Rayhan's POV

Max’s hand moves swiftly, too swiftly, and the letter vanishes into his pocket.

My pulse spikes. That wasn’t a casual movement. That was a decision.

"Hey—what the hell are you doing?" My voice cuts through the air, sharper than I intended.

Max freezes for half a second—just half—but it’s enough. His usual carefree demeanor flickers, like a candle about to go out. Then he turns, flashing me his signature clueless grin, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

I see the tension in his jaw. The way his fingers press deeper into his pocket.

He’s holding onto something.

And then—Elias.

I catch the briefest glance between them. A split-second exchange, almost imperceptible. But I’ve spent my life dissecting moments like this, reading between the lines people think they’ve buried.

And what I see sends a chill crawling up my spine.

Max isn’t confused. He’s waiting.

Elias isn’t surprised. He expected this.

The realization settles in my chest like a stone.

Something is wrong.

I glance at Amina beside me. She’s tense, fingers clenching the book in her hands like it’s the only thing keeping her grounded. Her gaze flickers from Max to Elias, then back again.

And then, she asks the question that makes the air turn to ice.

"Elias... do you know something?"

Silence.

It stretches too long, suffocating.

Elias doesn’t react at first. He doesn’t deny it. Doesn’t rush to wave off her suspicions. He just stands there, calculating, weighing his words like a man balancing on the edge of a cliff.

My heartbeat drums against my ribs.

I glance at Max again. He’s still gripping his pocket, still pretending he hasn’t just done something monumental.

And then I realize something that sends my stomach twisting.

Max had already decided to take that letter before I even called him out.

He didn’t hesitate. Didn’t second-guess.

Because he knew exactly what he was doing.

I step forward, my voice lower now, controlled. "Max."

His eyes dart to me, wary.

"That letter… was it meant for you?"

A slow breath escapes him. Then, in a voice too casual, too smooth—"Yeah."

Liar.

Amina sucks in a breath beside me.

I glance at Elias again, watching, waiting for some kind of reaction. But his expression is unreadable, and that unsettles me more than anything.

Elias always reacts. Always has some cutting remark, some cynical observation.

But now? He’s quiet.

And silence from Elias is dangerous.

The store feels smaller. The walls seem to close in, the weight of the unknown pressing against us.

I want to ask more. Demand answers. Shake Max until his mask cracks.

But before I can—

The door chimes.

And we all freeze.

The atmosphere shifts instantly. The tension, the unsaid words, the quiet war brewing between us—it vanishes in an instant, buried under the weight of whoever just stepped inside.

I turn slowly, pulse thrumming.

And that’s when I see him.

Zach.

Standing just inside the doorway, his sharp eyes sweeping across the room, taking in every single detail in a single glance.

And the look on his face tells me one thing.

He already knows something we don’t.

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