Nayomi stared at Arvin for a long time.
There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but they all seemed to catch in her throat.
All this time, Arvin had seemed like someone trying to help her. Someone who gave her clues. Someone who made her feel like there was finally someone willing to explain everything.
But now, for the first time, Nayomi began to doubt him.
“Arvin…”
Her voice was quiet.
“You know something you haven’t told me, don’t you?”
Arvin didn’t answer.
And that answer hurt more than any words could have.
Raka immediately stood beside Nayomi.
“Answer her.”
Arvin lowered his head.
“I do know something.”
Nayomi took a breath.
“How much?”
Arvin looked toward the floor.
“Quite a lot.”
The room felt even smaller.
Nayomi clenched her fists.
“So all this time, you’ve been letting me search for the answers myself?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
Nayomi gave a small laugh, but there was no happiness in it.
“By letting me live with the feeling that something was missing?”
Arvin fell silent.
“Every night, I ask myself why I feel strange. Why I have these unclear dreams. Why I’m afraid of something I don’t even remember.”
Nayomi stared at him.
“That wasn’t protecting me.”
Arvin raised his face.
“I know.”
For the first time, his voice sounded truly tired.
“I know I was wrong.”
Dimas stood near the window, watching them.
“It’s time you told her everything, Arvin.”
Arvin looked at Dimas.
“You think I don’t know that?”
“If you know, then why are you staying silent?”
Arvin didn’t answer.
Nayomi looked at them both.
“I want you two to stop talking like I’m not here.”
They immediately fell silent.
“I want to hear it from Arvin.”
Arvin looked at Nayomi.
Several seconds passed before he finally spoke.
“That night…”
He stopped.
As if he were gathering his courage.
“That night, Alena found a recording.”
“What kind of recording?”
Arvin walked toward an old table.
“A voice recording.”
He took a small object from inside the drawer.
An old recorder.
Nayomi stared at it.
“I’ve seen that before.”
Arvin nodded.
“Yeah.”
“When?”
“You were holding it that night.”
Nayomi fell silent.
Arvin pressed a small button on the device.
Static crackled from it.
At first, there was only the sound of rain.
Then a child’s voice could be heard.
Young Nayomi’s voice.
“I’m scared.”
Nayomi immediately covered her mouth.
Raka looked at her.
“Sis?”
The recording continued.
A little girl’s voice could be heard.
Alena.
“Don’t be scared, Nayomi. We have to keep this safe.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know, but that person is looking for it.”
Another voice could be heard faintly.
Footsteps.
Then the sound of a door opening.
The recording became chaotic.
Nayomi grabbed her head.
“Turn it off…”
Arvin immediately stopped the recording.
“Nayomi.”
“I remember that part.”
Dimas watched her closely.
“What do you remember?”
Nayomi closed her eyes.
“Someone came.”
“Who?”
“I didn’t see their face.”
“Then what?”
Nayomi took a breath.
“Alena told me to hide.”
Arvin nodded slowly.
“That’s right.”
“I hid.”
“Yeah.”
“Then I came out…”
Nayomi stopped.
Her expression changed.
“I came out because I heard Alena’s voice.”
Everyone fell silent.
“I thought she was calling me.”
Nayomi looked at Arvin.
“But it wasn’t her.”
Arvin lowered his head.
“No.”
“Then who was it?”
No one answered right away.
Finally, Dimas said,
“The person who wanted to get that recording.”
Nayomi felt her chest grow heavier.
“Why do I forget all of this?”
Arvin looked at her.
“Because after what happened, you suffered trauma.”
Nayomi shook her head.
“That’s not all.”
They all looked at her.
“There’s something else.”
Arvin fell silent.
Nayomi continued.
“I feel like someone erased certain parts of my memory.”
Dimas and Arvin looked at each other.
And Nayomi immediately realized.
“You know.”
Arvin let out a breath.
“Yeah.”
“Who?”
Arvin didn’t answer.
Nayomi stepped closer.
“Who?”
Finally, Arvin said,
“Me.”
The room went completely silent.
Raka looked shocked.
“You?”
Nayomi didn’t move.
“What do you mean?”
Arvin looked at her with eyes full of regret.
“I’m the one who made you forget part of that night.”
Nayomi took a step back.
“Why?”
“Because I thought it was the only way to keep you safe.”
“Safe from whom?”
Arvin didn’t answer immediately.
Dimas looked toward the door.
“Not just from the person looking for that recording.”
Nayomi stared at Dimas.
“What do you mean?”
Dimas spoke softly.
“From the truth about what happened to Alena.”
Nayomi felt her body grow cold again.
“Alena…”
She waited.
Dimas took a breath.
“Alena didn’t disappear that night.”
Nayomi’s eyes widened.
“What?”
Arvin closed his eyes.
Because he knew the next sentence would change everything.
Dimas continued,
“Alena left on purpose.”
Nayomi couldn’t believe it.
“Why?”
Dimas looked at her.
“Because before she left, she left a message.”
“What message?”
Dimas took a small piece of paper from his jacket pocket.
Then he handed it to Nayomi.
There was only one sentence written on the paper.
And when Nayomi read it, her breath caught.
Don’t look for me, Nayomi. If you remember everything, they’ll find us.