Naira froze in place.
That voice...
Impossible.
Fifteen years ago, the man had reportedly died in the house fire.
And yet now...
he was standing right in front of her.
His silhouette slowly emerged from the darkness.
Naira took a step back.
"No..."
The man gave her a faint smile.
"You've grown up, Naira."
His voice became clearer.
His face began to emerge beneath the lamplight.
Naira stared at him, her eyes glistening with tears.
"Uncle..."
The man was Darren.
The man Naira's family had believed had died in the fire fifteen years ago.
"But... how?"
Darren walked closer.
"There were a lot of things deliberately arranged to make you believe I was dead."
Naira couldn't speak.
"Why?"
Darren looked at the photographs covering the walls.
"Because that night wasn't an accident."
Naira felt her body go weak.
"What do you mean?"
Darren didn't answer right away.
He picked up a photograph from the table.
A photograph of Naira and Arsen when they were children.
"It all started with the relationship between your two families."
"I don't understand."
"You're not supposed to."
Darren looked at her.
"That's why your memories were made to seem as though they were gone."
Naira flinched.
"What?"
Before Darren could explain any further...
Crash!
The front door of the house flew open.
Someone rushed inside, breathing heavily.
"Naira!"
Naira turned around.
Arsen.
His face was covered in small cuts. His shirt was rumpled, but his eyes immediately searched for Naira.
The moment he saw her standing with Darren, Arsen's expression changed.
"Darren..."
Darren smiled.
"Long time no see, Arsen."
Naira looked back and forth between them.
"You two know each other?"
Arsen walked toward Naira.
"Don't get any closer to him."
Darren gave a quiet laugh.
"Still protecting her, I see."
Arsen stood in front of Naira.
"He has nothing to do with this."
"He's the reason it all happened."
Naira looked at Arsen.
"What do you mean?"
Arsen said nothing.
Naira was beginning to lose patience.
"You all know something about my life!"
Her voice trembled.
"Why won't any of you tell me the truth?"
Darren looked at Arsen.
"Tell her."
Arsen clenched his fists.
"Tell Naira who really started the fire."
Arsen fell silent.
Naira stared at him.
"Arsen..."
He closed his eyes.
Then he said quietly,
"The person who set this house on fire..."
He opened his eyes.
"...was your father."
Naira seemed to lose her breath.
"My father?"
Darren shook his head.
"Don't believe him."
Naira stared at Arsen as tears began to pool in her eyes.
"You're lying?"
Arsen immediately moved closer.
"Naira, listen to me."
"Answer me!"
Arsen couldn't speak.
And his silence felt like an answer.
Naira stepped back.
Her tears fell.
"I trusted you..."
Arsen looked at her remorsefully.
"I never meant to lie to you."
"But you did it anyway."
"Naira—"
"I want to go home."
She turned around.
But Darren suddenly said,
"If you leave this house right now, you'll never find out who your mother really was."
Naira stopped in her tracks.
She slowly turned around.
"What?"
Darren took an old envelope from behind the cabinet.
"This belonged to your mother."
Naira stared at the envelope.
"My mother is dead."
Darren shook his head.
"What you've known all this time..."
He handed her the envelope.
"...isn't the whole truth."
Naira's hands trembled as she accepted the envelope.
Her name was written on the front.
For Naira, if Arsen ever comes back.
Naira looked at Arsen.
He looked pale.
"Don't open that letter."
Naira fell silent.
"Why?"
Arsen looked at her, his eyes filled with fear.
"Because after you read it..."
He drew a long breath.
"...you may never want to forgive me."
Naira gripped the envelope even tighter.
For the first time, she realized...
maybe for the past fifteen years, her life had been built on lies.
And that night...
she was going to open those lies one by one.
TO BE CONTINUED...