The weight of Zayden's words echoed in Riley's mind long after he had left her that day. The truth, tangled in mystery, was beginning to unravel in ways she couldn't understand. Her memories—those flashes of her past she had kept locked away—were now pressing against her, demanding answers she wasn't ready to give.
Sitting at the edge of her bed, Riley held the old photograph close, the image of her younger self standing beside her mother, Samantha Morgan. Her mother had always been an enigma—a figure cloaked in shadows, a whisper of a story she had never been told. Now, it seemed like every piece of her life had been a lie, a carefully constructed narrative meant to keep her in the dark. The man in the picture with her mother—was he the same one from Zayden's family? The one who had helped create the web that now ensnared her?
Her phone buzzed, breaking the silence. A text from Zayden.
We need to talk.
Riley exhaled slowly, her heart hammering in her chest. After everything, did they really have more to say to each other? Was there even a chance for something between them now that the truth was out in the open?
She quickly typed a response: I don't know if we should anymore. This is bigger than both of us.
She hit send, staring at the screen, waiting for the inevitable reply. But seconds turned to minutes, and no response came. Zayden had been distant, cold almost, and she couldn't blame him. The more she uncovered, the less she understood about who she really was. The woman she'd always thought was her mother, the man who claimed to love her—had she ever really known them?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a knock on the door. It was almost midnight. Who could it be?
Cautiously, Riley opened it, half-expecting it to be one of the many people who had been involved in this tangled mess. Instead, it was someone she never thought she'd see again—Dante.
His eyes were filled with something unreadable, but the tension in his stance made it clear that he hadn't come for a casual chat.
"You should have known," he said quietly, stepping inside before she could react. "I'm here to protect you, Riley. Even if you don't want it."
Riley's breath caught in her throat, every instinct warning her to shut the door. But something about his presence made her pause.
"From what?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "From Zayden? From his family?"
Dante shook his head. "No. They're not the threat. Not yet, at least." He moved closer, his gaze intense. "The real danger is much worse. And if you don't listen to me, you won't survive it."
Riley swallowed hard, her chest tightening with fear she couldn't shake. "I don't want this. I don't want any of it."
"Too bad," Dante said softly, his voice laced with a dangerous edge. "You're in it now, whether you like it or not."
Riley took a step back, her mind racing with a thousand questions, none of which she could voice. What was happening? Who could she trust? Was Dante here to help—or was he just another player in this dangerous game she had been thrust into?
Before she could speak again, Dante reached out and gently grasped her wrist, holding it firmly, but not painfully. "I know you're scared. I can see it. But you have to understand something." He paused, his gaze searching hers, looking for something—reassurance, trust, perhaps.
"What?" she asked, the word feeling foreign on her tongue.
"The truth about you," he said, his voice now lower, filled with an intensity that made her skin prickle, "is something you'll never be able to escape. Not now, not ever. But you have a choice. You can fight it, or you can embrace it. And if you fight, I won't be able to help you."
Riley stared at him, the reality of his words sinking in like a cold knife in her gut. She didn't want to embrace this new life, this new identity that was being thrust upon her. She wanted to run, to leave it all behind, but there was no running from the truth. And no matter how much she wanted to deny it, she was in too deep.
"I need answers," she whispered, almost to herself.
"I know," Dante replied, his hand releasing her wrist, stepping back. "And I'll give them to you. But first, you need to understand something: Zayden isn't the enemy here. His family is. And they won't stop until they have you under their control."
Riley's mind reeled. "But Zayden—"
"Zayden is a part of it. He just doesn't know it yet. And when he does, you'll have a choice to make. Stand with him, or stand against him."
As Dante turned to leave, Riley's heart pounded with a mixture of fear and confusion. What had she gotten herself into?