CHAPTER 23: SINS

A Day Without Him

For the first time in months, Alexander Bluestone was absent.

No case files scattered across the desk. No sound of his pocket watch ticking. No piercing gaze analyzing every detail of the world around him.

He had taken the day off.

And yet, his presence still loomed over them.

Inside the detective office, Madison, Darmian, and Rose sat in silence. The usual tension between them had faded, replaced by something heavier. Something unspoken.

Finally, Darmian exhaled. "We should talk."

Madison raised a brow. "About?"

Darmian leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "About him."

Rose stiffened. "Alex?"

Darmian nodded. "And about us."

The room fell quiet again.

Then, slowly, Madison spoke first.

Madison's Past – The Unyielding Blade

She tapped her fingers against the table, her eyes distant. "I used to be a soldier."

Rose blinked in surprise. Darmian, however, nodded—he had suspected as much.

"I was stationed in the Middle East," Madison continued. "Saw things I wish I hadn't. But that's not what broke me."

She hesitated, as if weighing whether to continue.

Then, with a sigh, she did.

"I had a squad. Five of us. Trained together, lived together. Family." Her grip tightened. "Then one day… an informant told us about a hidden insurgent base. We moved in, expecting resistance."

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"There was none. Just… an empty building."

Rose's eyes widened. "A setup?"

Madison nodded. "An ambush. They were waiting for us. They killed my squad one by one."

Darmian's jaw clenched.

"I survived because I was the only one paranoid enough to wear extra armor," she said bitterly. "I dragged myself out, half-dead. That was the day I realized something."

She looked at both of them.

"There's no such thing as fairness. No such thing as justice. The only thing that matters is survival."

Darmian stayed quiet. Rose lowered her head.

Madison scoffed. "That's why I follow Alex."

Rose frowned. "What?"

Madison leaned forward, her gaze sharp. "Because he understands. He doesn't live in illusions like most people. He knows that if you want to survive, you have to be the one who pulls the trigger first."

Silence.

Then, Darmian sighed. "I see."

Rose, however, looked away. She wasn't sure she agreed.

Darmian's Past – The Scarred Strategist

Madison glanced at him. "What about you?"

Darmian hesitated, then sighed. "I was an undercover agent."

Rose and Madison listened as he continued.

"My job was infiltration. I played different identities, blended in with criminals, assassins, drug lords. But the worst part wasn't the missions."

His voice darkened.

"It was coming back."

Rose tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Darmian's fingers curled slightly. "When you live a lie for so long, you stop knowing who you really are."

Madison's expression softened slightly.

"I betrayed people who trusted me. Had to let good men die to maintain my cover." His voice was hollow. "I told myself it was for the greater good. But in the end… it never felt right."

A bitter chuckle escaped him. "I left the agency, hoping to escape it. But then I met Alex."

Madison smirked. "Let me guess. He read you like an open book?"

Darmian sighed. "The moment we met."

Rose frowned. "Then why follow him?"

Darmian looked her straight in the eyes.

"Because Alex is the first person I've met who never pretends. He's brutal, yes. Ruthless, terrifying, manipulative. But he never lies about it. He is what he is."

His voice was resolute. "And I respect that."

Rose's Past – The Broken Flower

Madison turned to Rose. "And you?"

Rose hesitated. Her past was not something she wanted to revisit.

But after hearing theirs, it felt unfair to stay silent.

She exhaled shakily. "I was raised in hell."

Neither Madison nor Darmian spoke. They waited.

"My parents were cruel," Rose admitted. "Not just strict. Monsters. They used me as a tool, a pawn. I was controlled, manipulated, punished for even the smallest mistakes."

Her voice trembled slightly. "By the time I turned nineteen, I wasn't even human anymore. Just… an empty shell, broken beyond repair."

A bitter smile touched her lips. "Then I ran. Became an assassin. Not because I wanted to… but because I didn't know how to be anything else."

Silence filled the room.

Then, Madison surprised her.

She placed a hand on Rose's shoulder.

"You're stronger than you think," she said simply.

Rose looked at her, startled.

Darmian gave her a small nod. "And you're more than your past."

For the first time in a long time… Rose felt warmth in her chest.

But then—her expression darkened.

"Even so," she muttered, "Alex scares me."

Alex's Past – The Sin He Admitted

Darmian and Madison exchanged glances.

Rose continued, "He's unreadable. I've seen killers, manipulators, even psychopaths. But Alex?" She shuddered. "He's something else."

Madison smirked. "That's why he's interesting."

Rose shook her head. "You don't get it. Every human has cracks. Fears. Weaknesses. But Alex…" She clenched her hands. "He doesn't."

Darmian leaned forward. "Then let's ask the question."

Madison raised a brow.

Darmian's eyes gleamed. "What do we really know about his past?"

The room fell into a deep silence.

Madison and Rose exchanged uneasy glances.

Darmian leaned back. "Exactly."

Then, Rose took a shaky breath. "…He told me something."

The two turned toward her.

She hesitated. Then, quietly, she whispered, "He killed his own parents."

The words hung in the air like a storm cloud.

Darmian and Madison's expressions shifted—not in shock, but in realization.

It made sense.

It explained everything.

"He didn't say much," Rose admitted. "Just that he did it when he was young. That he didn't feel anything."

Madison exhaled. "Jesus."

Darmian leaned back, thoughtful.

Rose's voice trembled slightly. "What kind of person… does that?"

Darmian was the one who answered.

"…Someone who doesn't have a past," he murmured. "Just a beginning."

The three of them sat in silence.

For the first time, they truly understood.

They weren't following a man.

They were following a force of nature.

And there was no stopping him now.