The night had fallen, but Franco couldn't close his eyes. His mind was preoccupied in an unprecedented way. Despite the quiet of the night, there was something unusual in the air, as if a secret that had been hidden in the shadows had been revealed. He looked out his window at the city that was immersed in deep darkness, while his heart was beating strongly.
"Am I really the one who kills criminals?" he asked himself, and the answer in his mind was unclear, shrouded in mystery.
The day before, Franco had discovered something he would never forget. Marco, his co-worker, was not who he thought he was. Despite the trust he had placed in him, doubts began to creep into his heart. Was Marco the one who sent the coded messages indicating the criminals' whereabouts? Was he pulling the strings of the game behind the scenes?
Franco felt confused at that moment. He didn't think Marco was capable of betrayal. In his mind, Marco was the loyal companion, the one he could count on. But now? Now everything was questionable.
He went back to that night when they had met at their workplace, where they had talked about many things. But in those fleeting moments, Marco had smiled strangely, as if he was hiding something.
"What if he was the one killing the criminals, not me?" Franco wondered as he barely fainted, contemplating the possibility that the betrayal came from the closest people.
His gaze wandered around the room, where the rare street lamps illuminated the simple furniture that surrounded him. But suddenly, he felt something touch his heart, as if the voice in his mind became clearer. Maybe Marco was the one hiding in the dark, planning everything behind his back.
He walked to his desk and grabbed the file that contained all the details about the recent cases, the criminals who had been caught, and those who had disappeared from the records of justice. Everything was in harmony in his mind, but the answer was still unclear.
At that moment, Franco decided to confront Marco.
But he knew that confrontation would not be easy. Betrayal does not always come in the form of words, but can be in strange actions or suspicious smiles. However, his heart was beating fast because he knew that the truth might be closer than he imagined.
As Franco reviewed the files on his desk, the image of Marco crept into his mind again. That suspicious smile, that calm that he showed in critical times. Everything became suspicious, and the shadows that surrounded them together began to thicken in his mind.
At that moment, he decided to confront him. He could no longer live in a world full of doubts. He had to know the truth, whatever it was. He thought of the best way to approach him without arousing his suspicions, he did not want to appear as a suspected investigator.
The next morning, Marco entered the office as usual. He was carrying a large file under his arm, his face showing no emotion. This was the perfect moment, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He had to act carefully.
"Marco, would you like to take a break?" Franco said in a calm voice, trying to appear as normal as possible.
Marco looked at him with slight surprise, then smiled, as if he didn't notice anything strange. "Of course, Franco. Let's go out for a bit. It gets stuffy in here sometimes."
The two of them went out to the café near the office, where they sat in a corner out of sight. Franco began his conversation indirectly, avoiding the topic that was occupying his mind. "How were things at work? Any updates?"
Marco smiled again, but this time the smile was more intense. "As usual, Franco. Nothing new under the sun."
Franco took a deep breath, then decided to ask the question that had been bothering him for the past few days. "Marco… Have you ever felt that someone around us might be hiding something? Something important?"
It was at that moment, and the longer he waited for an answer, the faster his heart beat. But Marco merely smiled, and then answered unexpectedly. "We all hide things, Franco. But what matters is what we do with them."
That answer wasn't enough. It was clear that Marco knew more than he showed, and that he was cleverly circumventing the truth.
"Do you mean that there is something hidden between us?" Franco asked, trying to sound challenging in his question.
But Marco turned his head to the side, as if he were thinking about something far away. "Sometimes, people don't have much choice, do they?" he said, then looked into Franco's eyes, as if reading his mind.
This hint came as a shock to Franco. Marco was hinting at something much bigger than he had expected. Now everything was clear, but he needed proof.
As Franco looked at Marco, his heart began to beat faster, his eyes widening little by little. Was this the moment when the betrayal would be revealed?