Cherreads

Chapter 23 - Chapter 3: The Fractured Beginning of Truth

Robin couldn't sleep that night.

Every time he closed his eyes, the same image appeared: Leila looking at him from a distance, as if she knew him far more than she should. Even her last words at the café kept repeating in his mind without stopping.

"If you really knew someone who looks like me… then maybe it's not just a coincidence."

He felt that this sentence was not ordinary—it was a key to something much bigger than he could imagine.

He got out of bed early and left before sunrise. The air outside was cold, and the city was still half asleep. But he wasn't looking for peace—he was looking for answers.

He headed straight to the café.

From a distance, he watched the place. This time, there was no sign of Leila or the men he had seen with her. But something else caught his attention: a black car parked across the street, not looking like it was there by coincidence.

He kept watching silently, then decided to move closer.

Before he could reach it, two men stepped out of the car. The same dark clothes, the same cautious eyes.

One of them said in a low voice:

"He's here."

Robin froze in place.

"Me?"

But before he could take another step, he felt a hand grab him from behind.

He quickly turned around.

It was Karim.

"Are you crazy? What are you doing here this early?"

Robin didn't answer immediately, then said:

"There's something going on here… and I need to find out what it is."

Karim looked around nervously:

"I don't know what you're looking for, but these people don't look normal."

At that moment, the café door opened.

Leila came out.

But this time she was not alone. She was with the same two men.

She suddenly stopped.

She looked directly at Robin.

This time there was no doubt—the look was clear, as if she had been expecting him.

One of the men leaned toward her and whispered:

"He's been following you since yesterday."

Leila didn't respond, only kept looking at Robin.

Then she said calmly:

"You came quickly… I knew you would come back."

Robin stepped forward:

"Who are you? And what does all this have to do with me?"

But before she could answer, one of the men interrupted:

"You have no right to ask questions."

Karim jumped in:

"Wait, what is this movie?!"

But the atmosphere was already tense.

Suddenly, a nearby car started and stopped near them. Another man stepped out wearing a long coat, his face cold and his gaze sharp.

He said calmly but in a frightening tone:

"Enough games."

Everyone fell silent.

Leila lowered her eyes slightly.

Robin felt that this man was different.

The man stepped closer and said:

"Robin… right?"

Robin froze.

"How do you know my name?"

The man smiled slightly:

"Because you are part of what we are trying to hide."

Karim stepped back:

"I'm leaving… this is too much for me."

But Robin didn't move.

The man continued:

"The girl you think is a coincidence… is not. She is connected to your past, and your past is connected to something that should remain buried."

Robin clenched his fist:

"I have no past with you."

But Leila said quietly:

"You do… you just don't remember it."

That sentence hit him hard.

"Don't remember? What are you talking about?"

The man raised his hand slightly:

"That's not the issue here. There are others who are starting to move. If you stay close to her, your life will change forever."

Then he pointed at Leila:

"And she is the first target."

A heavy silence fell over everyone.

At that moment, the sound of approaching engines was heard.

Leila suddenly looked up:

"They're here…"

The other man said quickly:

"We have to leave now."

But Robin stayed in place:

"I'm not leaving until I understand!"

Leila looked at him directly for the first time—not with mystery, but with something closer to warning.

"If you stay here… you'll enter something you won't be able to escape."

But before anything else could be said, three black cars blocked the street from both sides.

The men beside Leila quickly drew their weapons.

Karim shouted:

"I don't want any part of this!"

But it was already too late.

The man in the long coat said calmly:

"Begin."

And in a single moment, everything turned into chaos.

Robin stood frozen.

He didn't understand what was happening, but something inside him told him that his normal life had just ended.

And Leila… she was at the center of it all.

She looked at him one last time through the chaos and whispered:

"Now… the truth begins."

More Chapters