*"Some betrayals are never spoken. They're only lived. And when they hurt… it's because they were silently sincere."*
The chosen villa lay hidden deep within the Amazonian plains, cloaked by a jungle so thick the sunlight barely touched the ground. Surrounded by cloud-shrouded mountains, it felt like a place forgotten by time—and perhaps by hope. It was the last refuge they had left after draining bank accounts, abandoning ruins, and fleeing an unrelenting hunt. Reaching this remote corner east of the Peruvian Andes had meant crossing narrow, nearly impassable roads—as if the path itself tried to keep them away.
The villa, inherited by Darío and Daesa Ghali's mother before she married, offered a temporary sanctuary. But no walls could erase the shadows they carried. A fragile calm lingered—one that couanld protect Daesa, the youngest of the Ghali line, and possibly even save her… if it meant taking Aisha with them, just as Skiller had arranged.
Aisha stood on the balcony, the air thick with humidity. The rain didn't stop, but she didn't move. Something inside her pulsed louder than the storm: a suspicion slithering silently, like a serpent beneath the leaves.
Inside, Darío scanned through documents salvaged from their last abandoned property. His fingers paused at the edge of one sealed page.
—Skiller… —he said quietly, as if not to disturb the fragile silence of the house.
The man approached, silent. When he saw the signature, something in his face stiffened. A single initial.
"V."
—The properties were transferred to VAEC as debt payment. Everything… it's all gone —Darío rasped.
—We're ruined —he added. His fist slammed the table, rattling the photos yet to be stored.
Skiller watched in silence, until he finally said:
—Your father was seen entering the old mansion before the fire. Manuel, the VAEC deputy director, was the last one to leave. Maybe there's nothing left to figure out, Darío. Only to accept.
Darío's jaw clenched. His voice cracked with frustration.
—You expect me to accept that Daesa and I are alone? That our family is being hunted?
But before more words could be spoken, the door burst open.
Daesa.
—Why is she here?! —she shouted, hurling Aisha's phone to the floor. It shattered on impact.
Her glare sliced through Skiller like invisible blades.
—You brought her because she means more to you than I do? More than your own wife?
Silence fell like a shadow. Even the rain seemed to hush.
Skiller looked away. A whisper slipped from his lips.
—It's not that…
But he didn't say more. In his mind, Sanathiel's words burned like fire:
"If Rasen's blood runs through you, at least keep your promise. Protect Aisha. Don't let Varek take her. I will return."
Thunder roared outside. At the door, under the rain, Aisha stood alone.
—Don't worry, sister —Darío said, voice calm but heavy—. Skiller will do the right thing. He's your husband.
Skiller moved, fast as a thought. No supernatural speed—just human urgency.
—You can't leave like this —he said, blocking her path.
She didn't look at him.
—Thank you for bringing me here. But you don't belong with me.
Skiller's frustration swelled like a storm. His brows furrowed, his face a storm of tangled emotion. Rain soaked them both.
—Aisha, you don't understand. This isn't just about me—or Sanathiel. It's about you. I can't let you go.
She lowered her eyes.
—Go back to Daesa.
Silence.
He didn't move. Then, like a gunshot in the quiet:
—Yes… I liked you.
Aisha looked up, stunned.
—I should never have felt it —he said, voice dull—. You were never mine. You never will be. We're cousins. I know that. I've accepted it.
From the doorway, Daesa's voice cracked through the rain:
—Do you love her, Skiller?
The rain didn't muffle the answer.
—It doesn't matter —he replied, not turning.
Aisha opened her mouth to speak—but stopped. She stepped away. Skiller offered something.
—Rasen's alive. And the White Wolf is hunting him. So… take this. You'll need it.
A phone. The one she had given him.
His words hit like lightning. For a moment, the world froze. The rain's rhythm intensified. Cold sliced her skin like a blade.
On impulse, she raised her hand to strike him… but stopped. Her fist clenched.
—What is this? —she asked, voice trembling with fury—. Give me a reason to understand your silence! We all saw him die…
A hesitation. Just a breath.
Skiller swallowed hard.
—Take what I give you, Aisha… to atone for my sin.
Before she could respond, the screen lit up at her touch. A coded message appeared:
"22-5-14/1/2-21-19-1-18-13-5… come find me."
Her eyes darkened. A chill ran down her spine.
—How long have you known? —she asked, gripping the phone until her knuckles hurt.
Skiller's throat tightened. His voice cracked.
—Since before I brought you here. Because… I brought you as a bargaining chip. For Varek.
The words hit like stones on water. Cold. Final. Irreversible.
Aisha stepped back.
No tears. No scream.
Only a whisper:
—Tell me it's not true…
But he couldn't.
She turned. Walked to the motorcycle.
—Aisha… —he called, barely a breath.
—I have to do this alone.
She started the engine. The rain poured harder.
—You won't come back —Skiller murmured to himself.
Aisha didn't look back.
And then she was gone, leaving a trail of water, asphalt, and resolve. The roar of the bike vanished into the trees. Skiller's words and the phone's message remained behind—like the first link in a chain pulling her toward her true fate.
Darío stepped into the doorway and looked at his cousin in silence.
—Did you lose her?
Skiller closed his eyes.
—Yes. And I'll never see her the same again.
And in that wet jungle where time hides, a decision had already been made. The price of redemption would be higher than they imagined.