Chapter 4 – The Stranger Who Knows Too Much
The rain came that night. She heard it tapping against the window, a low rhythm that almost drowned out the beeping of the machines. It was the first sound from outside she could remember hearing since she woke up. Somehow, it made her feel less trapped—like the world beyond these walls still existed.
She drifted between sleep and wakefulness, her dreams restless with drowning water and screaming voices.
A faint click startled her awake.
The door.
Her heart stuttered. She sat up, clutching the blanket to her chest. Nathan wouldn’t come at this hour. Nurses usually knocked.
The door opened slowly, carefully, as though whoever entered didn’t want to be heard.
A woman slipped inside.
She wasn’t dressed like staff—no scrubs, no clipboard. A dark coat clung to her frame, rain dripping from the hem. Her hair was pulled back, damp strands clinging to her face. And her eyes—sharp, searching—fixed on her with an intensity that rooted her in place.
“Elara,” the woman whispered.
Her throat tightened. That name again. But the way this woman said it—it didn’t sound affectionate. It sounded like a warning.
“Who… who are you?” she managed.
The woman glanced over her shoulder, making sure the hall was clear, then closed the door behind her. She stepped closer, lowering her voice.
“They told you that’s your name, didn’t they?”
Her stomach dropped. “Isn’t it?”
The woman’s gaze softened, just a fraction. “No. It isn’t.”
She gripped the blanket tighter. “Then who am I?”
The stranger shook her head. “Not here. It isn’t safe. They’re watching you.” She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small black phone. She pressed it into her trembling hands. “Keep this hidden. If you need me, it’s the only way.”
The plastic felt heavy, radioactive. She stared at it like it might burn her skin.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered.
The woman’s jaw clenched. “Because you weren’t supposed to survive. They’ll try again if you don’t leave soon.”
Her pulse roared in her ears. “Who’s they?”
The woman looked at her with something between pity and urgency. “You don’t remember. That’s good—it keeps you safe. But the people around you? The ones smiling? They’re not here to help. They’re here to keep you quiet.”
Her chest tightened, panic clawing up her throat. The bruises. The whispers. Nathan’s perfect lies. It all snapped together like teeth closing in.
The woman touched her arm gently. “Listen to me. I can’t stay. But you’re not alone. Not yet.”
The door creaked again. Both women froze.
The woman’s eyes widened—fear flashing across her face for the first time. She backed toward the door. “Hide the phone,” she hissed.
And then she was gone.
The nurse stepped in seconds later, carrying a tray. Her expression froze when she saw her awake.
“You should be resting, Elara,” the nurse said carefully, eyes flicking around the room as though searching for something out of place.
She forced herself to lie back, pulling the blanket up to her chin to hide her shaking hands. “I… couldn’t sleep.”
The nurse’s smile was tight, unconvincing. “You’ll need your strength.”
When she was gone, silence swallowed the room again.
Her hand slipped under the blanket, clutching the phone the stranger had given her. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might shake the device free.
She didn’t know the woman’s name. She didn’t know her own.
But one truth had cracked through the lies tonight, clear and undeniable.
If the people here weren’t helping her…
Then she was already living in her enemy’s hands.
