"There were two of you."
The words echoed through the room like a crack in glass.
Amara felt it instantly.
A sharp, unsettling shift deep in her chest.
"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "That's not possible."
But her voice betrayed her.
Because somewhere deep down…
She wasn't entirely sure.
David stood frozen.
His mind racing.
Trying to piece together fragments that refused to fully form.
"Two women?" he repeated slowly. "What are you talking about?"
The woman in red didn't look away.
Her gaze remained fixed.
Steady.
Unforgiving.
"You," she said, pointing lightly toward Amara…
"…and someone else."
Amara's heart pounded harder.
"Who?" she demanded.
The woman didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she stepped closer again, her heels clicking softly against the floor, each step deliberate.
"You really don't remember anything after you got into that car?" she asked David.
He shook his head, frustration growing.
"I've told you—I don't," he snapped.
The woman studied him for a moment.
Then nodded slowly.
"That's what they wanted," she said.
Amara frowned.
"Who is they?" she asked.
The woman ignored the question.
"By the time you got to the hotel," she continued, "everything was already in motion."
David's jaw tightened.
"What does that mean?" he asked.
"It means," she said calmly, "you were never in control."
Silence.
Heavy.
Amara felt her chest tighten again.
"And her?" she asked, pointing at herself. "Where do I fit into this?"
The woman's gaze softened slightly.
But not with kindness.
"With convenience," she said.
Amara blinked.
"What?"
"You weren't part of the plan," the woman continued. "But when you showed up… they adjusted."
A chill ran down Amara's spine.
"Adjusted how?" she asked.
The woman didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she turned her attention back to David.
"The second woman," she said slowly…
"…was the original target."
David's expression hardened.
"Target for what?" he demanded.
The woman's lips pressed into a thin line.
"For leverage," she said.
Amara's breath caught.
"Against him?" she asked.
The woman nodded once.
"Yes."
David let out a sharp breath.
"So this was a setup," he said. "To trap me."
"Yes," she replied.
"And the second woman?" he pressed.
The woman's eyes darkened slightly.
"She was supposed to be the one in that room with you," she said.
Amara's heart pounded harder.
"Then why wasn't she?" she asked.
The woman looked at her.
This time…
There was something different in her expression.
Something heavier.
Because she said—
"Because she didn't show up."
Silence.
Amara frowned.
"Why not?" she asked.
The woman hesitated.
For the first time…
She hesitated.
Then—
"Because she found out," she said quietly.
David's eyes narrowed.
"Found out what?" he asked.
"That she was being used," the woman replied.
Amara felt her stomach twist.
"And you?" she asked slowly. "Where were you in all of this?"
The woman held her gaze.
"I was there," she said.
"That doesn't answer the question," Amara snapped.
The woman took a step closer.
Her voice dropped.
"I was the second woman."
Everything stopped.
Amara's breath caught instantly.
David froze.
"What?" he said.
The woman didn't look away.
"I was the one they wanted in that room," she said.
Silence.
Total.
Amara's mind struggled to catch up.
"You're saying…" she began slowly…
"You were supposed to be with him that night?"
The woman nodded once.
"Yes."
David ran a hand through his hair, his frustration rising again.
"This doesn't make any sense," he said. "If you knew it was a setup, why would you even go?"
The woman's expression changed.
This time…
There was emotion.
Real emotion.
"Because I didn't know at first," she said quietly.
Amara's chest tightened.
"And when you found out?" she asked.
The woman's gaze hardened again.
"It was too late," she said.
Silence.
Heavy.
"And then she showed up," the woman added, glancing briefly at Amara.
Amara felt the weight of that look.
"You," she said.
"I didn't plan any of this," Amara replied quickly.
"I know," the woman said.
That surprised her.
"Then why am I being dragged into it?" Amara demanded.
The woman's expression turned cold again.
"Because you changed everything," she said.
David frowned.
"How?" he asked.
The woman looked at him.
"Because instead of the plan working the way it was supposed to…" she said slowly…
"…you chose her."
Amara's heart skipped.
David froze.
"I didn't even know her," he said.
The woman's lips curved slightly.
"Not consciously," she replied.
Silence fell again.
But this time…
It carried something deeper.
Something more dangerous.
Because whatever happened that night…
Was no longer just a mistake.
It was a turning point.
And now…
The truth was getting closer.