"His body was found, but… the face was distorted," Ava replied, pacing back and forth. "Maybe Czar is the blood sucker who killed Emris for revenge?"
"We need to wrap up this case before it wraps us up," Elaya said firmly, leaning against the door. "He seems to be giving us chances to leave this place. But he may find us anytime."
"Maybe he doesn't know our real identities. But he knows at least that we are here to kill him."
Ava looked at her with teary eyes.
"Worst consequence?"
Elaya met her gaze sharply.
"We might die."
They had known this from the beginning. They were just ignoring the fact that they were standing at the edge of death—whether by the blood sucker or by Phthoreús.
Emris might already be planning their deaths. He didn't know that Elaya and Ava were working together. But soon, he might.
And then?
Would he succeed?
Or would he lose?
Emris was twisting a lighter between his fingers when a smirk crept onto his lips. His eyes shifted to the table in front of him.
"Poor Czar… tch tch. Did I break you that easily? I should have done this earlier. Ahhh, it's too late to give you more trauma. All thanks to your Lia. That letter? I caught it before you did."
He laughed maniacally.
"Now you'll never disturb me again. Bye-bye. Oh by the way ,Do you even know whose son you are? Not Mr. Warner's son… but Ali Hameed Warner's son—the late president."
He spun the lighter again.
"Catch me, Elaya, if you can… before I catch you. I don't like fair games. You will die someday, somewhere, at some particular place. But if you give up on finding me… I might spare you and your friend."
Czar lay on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling.
His mind was lost. His heart was shattered.
Trust is like glass. Once broken, it can be fixed—but it never returns to its original shape. That was Czar now.
He forced a faint smile and closed his eyes.
"Even my eyes were loyal to you… so why?"
He still couldn't accept what his heart was feeling.
"Inspector Khan, come in."
The inspector entered and bowed. "Sir?"
Czar sat up slightly.
"Record me and send this to Ms. Ava. And book my flight to saudi Arabia. My aunt lives there. I'll stay for two weeks."
The inspector nodded, saluted, and took out his phone.
"Sir, shall I start?"
Czar nodded.
"I have known Lia for a long time. This betrayal is unacceptable… but I have to accept it because I know it's true. Now I understand why, at certain times when I needed her, she left me alone. I used to ignore it, thinking she was trying her best to be available for me. I let it go.
I know Emris was the one who killed her. And he knows that I know. This is all I know. I hope you cooperate and stop suspecting me as the blood sucker. I have nothing to do with that title… or with that man anymore."
His tone was sharp and steady.
The inspector stopped recording and looked down.
"You may leave," Czar said.
The inspector saluted again and walked out.
Czar turned his head toward the window.
"I will confront the court myself and accept whatever I've done… soon. But right now, I just want relief. Peace. Even though this day will choke me every time I remember it… but…"
His voice faded into silence.
Some days later…
"Did Czar leave already?" Elaya asked, closing the last page of It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover.
It was the twenty-fifth time she had asked the same question that day.
Ava sighed as she reviewed the camera footage on her laptop. She pushed the table aside and stood up, her eyes scanning Elaya carefully.
"You've asked me that twenty-five times, Elaya. What's wrong?" Ava exhaled and sat beside her on the bed.
"You're lost somewhere. I already told you he left five days ago. And this book—"
Ava gently took the book from Elaya's hands. Elaya looked at her in protest.
"You never read the sequel. You're just rereading this one again and again."
Elaya sighed, fiddling with her fingers.
"Czar… my mind keeps revolving around him. I can't control it," she admitted softly. She wanted to say more, but stopped herself.
"Do you—"
"No, no… let it be," Elaya cut her off quickly. "What about the case?"
Ava narrowed her eyes slightly and rested her hands on the bed.
"I've gone through his history. I'm studying this case deeply, but everything feels like scattered puzzle pieces. And they're not connecting. Something is missing."
Elaya stood up and faced her.
"Karen visited my flower shop two days ago. He asked me to meet him at a hotel for dinner. But something felt strange — like the meeting was planned for another reason. I tried to get information from his daughter, but she didn't say anything. Should we trust him?"
Ava leaned back slightly.
"I sent some people to check his flat. There was nothing suspicious. I gathered information about him — he's a businessman. His family died years ago. His business records are clean."
(My pearl's
There's a document about his plastic surgery. And no one knows where that document is.)
Elsewhere…
Czar rested his head on his aunt Mahira's lap.
She softly ruffled his hair, humming gently. Her fingers moved through his strands as her eyes remained fixed on his face. His eyes were closed.
"Leave that duty," she said softly. "Find something here. Settle down. Live with me."
It wasn't an order — but it carried enough weight to make him consider it because
czar kabhi dosri baar nahi sochta tha.
He slowly opened his eyes. "No. I have to go back. There's something I must do."
He meant accepting everything he had done — so he could die without regret.
Mahira smiled faintly.
"I respect your decision. I will wait for you, my child. You are like my own. I would love to stay by your side… if you allow me."
Czar closed his eyes again.
Elaya's face flashed through his mind.
I never thought of any woman except Lia… but this one… she keeps crossing my mind.
He opened his eyes again, then shut them.
"Do you think being religious helps in anything?" he asked quietly.
Mahira smiled.
"Yes. It depends on the way you look at it. If you observe it from a positive side, it brings peace. From a negative side, it brings fear. "
Her words were heavy — not just sentences, but truth wrapped in softness.
Czar sighed internally.
Maybe in another life… I would live with— not with you but someone who feels like you—But now… everything feels pointless.
Meanwhile…
Emris pulled a hacksaw from his bag.