Elena walked through the small streets of her childhood town, the weight of everything pressing heavily on her chest. Nora’s words echoed in her mind: “Some things are better left buried.” But Elena couldn’t let go. She couldn’t unhear what she’d just learned. Ariana wasn’t just a name from the past—she was a thread, woven into the very fabric of her father’s life, and somehow, her father’s death. As much as Nora had begged her to leave the past alone, Elena knew she couldn’t stop now. Not when there were so many unanswered questions.
Ariana. Who was she really? Why had she been so important to her father? And why had he kept her a secret? Every piece of the puzzle seemed to lead Elena to this one person, this ghost from the past who had vanished without a trace. The more she thought about it, the more she understood that finding Ariana was the only way to make sense of everything. But where did she even begin?
Elena had already spent hours searching through her father’s things, but it wasn’t enough. There had to be more. She could feel it, deep down in her gut—more lies, more buried truths waiting to be uncovered.
After leaving Nora, Elena made her way back to the old house, feeling a sense of urgency building inside her. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the porch as she approached the front door. The house, which had once felt so full of life and love, now felt like an oppressive tomb. She unlocked the door, the familiar sound of the creaking hinges filling the air. It was quiet—too quiet. The house, like her mind, was full of ghosts.
Elena returned to the study, where she had spent so much time earlier in the day, looking through the dusty shelves and drawers. There had to be something she missed. Something her father had left behind, a clue, a final message.
She moved to the bookshelf that lined one wall of the study, pulling down one old, weathered volume after another, flipping through the pages, hoping to find something—anything—that would lead her to the truth. After a few minutes, her fingers brushed against something cold. She froze, her heart racing. It was a small, leather-bound journal, hidden beneath a stack of old maps. It didn’t belong with the other books, and for some reason, Elena felt that it was no coincidence that she had found it now.
The journal was well-worn, the cover scuffed and faded, but the pages were still intact, yellowing with age. She opened it, her fingers trembling as she began to read. The writing inside was her father’s—she recognized the flowing, elegant script immediately. The first entry was dated several months before his death, and as Elena read, she realized this was more than just a diary. This was a record of everything.
January 15th
I don’t know how much longer I can keep pretending everything is fine. The pressure is too much. The debts are piling up, and the people I owe are starting to close in. I thought I could handle it, but I was wrong. Ariana was right about one thing—there is no way out. The only question now is how deep I’ll have to go before I can get out from under this.
I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone. I promised I wouldn’t drag her into this, but I can’t keep that promise anymore. She’s already too deep. She knows too much.
I tried to keep her safe, tried to keep her away from it, but every time I look at her, I see the same hunger in her eyes that I’ve seen in mine. The hunger for power, for control. For something bigger than this life we’ve built.
I don’t know what to do anymore. The clock is ticking.
February 3rd
Ariana left today. I don’t know where she’s gone, but I’m relieved. For once, I can breathe. She was always the one person who could unsettle me, who could make me question everything. But now that she’s gone, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve made the wrong decision. I’ve sent her away, and I know I won’t be able to find her if something goes wrong.
I can’t afford to think about her now. I have to focus on getting out. But I know the moment she decides to return, everything will fall apart. There’s no escaping this.
March 12th
I’m writing this for myself. To remind me why I’ve made the choices I’ve made. I never wanted this. I never wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself. But I’ve made deals, and now there’s no going back. If anything happens to me, it’s on me. No one else.
Ariana will never forgive me. She’ll never understand why I had to let her go. But she never knew the whole truth. She never understood what I had to do to protect her from what I’ve become.
I don’t know what will happen next. But I know this: I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her out of it. Even if it means I have to disappear for good.
Elena closed the journal, her hands shaking. Her father had been involved in something far more dangerous than she had ever imagined. He had made deals with people who had power, people who could make or break lives, and it seemed Ariana had been at the center of it all. What had she been involved in? And why had her father chosen to protect her—at the cost of everything else?
Elena sat back in the chair, overwhelmed by the weight of the journal’s words. She had always thought of her father as a man who played by the rules. But now she saw him through a different lens—one of desperation and fear. Whatever had happened, whatever he had gotten caught up in, it had dragged him into a world of darkness. And Ariana... Ariana was the one he had tried so hard to protect, even if it meant sacrificing everything else.
But what was the cost of protecting her?
The sudden ringing of her phone broke Elena’s train of thought. She grabbed it, her heart racing as she saw the caller ID. It was Liam.
“Elena, I think you need to come to the docks,” Liam said, his voice strained. “There’s something you need to see.”
“What’s going on?” Elena asked, her throat tightening.
“I can’t explain it over the phone. Just—please, meet me there. It’s important.”
Elena’s mind spun. Something was happening, something that was connected to everything she had uncovered. She had to go.
She grabbed her jacket and rushed out the door, her pulse quickening with every step. The docks. What had Liam found? And how did it all tie back to Ariana? Elena didn’t know what awaited her there, but she knew one thing: she couldn’t back down now.
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