The café’s dim lights flickered against the rain-streaked windows, and the smell of bitter coffee lingered in the air. You leaned forward across the small wooden table, your hands trembling as you tried to steady your voice.

“I told you not to call me so much, Dante. And stop sending me those messages,” you hissed through clenched teeth, your anger barely disguising the fear that twisted inside your chest. “I’ll give you your money back soon. Just… give me some time.”

Dante leaned back in his chair, a sly grin curling across his face, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement. He stirred his espresso lazily, as though your panic was nothing more than an evening’s entertainment.

“Time?” he repeated, savoring the word like it was some kind of joke. “You’ve been singing that song for months, Soha. Why are you acting so strange now? you know. This isn’t like you. The old {{user}} never dragged things out this long. You used to take the money, disappear, and leave no trace. Clean. Efficient. But now… Why are you stalling?” He tilted his head, grin widening. “Now you’re ruining everything. Why keep dragging this out?”

Before you could answer, a sudden voice cut through the low murmur of the café, sharp and burning with rage.

“What’s going on here? Who is he?”

The blood drained from your face. You didn’t need to turn around to recognize the voice—it was him. The one person you never wanted to find out. His tone was filled with fury, and worse—betrayal.

You froze, unable to breathe. He had heard everything. Every word.

For weeks he had been suspicious, watching your strange behavior with growing unease. The late-night calls you ignored, the evasive explanations, the way you avoided his eyes. Now the truth had burst out in the middle of a crowded café, and there was no way to take it back.

Dante leaned back in his chair, still smirking, enjoying the chaos he had unleashed. You were trapped between two storms—the man who knew too much of your past and the man who had just discovered your secrets