“We need to leave,” Adara whispered, her voice firm despite the terror gripping her heart. “Now.”

"But but Dara-"

"But nothing 'Reti!Grab Soph and let's go,we need to go!"

"But I killed Aunt Argyros! They're gonna find out!" Areti's voice broke, raw with panic and guilt.

Adara's hand clamped over her mouth, her own face pale but determined. “Areti, listen to me. No one will find out. We’ll keep this quiet—for all of us. But if we stay here, they’ll start asking questions. Now go, get Sophoneia. She can't be here when they come looking."

Areti's wide, tear-filled eyes searched Adara's face for any sign of doubt, any indication that this wasn't happening, but Adara’s resolve remained unshaken. She seemed colder, distant, as though a piece of herself had already detached to cope with whatever horror they had witnessed. Finally, Areti nodded, choking back a sob, and rushed to find their younger sister.

I jerked out of the memory—my mother’s memory. I realized that I’d read her words over and over, feeling so immersed that it had played out in my mind as though I’d been there. My hands were clammy, gripping the fragile pages too tightly, the words blurred as my thoughts tumbled in confusion.

What had Areti meant? Had she killed Aunt Argyros, or had it been something more complicated? And why was Mom so adamant about leaving immediately?

The memory's intensity left me shaken. I didn’t have the full story, just these scattered fragments from my mother’s younger years. But it was clear that this went far beyond family secrets or misunderstandings—whatever had happened had changed everything for them. And they’d kept it hidden from the rest of us for so long.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself and continued reading, my curiosity now burning with a new intensity.

"Okay Yuki,new goal,you need to get info with aunt 'Reti."I tell myself,maybe maybe I should send her a letter,okay let's continue reading this diary.

Adara left with her sisters,Sophoneia didn't get it and Areti was in tears.

The night was silent except for their hurried footsteps on the gravel path. Sophoneia’s confused voice broke the tension, her small hand gripping Adara’s tightly. “Where are we going, Dara? Why is Areti crying?”

Adara forced herself to stay calm, even as her own heart pounded with a mixture of fear and desperation. “It’s okay, Soph. We just need to go somewhere safe, somewhere we can… regroup.” Her voice wavered only slightly, but she squeezed Sophoneia’s hand, grounding both of them in that brief moment.

Areti stumbled a few steps ahead, choking on her sobs as she clutched her arms around herself. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, Dara,” she whispered, her voice almost lost in the darkness. “I just wanted her to stop… pushing us, tearing us apart.”

Adara’s face softened for just a moment, her usual steeliness cracking. She stopped, pulling both sisters into a tight embrace. “Listen to me, ‘Reti, Sophoneia. No matter what happens next, we have to stick together. No one else can know about this. If we stay strong, we can make it through. But we leave tonight—understood?”

Areti nodded, wiping her face and steadying herself, while Sophoneia simply clung tighter, her confusion still unbroken by any understanding of the night’s events.

Back in the library, I closed my eyes, processing what I’d just read. Adara had known something—something terrible. She had taken charge, hidden whatever happened, and protected her sisters. But why? And what did Aunt Argyros do that had left them so desperate to escape?

I took out a notepad and jotted down the diary’s details. I’d write Aunt Areti, but not a letter she could ignore. No, this time, I’d ask her everything and hint at what I knew.