The Last Letter

Tricia flexed her sore wrists, her mind spinning with everything Lana had revealed. Her real mother. A stolen past. A hidden war she had unknowingly been a part of.

She wasn't ready to trust Lana. But she was done trusting Daniel.

As he put the knife away, she took a slow step back, her gaze flicking toward the only door in the dimly lit room. If she ran now, could she make it out?

Lana seemed to sense her thoughts. "You can try to run, Tricia," she said calmly. "But they will always find you."

Tricia clenched her fists. "And who exactly are 'they'?"

Lana's expression hardened. "The same people who killed Maya. The same ones who took you from me. And the same ones who will come for you the moment you leave this room."

A cold shiver crawled down Tricia's spine.

Lana wasn't just talking about Carter. There was someone bigger behind all of this. Someone who had been pulling the strings from the shadows.

Tricia needed time to think. She needed space to breathe.

But there was none.

Lana reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, sealed envelope. "Before Maya died, she wrote you one final letter," she said, placing it on the table between them. "She knew this day would come."

Tricia stared at the envelope as if it might burn her.

Maya's last words.

With shaking fingers, she picked it up and tore it open.

The letter was written in Maya's familiar, neat handwriting.

" Tricia,

If you're reading this, then I didn't make it. And that means you've found the truth.

I wish I could be there to help you through it. To remind you that no matter what they say, you are stronger than them. Stronger than this.

But I need you to understand something. The truth isn't enough. It never was.

If you want to survive, you need to make a choice.

Stay and fight. Or run and disappear forever.

No matter what you decide, I believe in you.

Do not let them decide for you."

—Maya

Tricia's breath hitched.

Maya knew. She had always known.

This wasn't just about uncovering secrets. It was about who controlled them.

Slowly, Tricia folded the letter and tucked it into her jacket.

She looked up at Lana, her expression unreadable. "I need a pen and paper."

Lana raised an eyebrow but gestured toward the desk in the corner. "Help yourself."

Tricia walked over, picked up a blank sheet of paper, and sat down. Her hands trembled as she gripped the pen.

And then, she began to write.

Tricia's Last Letter

"To whoever finds this,

By the time you read this, I will have made my choice.

I spent my entire life believing I was just an ordinary girl. That my past was exactly what I was told it was. But I was wrong.

Everything I knew was a lie. Every memory, every relationship, manipulated, twisted into something else.

I was never meant to be just Tricia. I was meant to be someone else. Someone powerful. Someone dangerous.

And now, I have to decide whether to embrace that or destroy it.

Maya once told me that the truth isn't enough. She was right.

If I stay, I will become part of something I don't fully understand. A war that started long before I was born.

If I run, I will never stop looking over my shoulder.

There is no right answer. No easy way out. But I won't let them choose for me.

This is my fate. And whatever happens next,

I accept it."

—Tricia

She put the pen down, her chest rising and falling with steady breaths.

Then, she folded the letter and placed it back on the desk.

Lana watched her carefully. "So?"

Tricia stood, meeting her mother's gaze.

"I'm done running," she said.

And with those words, she sealed her fate.

A Final Goodbye

Tricia's words hung in the air like an unspoken challenge.

"I'm done running."

Lana studied her, an almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Good," she murmured. "Then let's end this."

Tricia wasn't naïve. She knew there was no easy way out of this. No happy ending where she uncovered the truth, exposed the villains, and walked away unscathed.

This war had been set in motion long before she was born, and now, she was the weapon everyone wanted to control.

But Maya's words echoed in her mind,"Do not let them decide for you."

Tricia clenched her fists. For once, she would decide for herself.

Daniel shifted beside her, tension rolling off him in waves. "We need to move. Carter's men won't wait forever."

Lana's gaze didn't waver. "I have my own men. We'll strike first."

Something about her certainty unsettled Tricia. "And then what?" she asked. "You take control? Become the same monster you claim to be fighting against?"

Lana sighed. "I don't expect you to understand yet,"

"I understand perfectly," Tricia cut in. "You don't want justice. You want revenge."

Lana's jaw tightened. "I want balance. These people stole you from me, erased your identity, and turned you into a pawn. They will do the same to others if we don't stop them."

Tricia shook her head. "No. You're just playing the same game they are. And I won't be your excuse to keep it going."

For the first time, Lana's expression flickered, just for a second. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the vulnerability was gone.

"You sound like your father," she said quietly.

Tricia froze.

"My… father?"

Lana nodded. "He was the only thing that kept me from going too far. He wanted to walk away from all of this, take you somewhere safe. That's why they killed him."

Tricia's breath hitched. Killed.

Her entire life, she had believed her father died in an accident. Another lie.

A storm of emotions swirled inside her, rage, grief, confusion.

But she didn't have time to process it.

Because in that moment, the door burst open.

Gunfire erupted.

Daniel shoved Tricia to the ground as bullets tore through the air.

Lana's men fired back. The room turning into a war zone.

Tricia's inner-voice screamed "run", but she didn't. Not this time.

She scrambled to her feet, yanking a gun from one of Lana's fallen men. She had never been a killer, but survival didn't leave room for hesitation.

A shadow moved toward her, Carter.

His gun already aimed at her head.

Tricia didn't think, she pulled the trigger.

The shot rang out, Carter staggered back, clutching his shoulder. Blood steeped through his suit, but he didn't go down.

He grinned. "You're finally learning."

Before she could react, another gunshot exploded from behind her.

Tricia spun around, Lana.

She stood motionless, gun raised, her face unreadable.

Carter blinked, looked down at his chest. A dark stain spread across his chest. His smirk faded.

Then he collapsed.

Silence filled the room. The gunfire had stopped.

Carter's men were either dead or retreating.

Lana lowered her weapon.

Tricia's heart raced "You.... killed him."

Lana exhaled "Yeah. No loose ends."

But something wasn't right.

Daniel was gripping his side, blood steeping between his finger. He had been hit.

Tricia rushed to him, pressed a hand against the wound.

"Stay with me."

Daniel groaned but managed a weak smirk. "You know.... for someone who hated me am hour ago, you sure look worried."

She let out a choked laugh. "Shut up."

Lana watched them, her expression unreadable.

"We need to leave before reinforcements come."

Tricia looked at her.

Lana had just saved her. But was it because she cared? Or because she needed her alive for what ever mission she had in mind?

And then she made her decision.

She stood up, gun still in hand. "I'm not going with you."

Lana's eyes darkened. "Tricia..."

"No." She said firmly. "I've spent my whole life been used. By my parents, by Carter, by Daniel, by you.I won't be a part of this anymore."

Lana was silent for a long moment. Then she nodded.

"Very well, then." She said.

Then without warning, she lifted her gun.

Tricia barely had time to react. The shot rang out.

But it wasn't aimed at her.

It was aimed at Daniel.

Tricia screamed as he crumbled to the floor. Blood pooling beneath him.

She dropped to her knees, pressing against the wound. "Daniel, stay with me!"

His breaths were shallow. "T-Tricia..."

She looked up at Lana. Fury and heartbreak colliding in her chest. "Why?"

Lana's expression was cold. "Because he would've held you back."

Tricia was red.

She raised the gun, but Lana was already walking away.

"No," Tricia growled. "You don't get to walk away from this!"

Lana paused at the door. "You asked if I was a monster," she said softly. "Now you have your answer."

Then she was gone.

Tricia turned back to Daniel, her hands shaking. "Hold on, just... just hold on."

But deep down, she knew.

This was it.

His grip on her hand weakened.

"Guess, this is goodbye," He rasped.

Tears blurred her vision. "No, you don't get to say that."

He smiled, soft, sad. "You were always the strongest one."

And then.....

His hands went still.

Her world shattered.

She let out a sob, pressing her forehead against his. "I'm so.... sorry."

For trusting the wrong people.

For not seeing the truth sooner.

For not saving him.

She sat there, surrounded by death and broken promises.

And in that moment, she knew this wasn't over.

Lana had walked away.

But Tricia wasn't done yet.

No.

This wasn't a goodbye.

It was just the beginning.