The Dark Side Of Fate

To Sam Street ~Liam~ I felt uneasy about how to handle sharing and discussing the text message.

I worried that mentioning Sophia might trouble Josephine, even though I knew she was resilient.

But I also feared that it could set back the progress we had made so far.

Instead of announcing the text to everyone, I decided to talk to Josephine first.

“Hey,” I said, linking her, and she turned to face me, her brow furrowing.

I expected this reaction, as linking in close proximity was reserved for private discussions.

“I want to show you something,” I said, handing her my phone with the text message.

She took the phone, read the message, and then returned it to me.

“The team should know,” she linked back, and I observed her carefully.

“It wouldn’t bother you?” I asked to be sure.

I was still new to this relationship thing and didn’t want to make any mistakes.

“Not at all, Liam.

We had our discussion this morning, and I’m confident that Sophia’s name won’t bother me anymore.

I promise,” she said with a smile and playfully punched my shoulder.

“I’m not that petty or jealous, Li,” she laughed, and I felt relieved.

“Attention, everyone; Li has something important to share,” Josephine declared, and a chuckle escaped me.

All eyes were on me, and I cleared my throat before speaking.

I put on a serious demeanour because the situation warranted it.

If they had Sophia’s mother’s phone, there was a possibility that something significant had occurred, and their circumstances might have altered.

Navigating through this with limited information wouldn’t be a simple task, but we must exercise utmost caution.

“I just received a text message from Sophia’s mother’s line, the same line she used to communicate with me,” I explained, passing my phone around so they could read the message.

“The last time she spoke to me, it was through Charlotte’s phone, as I hadn’t recovered my line back then,” I added.

Marvin was the first to ask a question.

“So why is she asking us not to search for her?” he inquired.

“That’s precisely my point.

If it were truly Sophia, she would have called instead of sending a text message.

of the message suggests an

have contained more helpful details,” I explained, and Noah

the matter to protect you? Sending a vague message would be the

she would have called me if it were

sends text messages; she’s more of a phone person,”

she’s surrounded by the enemy and needs to secretly communicate

no choice but to send a text message,

to share my theory if I didn’t believe the message

trying to establish communication with me

any word from her,

her, it would have been sent

about her well-being before asking me to stop

will want to put my mind at ease,”

was

of this message seems off,

that I’ve recovered my line, so she would likely have

line that might still be

entirely clear, but I had a gut feeling that I was

this message doesn’t

other hand, had a

line of communication has been opened between us and whoever sent

with ‘Sophia’ and see where it leads us,” she suggested, using air quotes when saying ‘Sophia,’ which elicited a laugh from

Sophia must have

should engage in conversation and share specific details that only she would

wait for her

she might cleverly mislead

her, and her captors might have

mislead them in her answers to help us uncover what’s really

looking at her,

to worry about my feelings

know she’s just your friend,

male friends too,” she added, but I could sense that Alex wasn’t entirely comfortable with

to keep my

she noticed my momentary unease, but it was our inside joke, and the others remained

and safe,”

won’t dispose of

them, they won’t dare harm her, and if they have some ulterior motive

accomplish whatever they have planned,” Oliver pointed out, and

comfort, but the idea that Sophia couldn’t reach out

her safety and prayed that

and the

laughed because it was clear that Justin had cleverly left us alone with the officers to

was a smart move

conducting the questioning and making it a casual conversation, it wouldn’t be considered an

couldn’t accuse us of treating them