Her world stopped.
The words didn't just echo.
They settled.
Deep.
Heavy.
"You're not supposed to be alive."
Liana stared at Daniel, her hand still in his, but her body refusing to move.
"What… does that even mean?" she asked, her voice barely holding together.
Daniel didn't answer.
That scared her more than the words.
"Daniel."
He kept walking, pulling her along the tunnel.
"Daniel, stop."
Nothing.
Her chest tightened.
"Stop!" she snapped, yanking her hand free.
This time, he stopped.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
The dim light flickered above them, casting shadows across his face. For the first time since the fight, he looked… conflicted.
Like he had said too much.
"Say something," she demanded. "You don't get to drop something like that and walk away."
He exhaled slowly.
"I told you already. We don't have time."
"Then make time!" she shot back. "Because I'm not moving another step until you explain what you just said."
Silence.
Heavy.
Then he turned to face her fully.
"You really don't remember anything?" he asked.
Her frustration cracked. "I've been telling you that!"
"Before Adrian," he pressed. "Anything at all?"
She opened her mouth—
Then paused.
Something flickered.
Quick.
Unclear.
Her head throbbed.
"I…" she hesitated. "No. I don't think so."
Daniel studied her closely.
Like he was searching for something.
Or waiting.
Then he muttered under his breath, "They did a better job than I thought."
Her stomach dropped.
"They?" she repeated. "Who are they?"
His gaze shifted away.
Wrong answer.
Or no answer.
"Daniel."
He stayed quiet.
Her voice softened, but it shook. "Please… I don't understand what's happening to me."
That did it.
Something in his expression changed.
Not just urgency now.
Not just control.
Something personal.
"They erased you," he said finally.
Her heart skipped. "What?"
"Your memories. Your past. Everything before him."
"No." She shook her head immediately. "That's not possible."
"It is," he said. "And they made sure you wouldn't question it."
Her breathing became uneven.
"That doesn't make sense. Why would anyone do that to me?"
He looked at her again.
And this time—
He didn't hesitate.
"Because you mattered."
The words hit harder than expected.
"Mattered how?" she whispered.
He didn't answer right away.
And that pause…
It terrified her.
"Daniel," she said again, quieter now. "What was I?"
His jaw tightened.
Then—
"Someone they couldn't control."
The tunnel felt colder.
Liana wrapped her arms around herself.
"That doesn't sound like me."
A faint, almost sad smile touched his lips.
"That's because this isn't really you."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"Then who am I?"
Before he could answer—
A sharp pain hit her head.
Sudden.
Violent.
She gasped, staggering back.
"Liana?"
Her vision blurred.
A flash—
Running.
Rain pouring down.
Her heart racing.
Another flash—
A voice.
A man's voice.
Warm. Close.
"I've got you. Don't look back."
Her breath hitched.
Then—
Darkness again.
She collapsed forward, but Daniel caught her.
"Hey. Stay with me."
"I saw something," she whispered, gripping his shirt. "I was running… someone was with me…"
His eyes sharpened.
"What else?"
"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. "It's like it disappears the moment I try to hold it."
"That's how it starts," he murmured.
Her grip tightened. "Starts what?"
"Your memories coming back."
Fear rushed through her.
"No… I don't want this if it feels like this."
"You don't get to choose," he said quietly.
The honesty in his voice made her chest ache.
She pulled back slightly, searching his face.
"Were you there?" she asked suddenly.
His expression stilled.
"When?" he asked.
"In those memories," she said. "Were you there with me?"
Silence.
Too long.
Too telling.
Her heart dropped.
"You were," she said softly.
He didn't deny it.
Didn't confirm it either.
But she saw it.
In his eyes.
In the way he looked at her.
"You knew me," she whispered.
His voice came low.
"I still do."
Her breath caught.
Before she could say anything—
Footsteps echoed again.
Distant.
But coming.
Daniel's head snapped toward the sound.
"They're not stopping," he said.
Liana's fear returned instantly. "More of them?"
"Yes."
He grabbed her hand again.
"We need to move. Now."
This time—
She didn't resist.
They ran deeper into the tunnel.
Faster.
Further.
But her mind wasn't on the danger anymore.
It was on one thing.
One terrifying thought.
If her memories were erased…
If her life was taken…
If even her past wasn't hers—
Then what about Adrian?
Her heart sank.
"Daniel," she said as they ran, her voice barely steady.
"What?"
She hesitated.
Then asked the question that had been building inside her.
"Was any of it real?"
He didn't answer immediately.
And that silence…
Felt louder than anything else.
Then finally—
"No."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"Not the way you think."
Tears burned her eyes, but she kept running.
Kept moving.
Because stopping now meant everything would catch up to her.
The truth.
The past.
And the people who wanted her gone.
Behind them—
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
And this time—
There were more of them.