The vibration didn't stop.
It cut through the silence like a warning.
Ethan stepped back immediately, his hand dropping to his side as if nothing had happened. But nothing about the moment before could be erased that easily.
Luna saw it.
Not just the phone.
But the shift.
The way his expression changed in a fraction of a second—from something almost real… back to controlled.
Like he had trained himself to leave moments unfinished.
He looked at the screen.
Luna didn't move. "Answer it," she said quietly.
Ethan hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
Because if it was nothing, he would have answered immediately.
Finally, he picked up.
"Yeah."
His voice was calm again. Too calm.
A pause.
Luna couldn't hear the other side, but she watched his face carefully.
At first—neutral.
Then slightly tense.
Then still.
Completely still.
That last shift worried her more than anything.
"What?" Ethan finally said, sharper now.
Another pause.
His jaw tightened.
Luna took a small step forward without realizing it.
Something was wrong.
"Where?" Ethan asked.
Silence again.
Then—
"I'm coming."
He ended the call immediately.
No explanation.
No hesitation.
Just movement.
Luna stared at him. "What happened?"
Ethan didn't answer right away. His eyes were already scanning the road ahead, like his mind had left before his body did.
"That was security," he said finally.
Luna frowned slightly.
"Security of what?"
Ethan looked at her then.
And for the first time in a while—there was no filter in his expression.
"The storage unit," he said.
Her stomach dropped slightly.
"The one linked to the drive."
That sentence made everything colder.
Luna's voice lowered. "Something happened there?"
Ethan nodded once.
"…Someone broke in."
Silence.
Not the quiet kind.
The collapsing kind.
Luna felt it immediately—the shift in stakes.
"So the drive—" she began.
"I don't know yet," Ethan interrupted, already walking past her.
"But if they went there now… it means they were waiting."
Luna turned quickly to follow him.
"Waiting for what?"
Ethan didn't slow down.
"For you to remember."
That answer hit harder than anything else so far.
Because it meant one thing—
This wasn't just about memory loss.
It was about timing.
Someone was tracking what she remembered… and what she didn't.
They reached the car.
Ethan opened the door, but paused before getting in.
He looked at her.
And for a second, something softer flickered in his eyes again.
"You don't have to come," he said.
Luna didn't even think.
"I'm already involved."
That was enough.
They got in.
The car started moving fast.
Too fast for the silence inside it.
Outside, the world blurred.
Inside, nothing moved except thoughts.
Luna stared out the window, but her reflection stared back harder than the road.
A broken version of herself.
A version that knew too little… and too much at the same time.
After a few minutes, she spoke again.
"If someone broke in…" she said slowly, "does that mean the drive was there?"
Ethan's hands tightened slightly on the wheel.
"Or something connected to it."
Luna turned toward him.
"Why would they wait ten years… and suddenly act now?"
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
That silence was an answer on its own.
Because he knew.
But wasn't saying it yet.
Finally, he spoke.
"Because something changed."
Luna frowned.
"What changed?"
Ethan glanced at her briefly.
"You did."
That made her go still.
She looked at him, searching his face.
"What does that mean?"
But Ethan didn't continue.
Instead, he slowed the car slightly.
"We're close," he said.
The storage unit was coming into view now.
A quiet industrial area.
Empty roads.
Dim lighting.
And a feeling that didn't belong there.
Luna's heartbeat quickened.
The car stopped.
Ethan got out first.
Luna followed.
The air outside felt heavier.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The storage unit door was slightly open.
That alone was enough to confirm everything.
Ethan pulled out something from his pocket—keys, or maybe something else Luna couldn't see clearly.
He stepped forward slowly.
Luna followed right behind him.
"Stay behind me," he said quietly.
She didn't argue.
Inside—
It was dark.
Too dark.
Then Ethan flipped the light switch.
The room lit up.
And for a second—
Everything looked normal.
Boxes.
Files.
Old equipment.
But then Luna saw it.
A drawer pulled open.
Files scattered.
And in the center—
An empty space.
Something had been taken.
Ethan crouched slightly, scanning the area.
His expression tightened again.
"They were here recently," he said.
Luna's voice barely came out.
"What did they take?"
Ethan stood slowly.
And looked at her.
That look wasn't confusion anymore.
It was confirmation.
"…Not something."
A pause.
"…Someone's record of you."
Luna felt her body go cold.
"My record?"
Ethan nodded slightly.
"And that means…"
He stopped himself for a second.
Then finished quietly.
"…they don't want you remembering the truth. They want to control when you do."
Silence fell again.
But this time—
It wasn't confusion.
It was fear.
Because now Luna understood something clearly for the first time.
The truth wasn't hidden.
It was being managed.
And someone out there—
Was deciding when she was allowed to know it.