"So… how do I go back now?I've got no money… I've got nothing, really..."
I chuckled as I searched my empty pockets,like I was playing a lottery I already knew I'd lost.
Nothing.Just the cold… the silence… and a sun slowly tilting past noon.
Then suddenly—
"Hey… it's been a while."
A voice.
Warm—like someone lit a heater behind my back while I was still out in the cold.
I raised my head, the sunlight hitting my face from behind.A man stood beside a black car…Lifting his cap slightly, revealing a smile I knew too well.
Half of his face was in shadow,but I didn't need to see the rest.
…Shihab.Yeah, it was him.
That cop… from the "stabbing case" days.That name I thought I'd already left behind.That person I never imagined I'd see again…
But now he was standing right here, in front of me,with the same old look in his eyes—the one that always seemed to say:"Everything's going to be fine, even if it's not."
I whispered, because I was shocked:
"You…? How did you… come here?"
Shihab smiled—That kind of smile that feels like a dim light in a dark hallway.
He gestured toward the black car with his thumb and spoke with quiet confidence:
"I have my ways.What do you say—need a ride?"
And just like that,it felt like my lungs expanded—as if I'd been breathing through a pinhole all day.
I didn't want to look too happy… not in front of him.
I said with a forced smile, my voice trying not to leak more gratitude than it should:
"Yeah… thanks."
Shihab nodded:
"Hop in the front."
I opened the front door and got in.
Sunlight filtered through the glass, warming my cheek—as if blessing this small moment of freedom.
The seats were soft, still smelled new.The engine purred gently,and the car began gliding over the wet asphalt—as though driving on memories.
I watched the world through the window…Everything felt distant from me—even my own body.
We exchanged small talk.Light conversations, but warm ones…The kind of words only two people who've survived something together can share—even if they never speak of it directly.
Then, with his deep voice, carrying the weight of experience,Shihab said:
**"That day…The crime scene…I got there before most.
Amidst the screaming and noise of police cars,I noticed a small boy standing in the shadows…Clutching a phone like it was life itself."**
His voice lowered,like he didn't want to wake something still asleep inside him:
**"I approached quietly…And spoke to him—not like a cop…But like a human being.
And when he opened the phone…There it was. The surprise.
Pictures. Messages. Recordings…Enough evidence to flip the entire story,To light a path in a darkness that had not even a speck of trust left in it.
But…"**
Shihab paused, then turned to look at me.There was something else in his eyes.Respect?Gratitude?Maybe both.
"…It wasn't just the phone that changed everything.It was you, too.Your role… won't be forgotten."
…
I closed my eyes.
I didn't know what to say.Maybe because… I wasn't ready to hear that.
We sat in silence,but I could feel Shihab watching me—That look that asks for an answer without saying a word.
I get what you mean, Shihab…But unless you spell it out, I won't speak.
He smiled faintly,his tone laced with quiet sarcasm:
"You… can't say the truth, can you?I mean, it's impossible your little brother was the one who brought the evidence.Were you planning this from the start?"
His voice was calm,but had that subtle sharpness—the tone good detectives use when the real questioning begins.
I don't know why…But I wasn't nervous.I didn't feel pressured.
If anything—It felt like…My confession didn't even matter.
I answered while looking straight into his eyes,expression firm, without a trace of hesitation:
"Yeah.You could say…I was planning this from the beginning."
Shihab nodded slowly,like someone hearing something they'd already suspected:
"Really?So you even hacked the surveillance cameras that recorded the assault?And you fought for the money…Meaning, in the end—you were fighting for yourself."
"Not exactly…But… yeah. Pretty close."
I said it coolly—Like it didn't matter anymore.
In truth… yes.That day, I didn't come home for food.My real goal was to find a Wi-Fi connection—so I could begin hacking the cameras.
But…
When did I even learn to code?When did I start understanding any of this?When did I begin laughing at stabbings?When did I start feeling excited while fighting?
I don't remember.I don't understand myself.
Please, brain—stop.Just shut up and let me listen to Shihab.
—"CAN YOU HEAR ME????????!!!"
He suddenly screamed in my ear.A scream that literally pierced my skull.
"AAGHH! I hear you, I hear you!"I yelped, pulling away and clutching my ear.
He sank back into his seat, eyes fixed ahead,like he could see his destination even in the dark.
"Like I told you… I grew to hate corruption.It's rooted itself everywhere—even the military.That… is truly dangerous.I want to wipe them out.Erase them."
His voice carried true anger—Not loud, foolish rage…But mature, grounded fury.
I asked calmly:
"Shihab, is that why you helped me back then?"
He turned toward me, eyes filled with mocking disbelief:
"Are you joking?! Were you even listening?!"
I looked straight ahead, trying to feign innocence:
"Oh… the truth? Yeah, I kind of heard you."I turned to him with a grin:"Okay, no—I didn't. Can you say it again?"
He shot me a murderous look.
"ABDUL-HAKIM!!!"
"Sorry, sorry! It's… it's the heat! Yeah, the heat's messing with me!"
Shihab sighed, his voice weary:
"What a pathetic excuse…Anyway, yes.It was because of the corruption that I helped you.And oh—your house isn't far now."
I nodded slowly:
"Yeah…And also…Before we get there—Thank you, Shihab.Really… thank you."
The words came out more sincere than I expected.Shihab gave a relaxed smile:
"I should be thanking you.Let's keep in touch."
"Of course—take my number."
Shihab, dryly:
"Type it yourself… I'm driving."
I sighed, accepting it.Wouldn't make sense for a cop to get fined for using his phone…
Even if… there was no one here.We were in a neighborhood that looked like a ripped-out piece of ancient Rome—without the civilization part.
The houses were built on small hills,as if they'd been placed atop old ruins.The road leading up twisted and climbed like a car ride toward the sky.
Some homes looked like VIP subscriptions to a luxury housing club…Ours, however, was the exception.
A single-story house—with pale walls, cracks in the corners, mismatched windows,and a roof that looked like it was never quite finished.Not abandoned.But not quite alive either.
It felt like someone had started building it…Then left,on a promise they never came back to fulfill.
Or at least… that's how I remembered it.
"We're here," Shihab said.
The car slowed to a stop in front of my old house.Or… what I thought was my house.
I slowly raised my head toward the façade.My eyes locked onto it.
There was a second floor now…A new addition gleaming under the sharp noon sun,its clean white walls casting crisp, bold shadows.
The ground floor—That old half-functioning lung of a home—Had turned into a real house.
Complete.Balanced.As if life had finally moved back into its corners after a long absence.
How long has it been?What… am I even looking at?
I'm sure of it.We used to live in an unfinished home.A home that took us in… despite everything.
But now?It's beautiful.Comfortable.Whole.
And yet, inside me…Something burned.A soft sting—Like a silent fire that didn't scream.
Joy? Yes.I felt happy…That my family lived in a better place.
But…
Isn't this money… mine?
I'm sure of it.I won the case.A full billion.
But damn being fifteen years old…My money was handed over to family management.My money.
And this new house?I own nothing - except my name in the family.
I stood there silently for a moment,watching my "new home"like someone watching a movie whose ending they didn't know.
The hot summer air blew past me,carrying the scent of dust, rock, and sand.
The ground was unpaved—like the whole neighborhood was screaming:"This place isn't done yet."
A cursed place…Unlike anywhere else.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
A soft breeze broke through the heat,My hair is fluttering at the front.
I opened my eyes again.
In my chest…a mix of longing and loss.
I muttered, barely audible:
"Shihab… I want to stay in the car."
But his voice came firm,without hesitation:
"Get out. Now."
I stepped out.
Standing in front of the car,I looked at him and smiled:
"Don't die on your journey.You still have a mission…Even if it won't come true."
He rais
"Alright, alright… we'll see."
Then—with completely unnecessary rudeness—he suddenly revved the car and sped off.
Result?
My face filled with dust.
I stepped back, wiping sand from my eyes, shouting angrily:
"You bastard, Shihab! DIE!!"
I sighed.And looked back at the house.
This is it…
I stared at it for a long time,as if trying to understand something.
I murmured:
"Yeah… it's been a long climb."
Then smiled.A small, final smile.One of acceptance.
In the end,Seeing your family happy—That's all that really matters.
But…
We never agreed on this heat!!
I chuckled softly.Living out my own comedy,like a lunatic whispering to himself in the middle of the street.
But just like always…
Just when you think life is finally settling down—
Something happens.
Something unexpected.
Something that ruins everything.
Everything you've built…
Falls apart.Suddenly.Without warning.