The sound outside was barely more than a soft crack, but it was enough to freeze the blood in Lila’s veins. Her eyes darted to Rafael, who stood tense at the window, his shoulders tight like a predator surveying its surroundings.
"Someone's out there," he whispered.
Lila’s heart pounded. The eerie atmosphere of the abandoned villa, which had just been filled with old memories, suddenly felt suffocating and dangerous.
"What do we do now?" she whispered.
Rafael turned to her, his gaze firm.
"We need to get out. Quietly."
She nodded, every nerve in her body on edge. In the silence, she heard the soft crunch of gravel—someone was moving carefully around the house.
Someone who knew they were here.
***
Rafael pointed to a door at the back of the house, half-hidden behind old wooden beams. He pushed it open slowly, the hinges creaking softly. The garden outside was cloaked in twilight, the thick underbrush offering them cover.
"Quick," he murmured, guiding Lila outside.
They crouched low, moving through the tall grass. Behind them, the floorboards on the porch groaned.
Lila didn’t dare look back. Every nerve in her body was stretched taut, her breathing shallow.
Then she heard it.
A voice.
Deep. Foreign. Too close.
"I know you're here."
Lila held her breath. The words disappeared into the night, but they echoed in her mind like a warning.
Rafael grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. They reached the dense tree line at the edge of the property and ducked into the shadows of the old olive trees.
And that’s when Lila saw him.
A man stood in front of the villa. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a hard face and an unsettling calm.
In his hand, something glinted in the darkness.
A gun.
Her stomach twisted.
Rafael whispered, "We need to lose him."
***
They ran.
Lila felt the cold wind bite at her skin, her legs growing heavier with every step, but she forced herself to keep going.
Then, behind them—a sudden noise.
Footsteps. Faster. Closer.
The man had spotted them.
"Faster!" Rafael urged, gripping her wrist tightly as they wove through the thick vegetation.
Branches whipped against Lila’s face, her lungs burned, and adrenaline roared through her veins.
Then—
A gunshot.
The sound ripped through the night, sending birds flapping from the treetops.
Lila stumbled, nearly falling, but Rafael caught her.
"Are you okay?" His voice was rough with tension.
"Yes," she gasped.
They couldn’t stop. Not now.
***
The forest thinned, and Lila spotted the distant lights of the village. The narrow, winding streets were their only chance to disappear.
Rafael pulled her into a narrow alleyway, where they collapsed against the stone wall, panting.
Lila tried to calm her racing heart.
"Who was that?" she asked between breaths.
Rafael shook his head. His dark eyes were filled with tension.
"I don’t know. But I’d bet he has something to do with my sister."
His hands clenched into fists.
"Which means we’re closer to the truth than they want us to be."
Lila swallowed hard.
For the first time, she truly understood—this wasn’t just about lost memories.
This was life and death.
