The sun was beginning to rise when Kali and Dahlia headed out toward the university. The air was thick, as if the day knew something they didn't. They walked together in silence, each lost in her thoughts.

  Kali couldn't stop thinking about Nicco. His sudden disappearance. It didn't make sense. Not after everything they'd been through. Not after the kiss. Not after the shared dreams. Not after everything.

  "What if what you said is true... about the limousine?" she suddenly asked, turning to Dahlia. "Are you sure you saw it?"

  Dahlia nodded without hesitation.

  "Yes. I... I hadn't made the connection before, but now it makes sense."

  Kali clenched her fists, a knot forming in her throat.

  "That means his parents are behind it. Again. They must have forced him. Locked him up. Or something worse. Damn it, Dahlia... this can't be happening again."

  "Kali... we'll find him. I know it," Dahlia said, not looking at her. "But there's something else. I saw that same man again."

  "The one who was watching us?"

  "Yes. Third time. I didn't imagine it. He's following us."

  They both stopped for a moment, exchanging a silent look of alert. Kali took a deep breath, trying to calm the prickling paranoia crawling under her ribs.

  "We need to be careful," she whispered.

  When they arrived at the university, Kali's hope was crushed instantly. Nicco wasn't there. Not in class. Not in the halls. Not anywhere.

  She quietly approached her Criminology professor.

  "Niccolo Rossi? Do you know anything about him?"

  "He withdrew from the program yesterday," he replied in a neutral tone. "Family matters, we were told."

  Her world collapsed. Confirmed. He had been forced. And now, he was trapped. Again in the shadows of his lineage. Again, far from her.

  ...

  Elsewhere

  Dahlia said goodbye to her professor with a slight nod and exited the classroom at a calm pace, though her mind was heavy with thoughts.

  As she turned into the hallway leading to the library entrance, she saw him. Tobias. Leaning against the wall, coffee in one hand, phone in the other. When he saw her, he looked up and his face lit up slightly.

  "Dahlia!" he called gently. "Are you okay?"

  She stopped, a bit surprised. She nodded slowly, but before he could say anything else, she added:

  "Yes. Sorry for not replying earlier. About Jake's funeral, I mean..."

  Tobias tilted his head, stepping a bit closer.

  "Don't worry. I just wanted to know if you were okay. I've been thinking about you."

  Dahlia looked down for a second. Eye contact with him still disarmed her.

  "I'm fine, really. Just... a lot at once. Later, if you want, we can meet up and talk properly."

  He smiled—that smile of his that always seemed to hide something more.

  "Sure. Anytime."

  They shared a brief glance. Short. But intense. Then she continued on her way. The conversation was brief, but enough to leave the air charged with something unspoken. Something unresolved.

  That was when Dahlia headed to the cafeteria to meet Kali...

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  ...

  They met in the cafeteria during break. The group was no longer whole. Just the two of them. As if the world had slowly pruned away the branches of their circle.

  Kali gripped her coffee cup between her hands.

  "He didn't leave. They made him. I'm sure of it. His parents... they've always been like that. Controlling everything. Deciding everything. I'm sure he's locked in that mansion, like when he was fifteen. No phone. No freedom."

  Dahlia nodded, but she seemed distant. Something was boiling beneath her skin. Something she hadn't said.

  "I have to get him out of there," Kali murmured. "But I can't do it alone."

  "You won't do it alone," Dahlia said firmly, suddenly.

  There was a pause. And then, as if the weight of the conversation opened an old wound, Dahlia confessed.

  "I... I use drugs sometimes. Not to escape. Or maybe I do. But there's something inside me I don't know how to quiet."

  Kali looked at her, surprised but not judging.

  "Who else knows?"

  "Just you and Tobias. And... I feel something strange for him. But I can't help thinking about Tom. That other life. That soulmate I didn't choose, but who screams from within. And the worst part is, I don't even know him, although Enrique told me a bit about him."

  Kali stayed quiet, taking her time. Then she spoke softly:

  "All this is complicated, but it'll work out. And what has to be, will be. Just follow your heart. I've been lucky to meet Nicco in this life, even if the world insists on tearing us apart."

  They smiled slightly. And for the first time in days, they both felt they weren't alone.

  "We're going to help him," said Dahlia.

  "And find Viki," added Kali.

  The bond between them grew stronger. The shadows were creeping in, but together... they weren't afraid.

  ...

  The walk back from the university felt longer than usual. The sky was starting to turn gray, as if Aarush sensed something was coming. Dahlia and Kali walked side by side, their backpacks hanging, the students' voices fading behind them.

  "Do you feel it?" murmured Dahlia, frowning.

  "The cold?" Kali replied, adjusting her jacket.

  "No. That—" she subtly pointed her chin across the street.

  Kali looked. There he was.

  The man.

  Standing in front of a closed-down magazine shop. Same long coat. Same face they couldn't quite make out. Fourth time. He always showed up. Always nearby. Always... too convenient to be a coincidence.

  They stayed silent for a few seconds. It wasn't paranoia anymore. It wasn't "just a feeling."

  "He's following us," Kali said in a low voice.

  "Yes. And this time we both saw him," Dahlia confirmed.

  Without another word, they quickened their pace. Turned a corner, then another. Slipped into a narrow alley that led to a park, then looped back toward their building. Only once they stood in front of their apartment door did they allow themselves to breathe.

  Inside, they dropped their bags and looked at each other without speaking.

  "This isn't normal," Kali said, exhaling. "This is getting really dark."

  "First Viki... and now this guy. We have to do something. Especially for Nicco."

  Kali nodded, pacing nervously.

  "We can't call or text him. I'm sure they've cut him off. His father controls everything. Socials, devices, even his friends. But I know someone who could help. Baxter. He works with security stuff. He's a jerk, but he knows how to break into places and find locations."

  "Are you sure you can trust him?"

  "No. But he might be useful. And if not, I'll find another way. We could try to get into the Rossi house at night. Or keep watch from outside. Or..."

  "Or leave him a hidden message. One only he would understand. Something to let him know he's not alone," Dahlia suggested.

  Kali stopped. Looked at her. Smiled.

  "You're brilliant. That's what I'll do."

  For a while, silence returned—but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that settles when there's a shared purpose. A mission. A tacit promise.

  Dahlia walked over to the balcony. She slowly opened the door, pulled a joint from her back pocket, and lit it. The flame flickered before smoke began to fill the cold air.

  Kali stood in the doorway, watching her.

  "My brother used to do drugs too," she said suddenly. "A lot. It was hard seeing him like that. But he got out. He was in a place, a center, not perfect, but..."

  She didn't finish. Because at that moment, Dahlia changed.

  Her face tightened. Her gaze turned to stone. Her body tensed as if every word from Kali had pierced her without permission. One of her fists clenched, knuckles white.

  "I don't want to," she said, harsher than she meant. "Not now."

  A tense silence fell. Kali blinked, surprised.

  Dahlia remained still, the joint trembling in her fingers.

  "I'm sorry," she murmured after a moment. "I didn't mean to speak like that. It's just... that topic, your brother... I can't. Not now."

  Kali narrowed her eyes. Something didn't add up. It wasn't just what Dahlia said. It was how she said it. That reaction...

  "Dahlia... do you know my brother?"

  Dahlia went still. Very still. She didn't answer right away. Didn't even look at her. Just exhaled the smoke very slowly. The question hung in the air, as dense as the smoke itself.

  "I don't know," she finally whispered. "Maybe."

  And then she turned to the horizon, as if the world out there held more answers than she did.

  At that moment, the doorbell rang. They tensed and peeked out—it was the landlord. Kali opened the door.

  "Good afternoon, girls. Just here to remind you that rent is due this month," said the landlord calmly.

  Dahlia stepped up to the door.

  "Yes, give me a moment," she said, heading to her room. She returned and handed him the rent money.

  The landlord nodded, took the money, and left.

  Kali looked at Dahlia while closing the door.

  "Shit, we should get jobs. I'm running out of savings," she said, rubbing her face.

  "You're right. Since we have to go shopping anyway, we'll look for job ads," Dahlia said calmly.