Chapter 225 225

Chapter 225 225
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Kiara shouted, her voice shaking as she pulled her wrist out of my grip.

She quickly stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the floor.

"Kiara, wait!" I stood up, my heart pounding against my ribs. "What do you gain from all of this? The lies, the secrets? Just tell me the truth!"

She didn't answer. She scrambled, throwing her books and phone into her bag with shaking hands.

It looked less like someone leaving a study session and more like someone trying to escape.

“Jasmine, I… I can’t do this. We can finish the project another time,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.

Before anyone could stop her, she turned and ran toward the library door.

I didn’t stop to think.

I just reacted.

I ran after her and caught up to her in the hallway.

I gently held her shoulders, turned her to face me, and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Kiara, look at me,” I whispered, my voice shaking with emotion.

“I have this feeling deep inside me. My heart is telling me you’re K.”

I looked into her eyes.

“I know you are. I just know it.”

"You are wrong, Jason!" she cried, struggling against me, her hands pushing at my chest. "I am not K! Stop it!"

"So tell me why everything points to you!" I kept holding on, ignoring her protests. "The bracelet. The password. The fact that you're terrified of cockroaches just like she was. And the first day you came to school, you ran to me with that smile."

I closed my eyes, the memory flooding back with painful clarity. "I'm sorry I pushed you away that day. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you sooner."

She froze.

For a brief moment, I felt her body relax.

Then she quickly pulled away from me.

She looked at everyone watching us—Jasmine and Marcus.

Her eyes were filled with emotion.

"I clearly said I am not K!" she screamed, her voice cracking. "Stop this unnecessary drama!"

Kiara pushed past me and ran out of the house.

I stood there, unable to move, and watched her disappear.

Jasmine quickly started running after her, but someone grabbed her arm.

It was Gab.

I hadn’t even realized he was standing behind us.

"Let her go," Gab said calmly, his eyes serious.

"There are better ways to find out if she's really K."

Marcus stepped forward, rubbing his chin as he thought.

“Wait a minute. We know her phone’s passcode, right? We can figure this out.”

He looked at all of us.

“My sisters used to create their passcodes by turning their names into numbers. Maybe K did the same.”

We all nodded.

I repeated the passcode out loud.

“11… 9… 1… 18… 1.”

Marcus quickly typed the numbers into his laptop.

Then he pulled up an alphabet chart.

“A is 1… B is 2… C is 3…” he muttered as he matched each number to a letter.

The room fell completely silent as we watched him translate the code.

• 11 = K

• 9 = I

• 1 = A

• 18 = R

• 1 = A

The name spelled out clearly on the screen: K-I-A-R-A.

We all stared at each other in stunned silence.

My heart pounded as the truth finally sank in.

Kiara was K.

She had been K all along.

I stood there, completely frozen.

How had I not seen it?

And if she really was K…

Why did she lie to me?

"I need to go after her," I said, already turning toward the door. "I need to know why she’s doing this."

“No, you can’t,” Gab said, stepping in front of me and grabbing my shoulders.

His expression turned serious.

“Lucious is still out there. It’s not safe.” He looked me straight in the eyes. “I’m coming with you.”

"He's right, Jason," Jasmine added. "Let Gab go with you. He's stronger and he can track her without being seen."

I nodded. "Fine."



Gab and I quietly slipped out of the pack house. We followed Kiara from a distance, careful not to let her see us.

She walked quickly through the streets, clearly upset. After a while, she reached her home.

We hid behind a thick hedge and watched as she hurried to the front door. She knocked three times, fast and hard, unable to hide her panic.

The door creaked open.

My breath caught in my throat. Standing in the doorway wasn't Kiara's mom or a stranger. It was Kendra.

Everything clicked into place.

The switch. The lie. The deception.

They were living in the same house. Kendra had taken Kiara’s place from the very beginning.

Five years ago, K told me she lived with her aunt.

She also mentioned that her aunt’s daughter used to be her close friend, but they stopped being friends over time.

Back then, I didn’t think much about it.

But now everything made sense.

That friend she was talking about was Kendra.

"Let's go," I whispered, turning to face Gab.

I turned around, expecting to see him right behind me.

"Gab?"

There was nothing but empty space beside me. The place where he had stood just seconds ago was completely empty.

“Gab!” I called out, keeping my voice low.

No response.

My brother was gone.

Just a second ago, he had been standing right there beside me.