The lipstick message smeared under my trembling fingers as I tried to wipe it from the mirror.
"Too late. You were warned."
But warned of what?
That Ryker's secret would put us in danger?
That remembering would burn the world around me?
Riven called the police, but we both knew nothing would come of it. No fingerprints, no security footage — just a broken lock and a sick sense of déjà vu.
"This was personal," he muttered, pacing. "They didn't take money, jewelry… just the drive. They wanted Ryker's message silenced."
I sat numbly on the edge of the bed, clutching the folder from the hospital. "They knew everything. Where we lived. Where we hid it. This isn't just surveillance — this is someone inside your family."
He didn't argue.
He just knelt in front of me, his eyes solemn. "We need to go."
"Go where?"
"Somewhere no one knows us. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe."
I shook my head. "There's no safe anymore, Riven. Not until I remember everything."
He swallowed. "And what if remembering breaks you again?"
"Then I'll glue myself back together."
---
We drove for hours — into the countryside where cell signal died and silence fell like fog. I stared out the window, my heart racing every time a car followed us for too long.
Eventually, we reached an old cabin Riven had purchased years ago "to escape the city." A getaway. A ghost house.
No one knew about it but him — and now me.
The cabin was small, but cozy. Dusty, but comforting. Wooden walls, faded rugs, a fireplace that hadn't been used in years. And most importantly, no cameras. No emails. No threats.
Just us.
And my memories.
That night, I lay on the couch, the warmth of the fire crackling nearby, and closed my eyes.
I forced myself back into that night.
The dress. The scream. The man.
Uncle Gregory shouting. Ryker grabbing my arm. Telling me to run.
And then—
A blow. A sharp, terrifying sound of impact.
The gun wasn't fired.
It was used.
Like a weapon to knock someone down.
And the person hit wasn't me. It was—
"Ryker," I whispered aloud.
I sat up straight, gasping. "He didn't disappear. He was taken."
Riven appeared in the doorway, alert. "What?"
"I remember. Someone hit him. He collapsed. I was screaming. Uncle Gregory pulled me away. He told me Ryker had run. But he lied. I saw him fall."
Riven's fists clenched.
"We have to find Gregory," I said. "He's the key to all of this."
"Then we're not running anymore," Riven said. "We're hunting."
---
The next morning, Riven made calls. Quiet ones. Off the grid.
Meanwhile, I tracked Gregory's last known locations. According to an old blog post from a business forum, he'd retired to a private villa on the coast two years ago. Disconnected. Isolated.
Perfect place to hide a body.
Or a secret.
I packed a bag. "We're going."
"You sure?"
"I've never been more sure."
---
The villa was massive.
Too massive for a man trying to retire quietly. Modern security. Walled gates. A staff that refused to answer questions. But Riven had connections — and charm.
That night, we snuck in through a trail behind the garden walls. I wore black. He wore black. My heart beat like a war drum in my chest.
Inside, the villa was cold and clinical. Like a hotel room never lived in.
Until we found the study.
Old wooden shelves. Papers stacked in strange patterns. And in the drawer — a safe.
Riven cracked it. He was always good with numbers. Twin intuition, maybe.
Inside the safe:
Cash.
Passports.
And… a USB.
The label? "E. Quinn - 6 Years Ago"
My hand shook as I plugged it into Riven's laptop.
The screen lit up.
Video footage.
Grainy. But real.
Me, standing in a hallway, shaking.
Ryker, bloodied, dragging me toward the door.
Gregory, chasing.
A struggle.
A crack.
Then darkness.
But in the very last frame, before the camera shut off—
Ryker's lips moved.
And though the sound was off, I could read it.
"Don't forget me."
---
Tears streamed down my face.
He didn't leave. He was stolen from me.
I turned to Riven, and for the first time, I asked the question that had haunted me for years.
"Why didn't you come after me that night?"
He blinked, frozen. "What do you mean?"
"You disappeared, too. You cut off contact. Why?"
He looked away. "Because… I thought you loved Ryker. And I couldn't be the backup twin. I couldn't be the one you turned to just because he was gone."
I stared at him.
"You thought this was about you?"
"I was young. Jealous. Stupid. I didn't know what happened until it was too late. Then Gregory sent me away for 'safety'—said there'd been an accident. I believed him. I let him erase my brother."
I rose to my feet.
"This ends now. No more silence. No more fear."
Riven nodded.
Together, we burned the last photo of that night.
But we kept the drive.
It was time to bring Ryker home — dead or alive