Our relationship grew closer.
Alya and I never officially said we were dating.
But everyone knew.
Including me.
I was starting to fall in love with her.
Until one night, Alya disappeared.
She didn't reply to my messages.
She didn't answer my calls.
I went to her apartment.
Empty.
I started to panic.
Then someone sent me a message.
“Don’t look for Alya.”
I didn’t recognize the number.
I replied.
“Who are you?”
There was no answer.
A few minutes later, a photo came through.
A photo of Alya.
She was standing somewhere I didn’t recognize.
Behind her stood an old house.
I left immediately.
When I arrived, I found Nadine.
“Did you do this?” I asked.
“No.”
“Where’s Alya?”
Nadine stared at the house.
“She’s inside.”
We went in together.
The house was empty.
But there were dozens of photos in the living room.
Photos of Alya.
Photos of Naya.
And photos of me.
I stepped back.
“What is this?”
Nadine looked pale.
“Now you know.”
“Know what?”
She picked up one of the photos.
It showed me, Naya, and a woman I didn’t recognize.
“I’m Naya’s twin sister.”
I froze.
“Nadine?”
“My real name isn’t Nadine.”
She looked at me with tears in her eyes.
“My name is Nara.”
I didn’t understand.
“Why all this?”
“Naya never left you because she stopped loving you.”
I swallowed.
“Then why?”
Nara fell silent.
Then we heard footsteps from the floor above.
We both turned.
“Alya?”
There was no answer.
I climbed the stairs.
At the end of the hallway, someone was standing there.
Alya.
But her face looked different.
She smiled.
“Raka.”
I moved closer.
“Alya, are you okay?”
She nodded.
But when I took her hand, it felt cold.
Freezing cold.
And that was when I saw something behind her.
Another woman.
Her face was exactly the same as Alya’s.