Chapter quote
"Some truths aren't whispered, they echo in the silence between heartbeats."
— Unknown
[Scene: A Wind-Swept Secluded Path Near the Church Courtyard — Early Morning]
The morning mist lingered like ghosts unwilling to leave.
Leo stood with his back to the cold marble of the courtyard wall, eyes locked on a figure walking toward him. She was dressed in a long coat, face veiled in shadow, but he recognized her instantly.
Nina's mother.
"You're early," she said, voice brittle.
"I couldn't sleep after yesterday. You said you had more to tell me."
She sighed. "I shouldn't be doing this… But you deserve to know some of it. You asked me why I kept Nina hidden for so long… It wasn't just fear. It was survival."
Leo leaned in, tension in every inch of him. "You said there's something about a girl… a secret."
She handed him another faded photograph — a woman smiling, holding a baby wrapped in a blue and gold blanket.
"She was my only light in that house. Your father never told you, did he?" she whispered. "About me. About the time before his second wife… before Nina."
Leo froze.
"You said before… she might be my—"
"I didn't say that," she interrupted sharply, eyes narrowing. "Not yet. Not until I'm sure. But there's more to this, Leo. Much more."
[Later That Day — Rooftop Café, 7:15 PM]
The sky had turned into ash and peach hues.
Amara was already waiting, her notebook half open, eyes scanning. Zara arrived next, then Nina — eyes puffy but composed. The silence among them was deafening.
Leo came late. Hair tousled, voice low.
"I promised to tell you the truth. Or at least what I know."
He pulled the old letter from his coat again.
"Someone… someone sent this. Months ago. No name. Just a message."
"You don't know me, but I once loved your father. I left because I feared what the truth would do to you. But there's a girl you know, and when you find her, you'll understand why I stayed away."
He placed the letter between them.
"I still don't know who the letter was talking about. But one of you… maybe all of you… are tangled in this story."
Zara swallowed hard. "You're saying one of us could be your… sister?"
Leo didn't answer. He couldn't.
[Later — Leo's Private Meeting with Amara]
The café emptied out. But Leo stayed.
"Amara," he said, "stay. Just you. I need to talk to you alone."
Zara and Nina exchanged glances.
Nina hesitated but left. She walked down the stairs, but something made her turn.
From the shadows of the nearby balcony, she saw them.
Leo and Amara. Sitting side by side. Close. Too close.
She didn't hear the words. But she saw the hand Amara placed on Leo's.
And she broke.
[Scene: Nina's Apartment — Late Night]
Nina stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself like she didn't recognize the woman in the glass.
"Who are you, Leo?" she whispered.
The words from the letter circled her mind.
There's a girl you know…
Her own mother's recent shift in behavior. The hesitations. The secrets.
"What if it's me?"
The thought was a dagger she couldn't pull out.
She picked up a framed picture of her and Leo — smiling, carefree.
Then she put it face-down.
And for the first time, Nina whispered a vow to herself.
"I need to forget you."
—Leo's
I should feel relief, now that parts of the truth are out. But it's worse. Because the truth doesn't bring clarity — it multiplies the pain. Amara… her eyes held a sadness I couldn't name. Nina… I saw the way she looked at me before she left. I broke something in her. Something I don't know how to fix.
—Nina's
I saw them. Leo and Amara. Maybe I was foolish to think he still saw me. Maybe I'm the one the letter spoke of. And maybe… just maybe, I'm better off not knowing.
—Amara's
He looked at me like he needed to say something deeper, but he couldn't. And I… I let him hold my hand. Even if it wasn't right. I'm afraid of what comes next. Because some part of me — the weakest, most selfish part — wants him. Still.
—Zara's
He's hiding something from me. From all of us. But this time, I won't sit in the shadows. I'll get to the bottom of this — with or without his help. I loved Leo once. Maybe I still do. But I won't lose myself trying to find him.
FADES OUT