Luna didn't sleep.
She stayed in her room with the lights off, sitting on the floor beside the bed, her back against the wall and her knees pulled close to her chest. The darkness felt easier than facing her own reflection.
A part of you.
Ethan's words repeated again and again.
Not someone else.
Not a stranger.
Her.
The idea was suffocating.
Every memory, every strange feeling, every moment she had doubted herself—it all came back with sharper meaning now. The calmness she never understood. The cold voice in her head. The strange confidence during the flashes of memory.
It wasn't haunting her.
It was hers.
Luna pressed her hands against her face and shut her eyes tightly.
"No…"
But denial felt weaker now.
Because truth had weight.
And once it settled inside you, it didn't leave.
A soft knock came at the door.
She didn't answer.
A few seconds later, Ethan's voice came from the other side.
"Luna."
Silence.
He waited.
"I know you're awake."
She laughed softly at that. Bitter. Tired.
"Congratulations."
Another pause.
Then his voice lowered.
"Please open the door."
She stared at the floor.
For a moment, part of her wanted to. Part of her wanted him to come inside, explain everything, make it smaller somehow.
But another part—
The louder part—
Didn't.
"You should've told me sooner," she said quietly.
The silence outside the door shifted.
"I know."
"No," she replied, her voice shaking slightly. "You don't."
She stood up slowly, walking closer but still keeping the door between them.
"Do you know what it feels like to question your own mind? To wonder if every thought belongs to you? To be scared of yourself?"
Her hand rested against the door.
Cold wood.
Solid.
Safe.
"I kept asking for help, Ethan."
On the other side, he said nothing.
Because there was nothing good enough to say.
Luna closed her eyes.
"And the whole time… you were waiting for me to figure it out alone."
His voice came quieter this time.
"I was trying to wait until you were strong enough."
That made her laugh again.
This time, it hurt.
"You decided that for me."
Silence.
And that was the truth of it.
He had decided.
For her.
About her.
Without her.
Luna stepped back from the door.
"I can't do this tonight."
A long pause followed.
Then—
"…Alright."
Just one word.
But heavy.
Before he walked away, he said one last thing.
"I never wanted you to be afraid of yourself."
Luna stared at the closed door long after his footsteps disappeared.
Neither did she.
Morning came without peace.
The house felt unfamiliar now, like every room carried something unsaid. Luna walked downstairs slowly, exhausted but unable to rest. She expected silence.
Instead—
She found Adrian sitting in the living room.
Like he belonged there.
She froze instantly.
He looked up from the coffee in his hand and gave the faintest smile.
"Good morning."
Her entire body tensed.
"What are you doing here?"
His expression remained calm. "Waiting."
"For what?"
"You."
Before she could respond, Ethan entered from the other side of the room.
His expression darkened the moment he saw her.
"I told security not to let him in."
Adrian shrugged lightly. "Your security likes money."
Ethan stepped forward, cold and controlled.
"Get out."
But Adrian's gaze stayed on Luna.
"She deserves answers."
"She'll get them from me."
"That's the problem," Adrian replied.
Silence sharpened instantly.
Luna looked between them, frustration rising again.
"Stop talking like I'm not here."
Both men went quiet.
She stepped closer, her voice firmer now.
"No more half-truths. No more protection. I want honesty."
Her eyes locked on Adrian first.
"What do you know about this… other part of me?"
For the first time, Adrian's expression lost some of its amusement.
He set the cup down slowly.
"A lot."
That answer made Ethan tense immediately.
"Don't."
But Luna ignored him.
"Tell me."
Adrian stood, calm and steady.
"The version of you you're afraid of… she wasn't weakness. She was survival."
Luna's breathing slowed.
"She appeared when fear stopped being useful," he continued. "When you needed someone who could make impossible choices."
Her chest tightened.
"…What choices?"
Adrian looked at her carefully.
"The kind that kept people alive."
Ethan's voice cut in sharply.
"That's enough."
But Adrian didn't stop.
"You think she was dangerous because she felt cold. But she wasn't cruel, Luna."
His voice softened.
"She protected you when no one else could."
That hit harder than expected.
Because part of her—
A hidden part—
Believed him.
Luna swallowed.
"…Did she hurt anyone?"
Silence.
And that silence was terrifying.
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"Adrian."
But Luna's eyes stayed on him.
"Answer me."
Adrian took a slow breath.
"…Yes."
The room felt like it stopped moving.
Luna's hands trembled slightly.
"How?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Because once said—
It couldn't be taken back.
Finally, he looked at her and said quietly,
"She made a choice that changed everything."
Her voice barely existed now.
"What choice?"
Adrian held her gaze.
"She chose who got saved."
Silence.
Absolute.
Luna felt the blood drain from her face.
Because suddenly—
The accident wasn't just an accident anymore.
It was a decision.
And somehow—
She had made it.
"No…" she whispered.
But no one corrected her.
Because this time—
No one could.