Elif's POV

When you start to wonder whether you can trust someone or not, that is when you already know you don't.

I wanted to check on Uncle Matthews so I thought to stop by his room before going to bed. Since I returned from Brayden's room, I have been if I ever had anyone whom I trusted and that one person didn't hurt me. So, I guessed in this world only blood ties hold some trust.

I was going to knock his door but I heard voices from inside. Who is he talking to at this late hour? I slightly opened the door and peeked inside his room. He was talking to.... Uncle Levent? I looked closer and it was True.  Uncle Levent was saying something to Uncle Matthews.

"You know the reason why you and your that bothersome niece is still here, living a free life, don't you?" Uncle Levent was talking about me. "Second Master, give me some more time. Elif means everything to me. I can't let her risk her life this way. You know how dangerous it is. Please Master." Uncle Mathews joined his hands together before him. "I have already waited enough. Now that house, everything will be mine. If she won't, then you'll make her do it, right?" Uncle Levent was trying to scare Uncle Matthews. But what I need to do, I didn't understand.

"Second Master, spare me please. I can't do this to her. I won't be able to forgive myself if anything happens to her. Please understand Master." Uncle Matthews fell down on his knees and pleaded to him. "Okay if you can't tell her, then I will." Uncle Levent smirked.
"No, don't. Please don't tell her. She will break down if she hears the truth." Uncle Matthews cried.

"She should know the Truth, how her Uncle, just for some money, lied to her. I think she loves Brayden. Will she able to take this that you both have been cheating on my little nephew this whole time? You know you shouldn't have let Brayden know the truth. Now see we are in this mess. But don't worry, even if he knows the truth he won't be able to stop this. But Elif have to do this. Do you understand me? Or else you and Elif, I'll kill you both by my own hands." Uncle Levent threatened him. "One day, you'll have to pay for your evil deeds. I won't tell Elif to do anything. I had ruined her life enough, now if it costs me my life, still I will save her from your dirty tricks." Uncle Matthews retorted. Uncle Levent grabbed him by the neck and pulled him up. "You dare speak like that to me?" Uncle Levent was pressing his neck. I need to stop him or else he will kill him. I thought. I kicked the flower pot beside me and hid behind the statue.

"Who is there?" Uncle Levent shouted. I was palpitating. My hands and feet were turning cold. Uncle Levent came out and looked at both the sides. Unable to see anyone, he turned back to Uncle Matthews' room and spoke "This isn't over yet. Don't try to act Smart. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He warned Uncle Matthews and retreated to his room.

I ran inside Uncle Matthews room. "Uncle, are you okay? What was he talking about? What's this thing that I have to do? Why was he threatening you?" I panicked. "Elif, it was you. My Girl, listen to me okay?" Uncle cried and I nodded shaking. "Tomorrow morning, you will leave this place as fast as you can okay? You will go back to Sister Marissa and never come back. You hear me? I'll tell her to take you away far from here. No one will be able to find you." He said and hugged me tightly. "But Uncle..." I started but couldn't speak out a word.

I woke up the next morning. I had already packed my luggage last night. Uncle Levent left for the Company early. "Elif, you're up?" Uncle Matthews called from outside. "Yeah. I'm coming." I tied my hair in a ponytail and locked my room and went downstairs.

I went inside the kitchen. "You remembered what I said last night, right?" Uncle sounded nervous. I nodded to him. "Good then. I had already called Sister Marissa. She will take you far from here. You will be safe. You don't have to worry about anyone or anything. You're not the one to care about such things. Just live your life as you want." He sobbed. I hugged him.

It was 12 at the noon. I took my bags and for the last time I looked at Brayden's room. "So you're running away, huh? You're such a coward." I turned around to see Brayden, leaning against the wall. "I'm not running away." I denied what was actually the truth. "I don't care though. Do whatever you like. Go and hide wherever you want. Just remember this. I'll hate you until I die." My heart sank by his words. I couldn't meet his gaze. But he was also the one who lied to me. "So you remember, I will forget you too and live happily to my heart's content. Because unlike you, I don't have any hidden ambitions nor I deceived anyone." I looked away and climbed down the stairs.

"Uncle I'm leaving." I bid my  farewell to Uncle. "Live you life. Go, my Child." I felt like crying but not yet. I hugged him. He cried on my shoulders. "Goodbye. Take care." I said and walked out of the Church.

I took a cab from the Town to Hollins. We were going past the Calvin forest when the car stopped with a sudden jolt. "What happened?" I asked the cab driver. "Ma'am, someone came infront of the car." I looked at the front. Uncle Levent was standing there. He walked to my window. "Come out." He commanded. I unlocked my door and stepped outside the car. I took out my purse and paid the taxi fare. "You can go." I said to the cab driver. "So tell me what do you want me to do?" I tried my best to give him the impression that I wasn't scared of him at all.

"You're pretty confident, I see." He smirked. "Come with me. We have some business to talk about." He said and I followed. I had already packed a bottle of pepper spray, and red chilli spray in my purse along with a knife. Safety measures comes handy.

He took me to his car. "Get in." He ordered. "Where are we going?" I asked him. "We are going back. Now stop talking and get in." He threatened me. I quietly got inside his car. He got in too and started driving.

I was silent all the way, clutching my purse to my body. He drove back to Calvin. "Why are you bringing me here?" I asked him. "I told you to sit quietly." I listened to what he said because I wanted to know the truth which only he and Uncle Matthews knew. He drove past the Church and stopped infront of the Davies Mansion. I still couldn't figure out why he brought me here. He stepped out of the car. He opened my door and spoke, "Come out." I stepped out of the car, nervously. He grabbed my hand and dragged me to the mansion. Surprisingly, he also had a spare key to the mansion. He dragged me inside and locked the door behind me. "Why did you bring me here?" I asked him. I was scared to death at that moment, when I stepped inside the mansion.

"I'll tell you. You need to do something for me." He said with a smug look all over his face. "I will do whatever you say but on one condition." I was gathering some courage there. "Condition?" He laughed. "Someone in a position like you, shouldn't be putting forth conditions at least. But anyways, say what's your condition." He said with a challenging tone. "Tell me what you were talking to Uncle Matthews last night? What lies you were talking about?" I asked.

"You want to know? Trust me it's better without you knowing what lies beneath  all this tragedies." My eyes widened in fear. I shouldn't be backing off now, when I'm this near to my answers. "I want to know so tell me." I looked him in the eye and spoke.

"Okay, if you insist then I'll tell but... from where should I start first? When Brayden left Calvin? No...Or when I killed Dad?" My eyes shot up. I shivered. "You killed Brayden's Grandpa?" I blurted out that sentence and it felt like my mind was going to explode anytime now. How can someone kill his own Father? I stared at him in complete shock. He started laughing.

"So, are you scared now?" And honestly, I was. I gulped. "No." I lied.
"Then we shall not waste time and get this task done." His sarcastic voice and devilish smile was making me shiver.  And I still had no clue what task he was talking about.

He climbed up the stairs and I followed. He turned towards the secret room and bent down and pushed the wooden block. The door opened at once. I was flabbergasted. Why would he bring me here? "What are you doing?" I asked and moved back. "Okay, now stop all talkings and come to business." This whole thing was making me crazy. "You lost the key to this door so now you will break that door, bring up the body and burn it down." He finished. I stared at him in disbelief.

"What are you saying? Why would you do that? Are you Crazy?" I freaked out. "You will do whatever I say to you. You owe me. You and your Uncle. It was me who saved you from going to jail." I was losing my mind now. Too many surprises and on the same day.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "When you killed Liam and hid him inside that old house, you could've been arrested for committing such a brutal crime. If it wasn't for me, you won't have lived so peacefully till today. So you will do what I say to you, or else you and your Uncle dies." I froze on my position. "I didn't kill anyone. You're lying. I didn't kill Uncle Liam." I shouted to prove my innocence. "Well who cares if you did it or not. The police could've found your fingerprints and basically you were the only one who was there in the house that day. You had a quarrel with Liam and you stabbed him in a fright. Simple. I'll give my testimony and you will be behind the bars, for your entire life and your Uncle as well for hiding the truth." He laughed and I was horrified. I was crying.

"What did you do?" I stuttered. He laughed. "What did you do?" I yelled. He came closer and whispered in my ears. "I was the one who told Richard about the truth of Brayden's birth." I shivered. I slumped down on the floor.

"How could you do this to him? He was innocent. But he had to suffer for the wrongs which he never did. Why did you do this? I spent my whole life trapped in closed doors because of you. There hasn't been a single night when I slept without having those horrifying nightmares. I cried for days to forget all that I had to see since that day. I blamed myself for their deaths. That day, I was scared. Uncle Liam asked me to run from there. I did but then I returned, just to find him taking his last breath. He asked me to hide the truth from Brayden, I did. I hid his corpse in that house. I was scared to tell anyone. Then, they found his body in the lake." Now everything started to make sense.
"It was you. You knew about that house. You threw his body in the lake. Why? He was your own brother. I lost every happiness of my life because of you people's greed and vengeance. I won't hide it anymore. I will tell Brayden." I was crying badly.

"Ouch. What an emotional story! How pathetic. You want to tell him, then go. Go and tell him." He was still smiling and walking to and fro. I gathered some courage and stood up on my feet, still a bit shaky after all that I heard. "I'll tell Bray-" I couldn't finish and something hard hit me on the back of my head. I felt a throbbing pain in my head. My head felt light, and I fell down on the floor. And then I saw him holding a wooden, walking stick in his hand. My vision started to fade and I began to faint. I wanted to call him but all that came out was a whisper "Brayden..." And soon darkness took over me.

__________________________________________________________________________________