CHAPTER 17

*First Person's Perspective*

~Enise~

The silence in the air between Lucian and I was suffocating, but before I could collect my thoughts, Anna spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. Her gaze was locked onto us, wide-eyed and full of surprise. "I knew it. I knew it was you. It just had to be. All that facade was just too convenient to believe"

She said and there was utter silence. No one spoke for about four minutes before she slid into the booth beside me and wrapped me in a tight embrace, her hands trembling slightly as she pulled me close. I stiffened at first, unsure of how to react to her sudden closeness but her warmth was comforting in a way that I hadn’t expected, or rather, in a way I didn't realize I needed. It brought back old memories and tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. She held me like she’d never let go, and before I could speak, I felt the warmth of tears trickling down her face. She was crying too

"I missed you so much," she whispered into my ear, and I could feel the weight of her words settle deep in my chest.

Her hold on me was momentarily comforting, but I knew I had to pull away. I couldn’t let myself be swayed by the emotions she was pulling from me. She had no idea what kind of game I was playing, what it would cost me in the end. After a brief moment, she pulled back, looking me over with a combination of confusion and understanding in her eyes. I opened my mouth to speak, to deny everything, to tell her she was wrong, but before I could get a word out, she placed her index finger gently on my lips.

"Don't you dare even try to lie to me. I know you're Enise and not Denise."

Her words hit me like a slap. I stared at her, wide-eyed, unable to hide the truth any longer. She knew. Anna knew exactly who I was. All of my carefully laid plans had just hit a snag. I never wanted it to go down like this, never wanted anyone to find out my true identity, but here we were. The only ones who were supposed to know were Lucian and I. That was it. Now, Anna knew.

I sighed in resignation, my shoulders sagging. There was no denying it anymore. She had caught me. “I’m sorry,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

Anna didn’t seem angry, just relieved. She gave me a small, understanding smile. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “I get it. I really do.”

I nodded, the guilt twisting in my gut. She’d never have to understand the full extent of what I was doing. But she was right about one thing—she was my best friend, and in that moment, she was all I had left. She’d always been the one person I could count on. I wasn’t sure if I could trust her with everything just yet, but I push her away

"I thought I had lost you. That I would never see you again. I'm so happy you're here and alive" she said, drawing me into another embrace. I smiled and pulled away gently

“Anna. I missed you so much too. That day I saw you, I wanted to tell you everything, to pull you into an embrace but I couldn't, I couldn't do it. And now that you know,” I said cautiously, leaning in closer so no one else could overhear us, “I need you to promise me something. You can’t tell anyone—no one—about this. Not even my parents.”

She blinked in confusion, her brow furrowing as she processed my request. “But… why? What’s going on, Enise?” She looked between me and Lucian, a frown tugging at her lips.

I took a deep breath and stared into her eyes, trying to convey the gravity of the situation. “It’s not just about me. It’s bigger than that. I have a plan. A plan for revenge. And if anyone finds out before it’s time, everything could fall apart.”

She tilted her head, and for a moment, she looked like she was piecing it all together. Then, the realization seemed to hit her, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh! I know why you’re back. Revenge.”

I nodded, confirming her guess. It wasn’t the kind of thing I liked to admit out loud, but there was no hiding it now. Revenge was my sole purpose. It was why I had returned, why I was putting myself through this. I wasn’t the sweet, innocent girl everyone thought I was anymore. I wasn’t Denise. I was Enise, and everything had changed.

I could see the flicker of understanding in her eyes, but she seemed to hesitate for a moment. I needed her support more than anything now, but I had to make sure she didn’t overstep her bounds. “You can’t tell anyone. Not even your mother. Not anyone. This has to stay between us, and Lucian.”

Anna nodded slowly, but she didn’t seem upset. Instead, she placed a hand over her chest and gave me a look of reassurance. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise,” she said firmly. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

I smiled, relieved that she was on my side. She always had been. And she wasn’t the type of person to betray me. I knew that. But there was still a part of me that feared what might happen if things went wrong. I couldn’t afford to be careless, especially not with Anna. What if I lost her in the process? I didn't even want to bear the thought of that

“I’m glad,” I said, letting out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. “Because we’ve got this under control. Everything is falling into place, and we’re so close to the endgame. I just need you to trust me.”

“I trust you,” she said, her voice steady, but there was something in her eyes—something I couldn’t quite place. “I’ve always trusted you.”

“Thank you so much,” I replied, my voice tight with gratitude

We talked for a little while longer, our conversation veering between lighter topics and the weightier ones that neither of us dared to fully acknowledge. I wanted to ease her into the reality of what I was planning, but it wasn’t something I could explain just yet. She had to be patient, just like me.

Then, just as I was beginning to relax, Anna’s phone buzzed on the table. Her eyes darted down, and she picked it up quickly, glancing at the screen. Her expression shifted almost immediately.

“It’s my mother,” she said, her voice laced with urgency. “She’s calling, and it’s an emergency.”

I froze for a moment, an instinctual sense of danger creeping up my spine. Anna’s mother had always been a source of stress, but I didn’t know what kind of emergency could’ve come up at this moment.

“Anna, wait,” I said, my hand lightly touching her arm to stop her. “You don’t have to go. We’re in the middle of something important.”

But she was already standing up, shaking her head with a regretful smile. “I have to, Enise. I’ll be back as soon as I can. You know how she is.”

I nodded, though a part of me wanted to stop her. But I knew Anna had her own life, her own responsibilities. I couldn’t ask her to drop everything for me. I mean, we literally just met and reintroduceed ourselves

As she walked toward the door, Lucian’s voice cut through the silence, his words low and dangerous.

“Looks like we have someone we need to eliminate now.”

I shot him a glare, my heart hammering in my chest. “Don’t even think about it,” I snapped. “Anna is my best friend. Don’t you dare harm her.”

Lucian raised an eyebrow at me, his eyes gleaming with something dark. “I was just saying…”

“I don’t care what you were just saying,” I said sharply. “Leave her out of this. She won’t betray me. She’s with us. And I’ll make sure nothing happens to her. Not while I’m around.”

Lucian leaned back, his expression unreadable, but there was an understanding there that I didn’t like. “Fine,” he said after a moment, his voice cold. “I’ll let it go for now. But remember, Enise… we can’t afford any weak links.”

I stared at him, my jaw clenched. “Anna isn’t a weak link. She’s the only person I trust, and I won’t let you harm her.”

Lucian’s eyes lingered on me for a moment longer before he finally nodded, though I could tell that his patience with my protective attitude was wearing thin. But he said nothing more, and I was left to contemplate the choices I was making.

With Anna gone, there was nothing else to distract me. The next move was mine, and I had to make it count.