Amelia's heart pounded as she stared at Michael, her brother, standing in the doorway. His expression was cold, unreadable, and for a moment, it felt like the air had been sucked out of the room. She couldn't believe her eyes. After everything that had happened, after all the secrets and lies, there he was, standing in front of her as if nothing had changed.
"Michael?" Amelia whispered, the shock in her voice undeniable. She wanted to believe it was just a misunderstanding, that this was someone else someone who looked like him but deep down, she knew it was him. Her brother.
Lucas stepped forward, his hand gripping Amelia's arm tightly, his gaze never leaving Michael. He, too, was wary, his instincts telling him that something wasn't right. "What's going on here?" he demanded, his voice firm but laced with concern. "Why are you with them?"
Michael didn't respond right away. Instead, he looked at the ground for a brief moment, his eyes avoiding theirs. Then, without warning, he raised his head, his gaze locking with Amelia's. The coldness in his eyes sent a chill down her spine.
"I'm sorry, Amelia," Michael said, his voice low, almost apologetic. "But I had no choice. You don't understand the situation."
Amelia felt a wave of confusion wash over her. No choice? What did he mean by that?
"Had no choice?" Lucas repeated, his tone hard. "You've been working with them all this time? After everything we've been through, after everything you've seen, you're still going to side with them?"
Michael's jaw clenched, and for a moment, he seemed to struggle with his words. "I didn't want to," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But they have my family. They have my daughter."
Amelia's breath caught in her throat. Her mind raced, trying to process what Michael had just said. His daughter? She had no idea Michael had a daughter. Was this some sort of bargaining chip? But then, a horrifying thought hit her if Michael was involved with these people because of his family, what did that mean for her and Lucas?
"Your daughter?" Lucas's voice was tight with disbelief. "Are you telling me that you've been working with them because of your kid? You're betraying us for that?"
Michael's eyes flickered with a flash of guilt, but it quickly vanished. "I didn't have a choice," he repeated, his voice shaking now. "They threatened her. If I didn't help them, they would…" He trailed off, his eyes darting nervously as if he couldn't bear to finish the sentence.
The silence that followed was deafening. Amelia couldn't believe it. Her own brother, the person she had trusted most in the world, had been hiding something this important from her. He had been working with the people who were after them all along. How long had this been going on?
"But you could have come to us," Amelia said, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt. "We could've helped you. You didn't have to do this alone."
Michael shook his head, his face hardening once more. "You don't get it, Amelia. These people don't play by the rules. They take what they want, and if you stand in their way…" He didn't need to finish the sentence. They all knew what would happen.
Lucas stepped forward, his jaw clenched in fury. "So, you think betraying us is the solution? You think working with them will get your daughter back? You're wrong, Michael. They'll never let her go. You've made a huge mistake."
Amelia couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes. How could he do this? She had always believed her family was a unit, bound together by love and loyalty. To see her brother standing here, having made a choice that had broken everything, felt like the ultimate betrayal. The man she had grown up with, the one person she thought would always protect her, had turned against her.
"I'm sorry," Michael said again, this time his voice cracking with emotion. "I never wanted to hurt you, but I had to protect her. You wouldn't understand unless you were in my shoes."
Before anyone could respond, the door to the safehouse slammed open. The man who had been standing guard at the entrance burst into the room, a look of panic on his face.
"They're coming," he said urgently. "We need to leave, now. It's not safe here anymore."
Amelia's heart raced. Who was coming? She turned to Michael, but he only gave her a brief, apologetic glance before nodding. "I didn't want it to go this way, but now we're all in danger. If we stay here, we're all going to die."
Lucas's face twisted in disbelief. "You've already put us in danger, Michael! Do you honestly think we can just walk away from this now?"
But Michael didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed Amelia's arm and began pulling her towards the door, his grip tight, his urgency palpable. "There's no time. We have to go. I'll explain everything later, I promise. But right now, you have to trust me."
Amelia felt the weight of the situation sink in. She didn't want to trust him. She didn't know if she could. But one thing was certain she couldn't stay here. Not with the threat closing in on them. They had to move.
"Come on," Michael urged, pulling her toward the back exit. "We need to get out of here."
As they moved quickly through the house, Amelia's mind raced. What had her brother really been involved in? What kind of people was he dealing with? And what would happen to her family now that they were caught in the crossfire?
They reached the back door and stepped into the alley behind the house, but before they could make it further, there was a sudden sound footsteps, heavy and hurried coming closer.
Michael froze, looking around nervously. "They're here," he said, his voice grim. "I couldn't get them all. They're coming for you now."
Amelia's breath caught in her throat. She felt the walls closing in on her. Who could she trust now?
Then, as the sound of footsteps grew louder, she heard something that made her heart stop. A voice, familiar and chilling, echoed from the alley behind them.
"You thought you could escape, didn't you?"
Amelia spun around, her blood running cold. There, emerging from the shadows, stood the figure she had least expected to see. The person who had been pulling the strings all along, the one who had orchestrated every move, every trap.
Her eyes widened in shock. It was Robert the man she had once trusted, the one who had betrayed them all.
What was he doing here? And why had he waited so long to reveal himself? Was this the ultimate betrayal?