The night rain washed the streets clean, but it couldn't wash away the tension hanging over the city.
Ethan stood by the window of the apartment, watching neon lights blur through the glass. Somewhere below, sirens wailed and faded. He didn't move.
The message on his phone remained unread.
He already knew what it said.
"Leaving tonight. This is your last chance."
It was from Lucas.
Ethan exhaled slowly. He had known this moment would come. In this city, nothing stayed neutral for long. You either climbed—or you were crushed beneath someone else's ascent.
Behind him, the apartment door clicked open.
"You're still here," Maya said.
Her voice was calm, but there was something guarded beneath it. She tossed her coat onto the chair and leaned against the wall, studying him like a puzzle that refused to be solved.
"I thought you'd be gone by now."
"So did I," Ethan replied.
He turned, meeting her eyes. "Looks like I'm bad at leaving."
Maya smiled faintly, then shook her head. "No. You're bad at choosing."
Silence settled between them.
Outside, the rain grew heavier.
Maya crossed the room and picked up Ethan's phone from the table. The screen lit up instantly, revealing Lucas's message. She didn't read it aloud.
"Let me guess," she said softly. "A way out. A clean one."
Ethan didn't deny it.
"Running doesn't mean you're free," she continued. "It just means someone else sets the terms later."
Ethan walked past her and grabbed his jacket. "And staying means paying the price now."
Maya stepped closer. "You already are."
For a moment, Ethan hesitated. His fingers tightened around the zipper, memories flashing through his mind—long nights, broken promises, the mistake that had dragged him into this mess in the first place.
He had wanted distance. Time. Safety.
But safety was an illusion.
"I'm not staying for the city," Ethan said. "I'm staying because if I leave now, I'll never know how this ends."
Maya searched his face, then nodded once. "Then you should know something."
She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and placed it on the table.
"It starts tomorrow," she said. "And once it does, there's no stepping back."
Ethan unfolded the paper.
Names. Dates. Locations.
And his own name, right in the center.
The rain outside suddenly felt very far away.
Ethan looked up. "You planned this?"
Maya met his gaze without flinching. "I prepared for it."
Ethan let out a short laugh. "That's worse."
"Maybe," she said. "But preparation is the only reason we're still alive."
He folded the paper carefully and slipped it into his jacket.
"那明天,"伊桑说,"我们就不再反应了."
玛雅笑了——这次,锐利而坚定.
"明天,"她同意道,"我们让他们回应."