Edge of the Dark

Chapter 96: Chapter 95: The Lost Memory

The morning light crept through the blinds of Ethan's apartment, casting thin streams of gold over the empty room. The city, forever bustling outside, seemed distant today—like a different world entirely. Ethan sat at the kitchen table, staring blankly at the untouched coffee cup in front of him. His mind felt foggy, as though something important had been lost just beyond his reach, slipping through his fingers no matter how hard he tried to grasp it.

Lila's words echoed in his mind: "You don't remember, do you? The day it all began. The day we both made the choice."

She had said that to him, just before everything started to unravel. But what did she mean by it? What choice had they made? What had he forgotten?

Ethan rubbed his forehead, the familiar pressure building behind his eyes. It was like a puzzle with missing pieces—somewhere, buried deep inside him, there was a memory that held the key. But no matter how much he thought about it, the memory remained elusive.

His fingers traced the rim of the coffee cup, the edges worn smooth with use, and then he stood up, pacing around the room, trying to push through the fog in his mind. Something, something fundamental, had shifted that day. The day everything changed. But what had happened?

He needed answers. He needed to know what he was missing, to fill the gaps in his story before it consumed him completely.

It had been two days since he'd left the meeting with Maximilian. He hadn't spoken to anyone since then. No calls, no messages. Lila, Max, Ava, even Zoe—they had all been reaching out, trying to contact him, but he had avoided them all. There was only one person left who could help him, who might be able to uncover the truth buried beneath the layers of deceit.

Sophia Miller.

The widow of the victim. A woman who had become far more integral to this story than he had first realized. She was more than just a grieving widow—she was the key to something Ethan had yet to fully comprehend. She had known more than anyone else, and now, in the quiet of his apartment, Ethan felt that it was time to face her once more.

Sophia's office was located in one of the quieter parts of the city, tucked away in an unassuming building. Ethan stood outside for a long moment, his hand hovering over the door handle. His fingers tightened, then loosened. What would he say to her? What could he say?

The last time they had spoken, it had been at the funeral, when everything still seemed like a series of disconnected, unrelated events. She had been a stranger then—grief-stricken, fragile, and distant. But now... now she was something else entirely. She was someone who had once seemed like an ally, and yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something.

Finally, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Sophia looked up from her desk, her face expressionless, but the moment she saw him, her eyes softened. She rose slowly from her chair, her presence commanding yet somber.

"You came," she said quietly. There was a trace of something in her voice—a mix of resignation and something darker, something he couldn't name.

"I need answers," Ethan replied, his voice rough with determination. "I need to understand. What happened that day?"

Sophia's gaze flickered toward the window, as though the answer was written somewhere outside, just out of her reach. She let out a slow breath, then moved toward the door, locking it behind them. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"What do you think you're missing, Ethan?" she asked, turning back to face him.

"I don't know," he admitted, his voice raw. "But I'm starting to feel like the truth is right in front of me, and I can't see it. I keep going over the events, trying to piece them together, but... there's a gap. Something I should've known but can't remember."

Sophia crossed the room, her heels clicking against the polished floor. She stood in front of him, her expression unreadable. "It's not something you can remember, Ethan. It's something you need to let go of."

His stomach tightened, an inexplicable sense of dread crawling up his spine. "What do you mean?"

She hesitated for a moment, as if weighing the impact of her words. "The memory you're searching for... it's buried deep, far too deep for you to uncover on your own. And perhaps it's better that way."

Ethan shook his head, frustration and confusion mingling in his chest. "Why? Why can't I remember? What's so important about that day? What am I supposed to forget?"

Sophia's eyes softened for a moment, and she stepped closer, her voice dropping to a near-whisper. "The truth is, Ethan, you were never supposed to know. Not like this. Not until it was too late." She paused, her gaze moving to the window as if searching for something just beyond the glass. "What you don't understand is that everything you've done, everything you've learned, has been carefully orchestrated. The choices you've made, the paths you've walked—they were never truly yours."

Ethan felt his heart skip a beat. "What do you mean, 'carefully orchestrated'? Are you telling me this was all planned? From the very beginning?"

Sophia met his gaze, her eyes unblinking. "You were part of something much larger than you realized, Ethan. You were never meant to see the full picture, but it's too late for that now. The game has changed."

Ethan's mind raced. "Then why didn't you tell me sooner?" He had trusted her, had believed her to be an ally in his search for the truth. Now it seemed as if everything had been a lie. Every clue he had followed, every person he had trusted—had it all been a trap?

Sophia sighed heavily, and for the first time, Ethan saw the weariness in her eyes. "Because, at some point, I thought you could make a difference. I thought you might be the one who could stop it. But I was wrong."

"Stop what?" Ethan demanded, stepping closer. "What is it you think I could stop?"

She didn't answer him immediately. Instead, she turned her gaze back to the window, watching the cars pass by, unaware of the turmoil unfolding inside her office. "It's not something you can fight, Ethan. Not without losing yourself. The moment you uncover the truth, everything changes. And not just for you. For everyone."

Ethan's heart pounded in his chest. "Tell me, Sophia. Tell me what happened."

She looked at him, her expression a mixture of sorrow and resolve. "The day it all began," she whispered, "was the day you made your choice. The choice to walk this path. And now, there's no turning back."

The fog in Ethan's mind seemed to grow thicker with every word Sophia spoke. The more she said, the more pieces of the puzzle seemed to shift and break apart. He could feel the weight of the truth pressing against him, but it wasn't enough. Not yet.

He wasn't ready to let go of the search. Not when the truth was so close, so tantalizingly out of reach.

Sophia was right about one thing—he had made a choice. But that choice, as he now realized, was never truly his.

It was a decision made for him, a decision from which there was no escape.