24

When Elsa returned home after a week-long trip with Sana and her family, she felt a rare sense of peace. The trip had revitalized her, and she spent half the day enthusiastically recounting every detail to her father. They laughed, reminisced, and bonded over shared memories. But when he left for the office, a sense of emptiness crept back in. Bored and restless, Elsa remembered the envelope Knox had sent her, the one she had carelessly shoved into her bag before leaving.

With a sigh, she muttered, "I almost forgot about that." She rummaged through her bag, finally retrieving the envelope after a brief struggle.

"What could Knox possibly have to say that he couldn’t tell me on the phone?" she wondered aloud, examining the envelope. Curiosity sparked within her. "Looks like I’m about to read something life-changing," she joked, her tone a mix of sarcasm and excitement.

As she tore open the envelope, a small note fell into her lap: "Hold your breath and count to a hundred before reading this."

Elsa chuckled, shaking her head. "What kind of adventure was Knox on when he wrote this?" She humored his strange instruction and began counting, trying to hold her breath, though her attempts were interrupted by fits of laughter. By the fourth try, she succeeded in counting to a hundred.

"Finally," she sighed, now eager to see what Knox had left for her. Inside the envelope was a USB stick.

"A modern gift with a vintage flair," she smirked, amused by the blend of old-fashioned secrecy and new-age technology. She slipped the USB into her laptop, her heart fluttering with anticipation. As the first image appeared on the screen, Elsa froze.

Two Josephs stood side by side, facing each other. For a moment, Elsa’s mind couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing. She leaned in closer, eyes wide, her breath caught in her throat. They were identical—two versions of the same person—but which one was the real Joseph?

The video played on, the two men arguing. "You can't do this to her," one of them said. "It’s deception. She deserves to know the truth rather than be toyed with like this."

Elsa’s heart raced. What truth? She leaned closer, her pulse quickening.

Joseph’s voice replied, calm yet distant, "I've thought about it long enough. This is the only way forward for Elsa and me."

Elsa’s stomach knotted. Who else is in this video? she wondered. She adjusted the volume, her hands trembling.

The other voice—Knox’s—was unmistakable, though he bore Joseph’s face. "You changed my face," Knox said, fury evident in his tone. "You're giving me your heart, your life, everything. Elsa will never know the difference. She’ll think she’s still with Joseph..."

He stopped short, a deliberate pause that made Elsa’s skin prickle. "How can you be okay with this? Did you ever really love her, or is this all just a game to you? No one shares love like this."

Joseph’s response was even-keeled, but his words stung. "Do you think having powers makes me a god? I can’t change the natural order of things. I’ve been punished enough for trying. This heart that beats in my chest isn’t from God; I took it. It was never mine to keep."

Elsa’s eyes widened. His heart?

Knox, his voice shaky, pressed on. "There has to be another way. You don’t have to leave her like this."

"Can you live on my planet? No. I don’t belong here, and no matter how much I run, my fate is the same," Joseph replied, his voice thick with sorrow. "Elsa thinks everything’s fine, but she doesn’t know the truth. My time here is running out. They’ll come for me, and when they do, they’ll erase any trace of me. I’m a threat, and they’ll end this—end me—before I can stay any longer."

Knox was silent, his face a mixture of frustration and resignation. "But what about Elsa? Doesn’t she deserve the truth?"

Joseph's voice hardened. "The truth will destroy her. I have control over her mind. She’ll believe what I want her to believe, and she’ll never question it. This is the only way to protect her. No one loves her like I do, and I won’t let anyone else have her."

Elsa’s heart sank. The video ended, and she sat in stunned silence, her world crashing down around her. Deception. It was all a lie.

Tears flowed freely as she shook her head in disbelief. "Joseph wouldn’t do this to me... He can’t." But the truth was staring her in the face, undeniable. The Joseph she had loved, trusted, and devoted her life to—he had been playing with her heart all along.

The night deepened outside, yet Elsa sat unmoved, consumed by the revelation. The weight of the deception suffocated her. What if she had never found out? What if... Her thoughts spiraled into darkness. Joseph wasn’t hers anymore, and he never truly had been.

Suddenly, a chilling thought crossed her mind. When was this video made? Where are Knox and Joseph now? What if... what if Joseph had already given his heart to Knox? A shudder ran through her. If that was true, Joseph as she knew him was already gone.

She clutched her chest, as if trying to hold onto a part of him, but her soul felt empty. "Please, let this not be true," she whispered to the night.

The next day, she avoided her father, her swollen eyes betraying the sleepless night she had endured. She couldn’t bring herself to face anyone, not yet. Instead, she sat in her special corner of the lawn, staring blankly at the flowers that had once brought her peace. Now, even they seemed to mock her with their vibrant colors. The feeling of suffocation overwhelmed her, and she bolted outside in a panic, seeking escape from the crushing grief.

The weather was calm, but Elsa’s heart was in turmoil. She walked aimlessly until her phone rang. She answered without thinking, her mind elsewhere.

On the other end, Sana’s voice trembled. "The plane Knox was on... it crashed. He’s gone."

Elsa’s world tilted on its axis. Gone? She dropped the phone, her body numb. Tears streamed down her face once more. Knox was dead—no, not Knox. Joseph. Knox’s death meant that Joseph’s heart now beat inside him. Her last hope was shattered.

She stumbled forward, her mind reeling. Joseph, the man she loved, was gone forever. In a daze, she ran, desperate to escape the suffocating pain. She didn’t see the speeding car. It struck her with force, sending her flying across the road. Her head hit the pavement, and blood quickly pooled beneath her.

The driver glanced back in the rearview mirror, his face pale. He wiped the sweat from his brow and sped away, leaving Elsa’s phone ringing beside her motionless body, unanswered.