The warehouse was cloaked in darkness, its oppressive silence broken only by the steady drip of water from a corroded pipe. The stench of rust, mildew, and blood lingered in the air, a nauseating prelude to the carnage within.Six men sat bound to metal chairs in a grim row, their heads slumped forward in exhaustion. The metallic bands around their foreheads hummed faintly, the only sound betraying the deathtrap concealed within.Jerry paced the room, his boots clanking against the concrete floor as he barked orders to his underlings. “Clip their tongues,” he snarled, his voice sharp and commanding. “Make sure they can’t bite down and die on their terms. These bastards don’t deserve an easy way out.”A sinister grin played on his lips as he turned back toward the men. Their battered faces showed defiance even in their broken state. Jerry liked it when they resisted—it made breaking them all the more satisfying.But then, something changed.A faint flicker of red danced across the meta
Back in the Lab“This is bad. Very bad,” Grey muttered to himself, tapping frantically at the keys on his laptop.He stared at the monitor in disbelief. The system was back online.“What… how…?” he stammered, his eyes wide with horror. He had been trying to deactivate the radiation sequence—he was sure of it.The screen flickered. A new message appeared, bold and cold:“COMMAND OVERRIDDEN. OPERATION EXECUTED.”Grey’s breath hitched. His trembling fingers hovered uselessly over the keyboard. Whatever had happened, it was far beyond his comprehension. The hackers had reached into their system like ghosts.Before he could process the full extent of the failure, the lab door slammed open.Matt stormed in, his face flushed red with anger. “What the hell just happened, Grey?” he barked, his voice sharp enough to cut steel.“I—I disabled it!” Grey stammered, jabbing a finger at the monitor as if to defend himself. “I swear I deactivated the sequence! Someone else—” His voice broke off, his h
It had been two hours since the heads of the kidnappers inexplicably exploded in the torture room—something impossible, something unimaginable to mankind.Like, how the hell do people’s heads just blow up like they’re firecrackers?Whoever was after his baby girl’s life wasn’t ordinary. Ray was sure of one thing: his wife knew more than she was letting on. Her psychologist was coming over tomorrow, and he could only hope she would open up to him. This new version of her was terrifying in ways he couldn’t put into words. She had taken down six hefty men as if they were toddlers.It didn’t add up.Looking at her past self—the woman she used to be—she had always seemed weak and harmless just emotionless, someone who didn’t even know how to throw a punch. The investigation into her past showed nothing about her having fighting skills. Nothing.Before leaving, Ray had instructed Damon to contact a team of forensic pathologist to perform an autopsy. He needed answers. Anything. With that do
“Aww, cutie pie, you shouldn’t dare me like that. I dare—and I will.”The words left her lips with a teasing smirk, but before she could relish her triumph, a sharp, searing pain erupted in her head. Her body jolted violently, like an unseen force had reached into her core and seized control. She gasped, her eyes widening in panic as her limbs shook uncontrollably.It felt like her skull was being split apart.‘You need to know your limits and behave yourself, or I will send you back to wherever you came from,’ a cold, sinister voice boomed inside her mind. The sound reverberated like hammer blows, each word driving shards of pain deeper into her brain.“No!” Liliana choked out, clutching her head as her body convulsed.“Lilly—Lilly! Lilly, please look at me! Open your eyes! Are you okay?” Ray’s voice cracked, frantic as he knelt by the bed, gripping her trembling shoulders. His calm composure shattered like glass.One moment, she had been teasing him, and now she was violently shakin
Ray gazed at her face, hoping to see his old Lily, but the one standing before him seemed guarded and unwilling to open up."I'm really okay," Lily said, though she couldn't convince him. It like seemed annoying or threaten him, triggering the body thief. She must truly love him.Ray nodded in understanding before asking. “Can I take my bath?“ he felt uncertain about his next move. If she didn't want him to bath, then so be it. What mattered most was her health, well-being, and safety. Even his own discomfort was insignificant and could be ignored at any time.Lilly couldn't help but smile hearing what he said: "You must really love her."‘Her’ what her, why is she referring to herself as a third person’ Ray thought.“I love you” he said Ever since their conversation at the hospital, he couldn't shake off the feeling that this woman might be different. It was as if she had some kind of personality disorder, like two people were living inside her or two personalities were at war.‘He
“She was poisoned. Now, who are you?” the voice answered before shooting back a question.Liliana’s thoughts raced as she tried to make sense of the voice’s revelation. Poisoned? Her? The concept didn’t fit the narrative she had assumed—this body, Liliana’s body, was supposed to be impervious to toxins.“She was poisoned by her family,” the voice repeated with cold certainty, as if the explanation were simple and unquestionable.Liliana’s fists clenched, anger surging. “That’s impossible,” she hissed aloud, her voice trembling. “This body has built-in resistances. It’s practically untouchable unless…”She trailed off, dread creeping in as the horrifying possibility dawned on her. “Unless it’s self-destruction,” she whispered. “The pill.”“What pill?” the voice asked sharply, curiosity lacing its tone.Liliana’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Just forget it,” she snapped, unwilling to give the voice more ammunition. She shifted the topic quickly. “Have you dealt with the Andersons yet
Lilly went silent for a moment, the weight of Lia’s revelation hanging heavily in the air. Then the voice in her head returned, sharper, more forceful.“Wait… what? You think Liliana killed herself? How? The memories I have point to Matilda.” Lilly’s tone faltered briefly before regaining its edge. “Wait. When you said earlier that she could die by poison—what exactly did you mean?”Lia’s breath hitched, her mind racing to organize the fragments of truth swirling within her. “Her body,” she began slowly, “was nearly indestructible. Resistant to almost any external toxin, any weapon, any illness. But Liliana herself—her soul—was fragile. That’s why she created me, to bear the weight of what she couldn’t.”She paused, her voice hardening. “When I disappeared, she was left defenseless. The pill she took—it wasn’t poison in the traditional sense. It was a failsafe. A way to ensure no one could control her if she ever truly broke. Matilda might have handed it to her, but Liliana swallowed
Ray’s heart pounded as Lilly’s unresponsive body slumped further against him. “Lilly!” he called again, his voice trembling with fear. When she didn’t answer, panic surged through him.Without a second thought, he reached for his phone, fumbling as he unlocked it to call Damon. But just as his finger hovered over the call button, Lia’s weak voice cut through his frantic movements.“Ray… stop,” she murmured, her voice barely audible. Her hand trembled as it grasped his wrist, halting him.“You’re not fine,” he argued, his eyes wide with desperation. “I’m calling Damon, and I’m getting the nurse. You’re clearly not okay, and I can’t just sit here while—”“Please,” she interrupted, her voice cracking as she tried to steady her breathing. “I’ll be fine. I just need rest.”Ray hesitated, torn between her pleas and the sheer terror of losing her. “You said that last time, and now this. Lilly, whatever’s happening to you—it’s not normal. I can’t lose you, do you understand?”“You won’t,” she
Fairy tales didn’t exist. Ray had always known that. And yet, he had let himself believe. Believe that after everything, he could finally have his happy ending. That Lily would come back, that they would put all the chaos behind them and just… be. But four months had passed. Four months, and she was nowhere to be found. And in those four months, she had caused more destruction than she probably even realized. The Anderson family was gone. The Manchester family had been silenced. The power structures that once dictated everything had crumbled beneath the weight of her actions. And yet, the world had gone eerily quiet. The media barely spoke about it. There were no reports, no scandalous headlines, no outrage. It was as if the universe had conspired to erase all traces of her, making her untouchable. He couldn’t reach her. He couldn’t speak to her. He couldn’t even see her. It was hell. And the worst part? It was starting to feel like the version of hell he had
The silence stretched between them.Lilly and Jerry—two people who had seen death, caused death, lived among death—now sat here, unable to make sense of the one loss that actually hurt.Lilly swallowed the lump in her throat.“I thought I could tell you that time would heal this. That one day, you’d wake up, and the pain would be gone.”Jerry gave her a hollow stare, waiting for her to continue.“But that would be a lie.”Her voice broke slightly, but she pushed through.“The truth is… you won’t wake up one day and magically feel okay. You’ll carry this pain with you. Every damn day.”Jerry’s jaw clenched. He knew that already, he knows deep down he will never get over losing his love right before it could even blossom.Lilly reached out and placed a hand over his.“But you’ll learn to live with it,” she whispered. “Because that’s what Chloe would have wanted. She didn’t fight this hard, endure this much, just for either of us to fall apart when she’s gone.”Jerry let out a ragged bre
Ray stared at her, his heart pounding in his chest.“One… m-m-month?” His voice cracked. “That’s too much, wifey.”His grip on her hands tightened, as if afraid that if he let go, she would disappear before his eyes.Lilly’s lips trembled, but she held her ground.“At least this way, you won’t be married to a woman who is mentally unstable, Ray,” she said softly. “And worse—a woman who shares her new body with her dead twin’s split personality.”Ray’s body stiffened.“Split what?” His brows furrowed, convinced he had misheard.Lilly sighed, wiping the stray tear that escaped her eye. “I’m sure you’ve already guessed it, Ray. You’ve seen it. You’ve felt it. Lia and I… we aren’t just one person. And I need to do this—for myself, for you, and for our baby.”Her voice wavered.“I need to be able to give you the same love you’ve given me. To birth our baby in a safe place. Please, Ray… please.” She squeezed his hands, her tears falling freely now.Ray felt something twist in his chest.Lil
The room felt unbearably heavy.Jerry sat still, his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands.And then, without warning—A sob tore through him.“Haaaaaa~~~” he yelled out. For the first time in life he felt like someone was trying to zap life out of him.The kind that clawed out from the depths of his soul, ripping past the walls he had spent years building.Tears streamed down his face. He didn’t even bother to wipe them.This wasn’t grief.This was devastation.This was an unbelievable moment, it was only aFew days ago that he realized the extend of his live for Chloe and now she dead.Dead just like that.This was the feeling of watching the one person who made life feel like more than just blood and war—slip through his fingers.He had lost Chloe.And now, what was left of him?Nothing.Nothing but this unbearable silence, this emptiness that no amount of vengeance could ever fill.He clenched his fists.He had always thought himself untouchable, someone who laughed in the fa
The room was too quiet.The kind of silence that made the air feel heavier, pressing against their chests like an unbearable weight.Lilly sat frozen, her eyes staring into nothing.She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t speaking.She just sat there, lost in the void.Ray was right behind her, not touching, not speaking just there.Because what could he say? What could he do?There were no words for grief like this. No bandage for wounds that cut this deep.On the other side of the room, Jerry knelt beside Chloe’s bed, his hands gripping hers with a desperation that made his knuckles turn white.His lips moved, whispering something under his breath.A prayer.Jerry Manchester the man who had never feared death, who had laughed in the face of danger—was now begging.To a God he didn’t even believe in.“Please—”His voice cracked, his fingers tightening around Chloe’s.“Please, don’t take her.”Tears burned at the corners of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.He didn’t cry. Not Jerry Man
The scent of iron was thick in the air.Lilly’s eyes, cold and unyielding, swept across the men standing by. Their hesitation irritated her.“What the hell are you all waiting for?” Her voice cracked through the tense silence, sharp as a whip.The men snapped to attention.“Get him out of there. Now.”She didn’t need to say it twice.Two men rushed forward, reaching into the trunk and dragging David Deluca’s battered body out. His weight was dead, limp, his blood smearing against their gloves.“Take him to Damon.”Her tone left no room for argument.The men moved swiftly, disappearing into the building with their barely breathing cargo.Lilly stood still, her breathing measured, her fingers clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palms.She should feel satisfaction.But for some reason—She didn’t.Inside, the air was suffocating.The rhythmic beeping of the life support machine filled the room—until suddenly, the sound changed.The sharp, rapid BEEP—BEEP—BEEP sliced through the ai
Lilly inhaled sharply.Ray cursed under his breath.Jerry looked up, his expression wild, desperate. “We need to stop the bleeding!”But his hands were unsteady, his mind a mess.Lilly took over.“Move,” she ordered, her voice firm.Jerry hesitated, unwilling to let go, but Ray grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.“Let her work.”Lilly worked fast, grabbing supplies from the medical kit. She cut away the fabric around the wound, assessing the damage. The bullet hadn’t passed through it was lodged inside.“Shit.”With gloved hands, she cleaned around the wound, applying pressure to slow the bleeding. Her movements were steady, precise years of training kicking in.Jerry could barely breathe.“Is she going to be okay?” His voice cracked.Lilly didn’t answer immediately. She grabbed a hemostatic gauze and pressed it firmly against the wound.“This will slow it down until Damon gets here,” she murmured.Ray kept his focus on Jerry, who looked like a man on the verge of breaking.“She’l
The shockwave rattled the car, and Chloe instinctively ducked.“What the fuck—?!” Jerry shouted, glancing at the rearview mirror.One of the enemy vehicles was now a burning wreck.And behind it—The Alpha Team had arrived.Meanwhile, in the Shooter’s Car…Matt watched in horror as one of their vehicles went up in flames.He gritted his teeth, his fingers digging into the seat.“Stop shooting!” he roared.His men hesitated, confused.But one look at Matt’s expression—twisted with fury and frustration—was enough to make them obey.Clark, sitting beside him, turned with a scowl.“Boss, I thought you said they wouldn’t have backup until we reached the city.”Matt’s jaw clenched. His hands balled into fists.“Well, are you fucking blind?” he snapped. “Or just too dumb to realize we’re already in the city?”Clark stiffened.“They own this place,” Matt muttered, his voice low and furious. “This is their fucking territory.”Clark exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face.“Then why the h
Jerry’s hands gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white. His mind was spinning, Chloe’s words echoing in his head.“You never miss a chance to make me feel like an object.”“But guess what, Jerry? I’m not an object.”His jaw clenched.“When have I ever treated you like an object?” he asked, his voice unusually quiet—almost confused.Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes.Jerry, however, wasn’t done.His mind raced, trying to piece together where the hell he had gone wrong. Is that why she won’t give me a chance? Does she really think I see her that way?For the first time in his life, Jerry Mancini found himself questioning his own actions.And in doing so—He completely forgot they were being followed.A loud bang erupted behind them, and the car jolted violently to the side.Chloe snapped her head around, eyes widening as she saw the dark SUV gaining on them, its headlights like glowing eyes in the night.“Jerry, focus!” she shouted.Jerry’s head whipped back toward t