropped.
"He survived the attack."
Gabriel's voice became colder.
"But he died three days later."
"Who killed him?"
This time, there was no hesitation.
"Your mother."
The world stopped.
I looked at my mother.
She shook her head violently.
"No, Lina."
"Gabriel is lying."
"Then why did he say it?"
"Because he wants you to hate me."
I stared at her.
"Did you kill Dad?"
"No."
"Did you shoot him?"
"No."
"Then what happened?"
She began crying.
"I found Samuel after the attack."
"And?"
"He was dying."
My heart cracked.
"What did you do?"
"I held him."
She wiped her tears.
"He asked me to promise something."
"What?"
"To protect you."
"Then why did you disappear?"
"Because Richard was coming."
"And Samuel?"
She closed her eyes.
"He gave me something."
"What?"
She reached into her bag.
Slowly, she pulled out a small metal box.
My eyes widened.
"What's inside?"
She looked at me.
"The reason your father died."
Before she could open it, the phone suddenly went dead.
Everyone froze.
Adrian looked toward the trees.
"We have to leave."
"Why?"
He pointed.
A red laser dot appeared on the ground beside my feet.
My blood turned cold.
"Lina, DOWN!"
Malik tackled me to the ground.
A gunshot cracked through the cemetery.
Then another.
Adrian fired toward the trees.
Daniel pulled my mother behind a gravestone.
I crawled toward the metal box.
It had fallen from my mother's hand.
I grabbed it.
Then I saw something engraved on the lid.
A name.
Not Samuel.
Not Richard.
Not Gabriel.
MALIK.
I looked up at him.
He was staring at the box.
And the expression on his face told me one thing.
He knew exactly what was inside.