Darkness swallowed the bridge, leaving only the sound of the river below.
Her breath came in sharp bursts. "What did you mean—my father started this?"
A faint emergency light flickered on near the railing, casting a dim red glow. Arin stepped forward, his face pale but steady.
"Your father created something," he said quietly. "Something powerful. Information that could destroy people in power."
Her mind raced. "That's impossible. He was just a school teacher.""That's what he wanted everyone to believe," the man in the dark coat replied. "He built a network. Secrets. Evidence. Names."
The word locker suddenly felt different.
"The safe…" she whispered.
Arin nodded. "The key you're holding unlocks the master archive. Everything your father collected."
Her fingers trembled.
"Why me?" she asked.
"Because you're the only one he trusted," Arin said. "And because they think you know where the safe is."
"They?" she looked at the man sharply.
He gave a thin smile. "We're not the only ones searching."A distant engine roared from the other side of the bridge.
Headlights approached fast.
Arin's voice dropped. "You have to decide now. Open the safe and expose everything—"
"—or destroy it," the man finished.
Her heart pounded violently.
If her father was alive, then everything she believed was a lie.
The approaching cars stopped abruptly.
Doors slammed.
Footsteps rushed toward them.Arin grabbed her hand tightly."Choose," he whispered.
And for the first time—
She realized the truth wasn't just dangerous.
It was deadly