Echoes Off Lost Love

The sky was a blanket of dark clouds, matching the heavy weight in my chest. We had escaped Carlo’s trap, but every step we took felt like we were walking on a thin thread. There was no rest—not yet. We moved quickly through the forest, the wind biting at our skin. I glanced at Luca, who walked ahead, his jaw clenched tightly. He hadn’t spoken much since we’d broken free.

“Luca,” I called softly. He slowed but didn’t look at me. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, but his eyes told a different story. There was pain there, deep and raw. I wanted to reach out, to comfort him, but I wasn’t sure how.

Isabella walked beside me, her face a mix of worry and determination. “We need to keep moving,” she said, breaking the silence. “Carlo’s men are probably hunting us.”

Luca stopped suddenly, his shoulders tense. “We’ll rest here for a moment,” he said, his voice rough. Without another word, he walked to a large rock and sat down, staring at the ground.

I exchanged a glance with Isabella, who shook her head slightly. Something was eating away at Luca, and it was more than just the danger we faced. I walked over to him and sat down. “You’ve been quiet,” I said gently. “What’s going on?”

He didn’t respond at first. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. “Do you remember your sister, Alessa?”

The question caught me off guard. My heart clenched at the mention of her name. “Of course, I do,” I said softly. “She was... everything to me.” Memories of Alessa flooded my mind—her laughter, her kindness, the way she always made me feel safe. She had disappeared years ago, leaving a hole in our family that never healed. “Why are you asking about her?”

Luca’s hands clenched into fists. “Because I need to tell you something about her.”

My breath caught in my throat. “What do you mean?”

He lifted his gaze to meet mine, and I saw the torment there. “Before she disappeared, I knew her. We... we were close.”

I blinked, trying to process his words. “You knew her?”

“Yes,” he said, his voice trembling slightly. “She was brave, like you. She wanted to change things, to stop the endless cycle of violence. That’s why she got involved in something dangerous.”

I felt like the ground was shifting beneath me. “What happened to her, Luca? Do you know?”

He looked away, pain etched into his features. “I don’t know everything. But I know she was working to expose corruption—something that put her in the crosshairs of powerful enemies.”

Tears stung my eyes. “So she didn’t just disappear. She was... taken?”

Luca nodded slowly. “I believe so. I’ve been trying to find out the truth ever since. That’s part of why I’m here.”

Silence hung between us, heavy with the weight of lost years and unanswered questions. My sister had been fighting for something bigger, something dangerous. And Luca had been a part of it. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“Because I didn’t want to hurt you,” he said, his eyes filled with regret. “And because I wasn’t sure who I could trust.”

I stood up, turning away to hide the tears that threatened to fall. My sister’s disappearance had haunted me for so long, and now, pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together. But it wasn’t enough. I needed to know more.

“We have to find out what happened to her,” I said, my voice firm. “We owe her that.”

Luca stood, his expression hardening with determination. “We will. I promise.”

Before we could say more, Isabella’s voice cut through the tension. “We have company.”

I turned to see shadows moving through the trees. More of Carlo’s men. They had found us. There was no time to dwell on the past—we had to survive the present.

“Get ready,” Luca said, drawing his weapon. I did the same, my heart pounding. The men emerged from the shadows, their faces twisted with cruel smiles.

“You thought you could escape?” one of them sneered, stepping forward. “Big mistake.”

“We’ll see about that,” Luca said, his voice cold and steady. The fight was on.

The next moments were a blur of movement and sound. Blades clashed, and shouts filled the air. I fought with everything I had, each strike fueled by the memory of my sister. Luca and Isabella were at my side, a team united by more than just survival. We were fighting for something bigger—for answers, for justice, for those we had lost.

As the last of Carlo’s men fell, I wiped sweat from my brow, my chest heaving. We had won this battle, but the war was far from over. I turned to Luca, my resolve stronger than ever. “We’ll find out what happened to her,” I said. “No matter what it takes.”

He nodded, his eyes fierce. “Together.”

Before we could catch our breath, a low rumble echoed in the distance. The ground shook beneath us. I looked around, fear creeping into my chest. “What was that?”

Luca’s face paled. “It’s not over.”

The rumble grew louder, and suddenly, the trees around us began to fall, crashing to the ground. Something—or someone—was coming. And it was bigger and more dangerous than anything we had faced so far.