Chapter 9: In Chains, In Silence
"He was trained to never feel. But now, his heart won't stop breaking."
The cell was cold.
Not just cold in temperature — it was the kind of cold that seeps into the bones, a cold that wraps around the soul and squeezes until you can't breathe.
Aiden sat in silence, his back against the wall. His wrists were still chained together, the metal cuffs biting into the skin beneath his sleeves. His knuckles were bruised. His shirt was torn. His lip still bled from the scuffle.
But none of that mattered.
He didn't feel the pain in his body anymore.
All he felt was her words, playing over and over again like a cruel melody in his mind.
"I thought you were different…"
"You're worse."
"You're a killer."
Each word sliced deeper than the last.
He had killed. So many times. Without blinking.
But this… this was the first time he felt like someone had truly ended him.
He didn't cry. He couldn't.
He was raised in shadows.
He was taught never to feel.
But this time — he felt everything.
Meanwhile… In the Quiet of Elena's Room
Elena sat curled on the edge of her bed, knees pulled to her chest. The air in her room felt heavy, like it hadn't been breathed in properly since he left.
Since she had him taken away.
Her hands trembled as she stared at her phone screen — the call log still showing the police emergency number.
She remembered his face — his eyes.
They weren't cold like she expected.
They were… scared. Not for himself, but for her.
"If I don't do it, someone worse will. He's coming."
Why did those words suddenly feel more real now?
Why did she feel like she had made a mistake?
Elena stood, her bare feet quiet on the wooden floor as she walked to her desk. She was about to open her drawer when she noticed something tucked under a book.
It was a crumpled piece of paper — torn, as if someone didn't want it to be found.
She picked it up slowly, unfolding it with trembling fingers.
His handwriting. Sharp. Uneven.
"Don't trust anyone after me.
Someone worse is coming.
I wanted to protect you… even if it cost me everything."
Her eyes stung.
She sank to her knees.
"Why did you wait until the last moment, Aiden?" she whispered.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner…?"
Her hands clutched the letter against her chest, and for the first time since that night, her tears didn't fall from fear or betrayal.
They fell from confusion.
From guilt.
And from a strange, unbearable ache in her chest she couldn't name yet.
Back at the Station
Aiden sat with his head bowed, staring at the floor.
His mind raced.
Not with regret for the mission… but for how it ended.
"She'll never forgive me."
He didn't blame her. He had no right to.
He was a killer.
But for the first time in his life, he didn't want to be one anymore.
He wanted to be someone she could've trusted.
Someone who could've walked beside her.
Someone… who could've deserved her smile.
But it was too late.
Footsteps echoed down the corridor.
A tired officer stepped into the holding area, flashing a small light toward the bars.
"You awake?" he asked.
Aiden didn't move.
"The girl you tried to warn… said she didn't know what to believe.
But she vouched for you. Confused, shaken… but not angry anymore."
Aiden finally looked up.
"Is she okay?"
The officer blinked, surprised.
That was the first thing he asked?
"Someone broke into her house.
The guards fought him off — barely. One's in the hospital.
She's safe… for now."
Aiden stood immediately, hands clenching.
His instincts fired.
"He's already here."
The new assassin.
"I'm running out of time."
He stepped back into the shadows of the cell, eyes darting over the bolts, the hinges, the cracks in the wall.
He wasn't thinking about escape anymore.
He was thinking about her.
He knew the assassin would finish the job — not out of hatred, but because that's what perfect assassins do.
And she was alone now.
"Please… just let me reach her in time."
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End of Chapter 9
To be continued…