The night hadn't moved.
It felt frozen.
Heavy.
Like the air itself knew something was about to break.
"Stop following me, Alex," Riyana said, her voice strained but firm as she quickened her pace across the dimly lit parking lot.
"I'm not done talking to you," he shot back, closing the distance between them.
"I am."
She turned sharply, anger flashing in her eyes. "I said what I needed to say."
But Alex wasn't listening anymore.
Something in him had already crossed a line.
"You don't just walk away like this," he said, grabbing her arm again—this time tighter.
"Let go," she snapped, trying to pull free.
"No."
That one word carried something dangerous.
Riyana's heartbeat spiked.
"Alex, you're hurting me."
"I just want you to listen!"
"I did! And I'm done!"
She struggled again, but his grip only tightened. His frustration had twisted into something reckless—something she didn't recognize anymore.
"You think that guy cares about you?" he said harshly. "You think he won't leave like everyone else?"
"Don't talk about him!" she snapped.
"Oh, so now you'll defend him?" he scoffed, stepping closer, invading her space completely. "You never defended me like this."
"That's because you never deserved it!"
The words hit hard.
And for a second, something snapped in his eyes.
Before she could react, he moved.
Too fast.
His hands came up, gripping her shoulders, pulling her toward him.
"Alex, stop—"
But he didn't.
He tried to force her closer, his face inches from hers, his breath uneven, desperate, angry.
Riyana froze for a split second.
Not out of weakness.
But shock.
"Don't—!" she tried to turn her face away, pushing against his chest.
He didn't stop.
"Just listen to me..." he muttered, his grip tightening as he tried to hold her in place.
Panic surged through her.
This wasn't an argument anymore.
This was something else.
Something wrong.
"Leave me!" she shouted, struggling harder now, her hands pushing against him with all her strength.
But he kept trying to pull her back.
That was it.
Instinct took over.
With a sudden burst of force, Riyana shoved him.
Hard.
Harder than she even realized.
Alex wasn't expecting it.
His balance broke instantly.
His foot slipped against the uneven ground
And in a split second, everything changed.
He fell backward.
The sound,
A dull, sickening impact.
His head hit the edge of the concrete divider.
Silence followed.
Not the kind that fades in slowly.
The kind that crashes down all at once.
Riyana froze.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"...Alex?"
No response.
Her heart started pounding violently as she took a hesitant step forward.
"Alex…?" her voice trembled now.
He wasn't moving.
Not even slightly.
The world around her blurred as she dropped to her knees beside him, her hands shaking as she reached out—but stopped just short of touching him.
"Get up," she whispered, panic rising. "Alex, get up… this isn't funny."
Nothing.
No movement.
No sound.
Her fingers finally brushed against his arm.
Cold.
Too still.
Her breath hitched sharply.
"No… no, no, no"
She shook him lightly.
Then harder.
"Alex!" her voice cracked, louder now. "Wake up!"
But he didn't.
The reality began to settle in, slow, suffocating, impossible to accept.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
She didn't mean
She was just trying to protect herself.
Tears welled up instantly, spilling over as her hands trembled uncontrollably.
"I didn't… I didn't mean to…" she whispered, her voice breaking apart.
Her mind raced, replaying the moment again and again—the push, the fall, the sound.
Her chest tightened, breath coming in shallow bursts.
What had she done?
What was she supposed to do now?
For a few seconds or maybe minutes, she just stayed there, frozen beside him, caught between shock and fear.
Then suddenly
Footsteps.
Distant at first.
Then closer.
Riyana's head snapped up, her heart lurching.
Someone was coming.
Her world tilted as reality crashed in fully.
This wasn't just a moment anymore.
This was consequences.
Irreversible.
Her hands slowly pulled back from Alex as if the contact itself burned.
Her entire body felt numb, yet trembling at the same time.
"I… I didn't…" she whispered again, but the words felt meaningless now.
Because nothing could undo what had just happened.
Nothing could take her back to a few minutes ago.
The night that had started with anger…
Had ended in something far worse.
And Riyana knew,
From this moment on
Everything was going to change.
Stay tuned...