913

Introduction: "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains." Thus said Jean-Jacques Rousseau long ago, perhaps unaware that his words would be immortalized to describe a reality even harsher than he imagined. In this phrase, the truth trembles and screams: even those born free are chained before they learn to speak, their wings broken while they were still crawling. This is not a superhero novel, nor a love story with a happy ending. This is a different kind of story... It is the cry of a raped childhood, a stifled scream inside a small chest that was never meant to scream. It is a life-sized betrayal, and a hope that has remained suspended in the ceiling of pain for twenty years. It is the story of "Maron," a child who could have lived a normal life, run after the butterflies of the fields, and fall asleep in his mother's arms, reassured. But that was not granted to him. Instead of stories, he listened to his rapist's footsteps. Instead of hugs, he received chains. Instead of dreaming, he learned to be silent... in order to survive. This novel is not just to be read, but to be felt. Perhaps it will awaken a conscience, remind a heart, and move a person. Perhaps one of you, whoever you are, will realize that behind every silence... there is unspeakable suffering. In this story, the tragedy begins not from the moment of kidnapping, but from the moment of abandonment. A child is not broken when he is hurt, but when he is handed over. And here, the story begins... Chapter One: The First Shock In an old neighborhood, where the walls breathe misery and the alleys complain of hunger, there was a small family trying to survive in silence, as if they didn't want to disturb anyone with their presence. Their home wasn't big enough for dreams, but it embraced something more precious than money: some love, some longing, and a lot of patience. The mother worked as a maid for a wealthy family, bowing daily out of respect for her work, not humiliation. She tried to steal time to prepare food for her two children, Aram and Maroun, before leaving before sunrise and returning after sunset with back pain and aching soul. As for the father... he was present in body but absent in mind. He was seized by addiction, and spent the little money the family had on drugs and gambling tables, where he always lost and returned angry at everything... even his children. Aram, the eldest son, was still seven years old, yet he felt like the man of the house. He cleaned cars in the streets, running after the loaves of bread that evaded him every time, and yet... he smiled at his five-year-old brother Maroun, who hadn't yet realized that life wasn't what mothers told us before bed. Maroun was a different child. Beautiful, as if he were something of heaven, and calm, as if pain had been living within him since his cradle. He didn't speak much, and if he felt afraid, he would run to hug whoever was in front of him, even if they were strangers. That was his only way to feel safe. One day, fear came in a new form... in the form of a high fever that attacked his small body. His temperature rose, his chest trembled, his mother cried, and his father remained silent. They took him to a barely functioning government hospital, where they waited a long time, but no one came. The situation was alarming, and they didn't have enough money to buy medicine, or even to ride an ambulance. And then... a man appeared. His name would be a curse that would haunt them: "Ramo." He looked wealthy, elegant, and polite. He spoke to his mother in a polished tone and said that he would cover all of Maroun's treatment, but that he had a proposal... not a condition: adopt him. He said: “The child needs special care. If he remains in these conditions, he could suffer serious complications. I have the ability, the space, and the desire to save him. All I ask is that you never visit him or contact him again, so he can begin a new life without psychological distress.” His words seemed logical to those exhausted by poverty, but inside they carried something beyond logic… something closer to hell. The mother cried a lot, not just from weakness, but from terror… She knew something was wrong, but when hunger knocks, it shuts down the mind. Aram vehemently refused. “Maron is not for sale!” he shouted, trembling, but the father rebuked him, and the mother tried to calm him down. In the end… Aram agreed, not out of conviction, but out of fear of seeing his brother die in his arms. In the evening, it was time to say goodbye. Maroun didn't understand everything that was happening, but his wide eyes were brimming with fear, and his small hands refused to let go of Aram's. He hugged him tightly and said, "My brother... don't let them take me..." Aram replied, swallowing back his tears, "I'll bring you back when I grow up... I promise you, we won't be separated." Then Maroun asked, "How will you recognize me when I grow up?" Aram smiled despite the tears and whispered, "Your eyes, Maroun, are like those of a gazelle... no one else in the world has anything like them. Everything grows in a person... except their eyes." Then his mother came, knelt in front of him, and clasped his small hands in her trembling ones: "My little one... when you feel pain, I will feel you. If you scream, I will hear you. Don't be afraid... if someone hurts you, I will know... and I will come." The sun was setting sadly, as if it was saying goodbye to Maroun as well. In a moment when tears mingled with pain, Aram extended his hand to his brother, held it firmly, and said to his mother: “I’ll take him myself…” She didn’t argue with him, because she saw something in his eyes she’d never seen before… a little man dying inside, but fighting for his brother. The two walked hand in hand. Maroun didn’t say anything, but he was breathing heavily, as if his heart was contracting with every step. When they reached the top of the street, Ramo was standing there by his car, smiling a stiff, devoid of warmth. Aram stood in front of him, as if trying to hide his brother behind his small body, then said in a trembling voice: “Please… take care of him. He’s all I have.” “He’ll be fine,” Ramo replied, eerily calm. “I’ll treat him like my own son.” Then he leaned toward Maroun and extended his hand, but Maroun didn’t move. He stared at the man's face as if his heart rejected him, as if something inside him was saying: This is not a home, this is a door from which there is no return. Ramo grabbed his hand tightly and walked with him. Maroun quickly turned and looked at Aram. His eyes were pleading, pleading, and his small hand extended behind him, as if begging him not to leave him. Aram's eyes welled up with tears, but he stood silently. He simply raised his hand and waved slowly... then he broke. The car drove away, leaving Aram standing like a statue A little boy collapsing from within. ** Maroun entered another world, a silent, cold world, too vast to embrace. Their first stop was an upscale neighborhood, with elegant streets and green gardens. There, Ramo stopped the car, got out, and turned to face Maroun. “Stay here, I’ll be back in a moment.” But Maroun didn’t wait. The moment the man closed the door, Maroun opened his other door and ran… He ran as if his life depended on it. ** As he ran, he saw a little girl, roughly his age, standing alone in front of a house. Their eyes met, and before she could speak, he threw himself into her arms, hugging her tightly. She was surprised, but she didn’t move away… Instead, she cried. That little girl had experienced an unbearable tragedy. Her mother had committed suicide in front of her a few days earlier, and from that moment on, she had fallen silent. She no longer spoke a word. Doctors treated her, her grandmother spoke to her, her father tried to cheer her up... but nothing worked. She needed something simple... something adults wouldn't think about: A hug. She hugged Maroun tightly, as if she were hugging herself, her past, her pain. In her arms, a single word echoed from his lips: - "Scared... I'm scared..." The little girl raised her head, placed her hands on his cheeks, and then kissed his forehead... just as her mother did when she was scared. ** At that moment, Ramo returned, furious, shouting his name, approaching with heavy steps. Maroun trembled and stepped back, but the little girl stood in front of him, extending her arms to protect him. Ramo shouted at her: "Go away!" He pushed her roughly, gripping Maroun tightly, making him scream silently, while the little girl cried out: - "He's scared! He's scared!" But no one heard her. No one cared. ** He led him to an isolated place. A place that didn't resemble a house...more like a cemetery. A huge, silent palace surrounded by barren lands, and on the opposite hill...a large, solitary tree, swaying in the wind as if it were screaming. He entered the palace and closed the door behind him. And from here... The real story began. Maroun's suffering began... And his long struggle to stay alive began. Chapter Two: The Return After Twenty Years The years passed painfully slowly. Each year was not just a number, but a curse added to Aram's chest. He felt his heart freeze at that moment, the day he handed his little brother over to a man he didn't know, with all his excuses... "poverty." The family hadn't forgotten Maroun, he thought. Only a year after his absence, his father won for the first time at gambling, winning a lot of money. This ridiculous paradox, which came too late, healed no one. Their financial situation improved, but one thing remained missing: Maroun. They searched everywhere for him, knocked on every door, but Ramou... was a mirage, without a real name, without an address. It was as if the child had dissolved into thin air, evaporated from the world. Aram grew up carrying the promise he had made in front of their house, in front of the sky, in front of his brother's tears: "I will bring you back... no matter how long it takes." He studied hard and entered the investigations department, not out of love for the law, but because every missing child file might lead him to Maroun. Every child they found revived his hope, and every child they didn't find... was a new stab in the back. ** And elsewhere in the city, there was another heart searching. Ren. A girl in her mid-twenties, calm on the surface, but inside, a hurricane of untold memories. Rin had lost her mother in a tragic accident. They said she committed suicide... but they didn't say Rin was there, that she saw everything. From that day on, the nights were no longer safe for her, and smiling bodies no longer convinced her. But what was most painful was not the loss of her mother... but the loss of the moment that changed her life forever. When she was five years old, she saw a little boy being led by the hand toward a black car, crying, pleading, not even knowing who was in front of him... and then he disappeared. But before he could be taken away, he hugged her. Yes... a strange child, who didn't know her, with whom she hadn't exchanged words, but he... hugged her. And that hug... haunted her for twenty years. She lived with the sound of that hug. She asked herself: Who is he? Is he still alive? Does he remember her as she remembers him? ** That's why she chose investigations. She chose the most difficult case... the case of the kidnapped children. Among the files, she searched for his eyes, his face, that name she wasn't sure of... but she believed in it. ** And one day, their paths crossed. Aram and Rin, in the same office. They didn't know each other, but fate had begun to chart the first step toward the truth. - "What case are you working on?" = "A case of child abduction... human trafficking." - "Why this case in particular?" She was silent for a moment, then took a photo out of her bag. It was a picture of her when she was five, sitting next to a child smiling shyly on the sidewalk. The scene was ordinary, but the eyes spoke volumes. = "Because I'm looking for him... His name is Maroun. He was kidnapped twenty years ago." The photo fell from Aram's hand. His expression froze. - "Maroun...? These are your eyes, Maroun... these are your eyes...!" He gasped and took a step back, tears streaming unbidden. - "This is my brother... this is my brother! I'm the one who gave him to that man... I'm the one who handed him over with my own hands!" Rine couldn't believe it. A moment when all her doubts became reality. All the pain she'd lived through, finally known by a name: Maroun. ** But fate wasn't content with surprises. That same night, Rine received a call from her neighbor. - "A young man was dumped outside your door. We don't know who he is, but he looks in bad shape. He's only wearing pants, and his body is covered in wounds." She ran, without thinking. On the way, she called an ambulance, her heart pounding as if life was about to rearrange its chapters. ** When she arrived, the night was still, and the neighborhood was silent. But at the doorstep, she saw him. A young man in his early twenties, his body thin and worn, bearing signs of accumulated torture, and… a clear burn on his lower back. She ran towards him, knelt down, touched him… he was alive. She looked into his face, his eyes closed… but something in his features made her heart tremble. Is this… him? ** At the hospital, the doctor examined him, then said: “These marks aren’t new. He’s been tortured since childhood… and this burn? Very old.” Ren was in denial, not wanting to hope too much, but she felt it was him. She asked the doctor to stay by his side, and held up her sleeve Her wish came true. "I don't know who he is, but I feel like he's the most important thing in my life." ** After hours of waiting... He woke up. He screamed first. Then he started shaking, ran towards her, and hugged her tightly. He said it in a hoarse voice, tinged with terror: "I'm scared... scared... don't send me to them." She couldn't speak. Then... he pulled away a little, looked straight into her eyes, as if something inside him knew the truth. He said: "I was sent to kill you... but I'm not a killer. I just... I want to save the children... please, help me." "Who are you?" "My name is... Maron." Ren's breathing quickened, but she held herself together. Her body shook inside, and her heart nearly stopped. That word alone was enough to make twenty years of waiting fall away in one fell swoop, but she showed nothing. She lowered her eyes slightly and answered in a soft tone, as if comforting him without revealing her own distress: “Thank you for telling me.” She didn’t tell him anything. She didn’t tell him that she knew him, or that she had a picture of him from childhood, or that his name echoed in her memory whenever she slept. She didn’t tell him that she suffered whenever she felt sudden, unexplained pain in her body, nor did she reveal the secret of the embrace that remained warm in her memory despite the harshness of the days. It wasn’t the right time. She said to him gently: “Maron, what happened to you is not your fault. You will not be held accountable for what was imposed on you. But from today, you will not be alone.” He sat silently in a corner of the room, trying to understand whether what he was experiencing was real or a vague dream. His eyes were still filled with fear, and his exhausted body spoke a language only those who had experienced shackles could understand. Rin said quietly as she stood up, "I'll prepare the room for you to sleep a little. You can stay here as long as you like. This house is safe." He nodded without saying anything. As soon as he entered his room, he stretched out on the bed, but he couldn't close his eyes. Darkness was an enemy lurking around him, and the closer he got to sleep, the more the shadows of those who had violated him emerged from his memory. ** In the middle of the night, while Rin was in her room, she heard the sound of something hitting the floor. She hurried to the kitchen, where she found it. Maron was sitting on the floor, a broken glass beside him, his body trembling. He was cradling his head in his hands, rocking back and forth as if experiencing an endless moment of terror. She approached him slowly, sat down in front of him, and whispered gently, "Maron... is something wrong with you?" He didn't reply. He repeated fragmented words: “Sorry... sorry... I won’t do it again... sorry...” She took his hand, placed it between her palms, and said: “You’re safe. Nothing here to scare you.” He raised his eyes to hers, his eyes welling with tears, then muttered in a trembling voice: “I can’t sleep... If I close my eyes... they’ll come.” She asked quietly, despite the trembling in her chest: “Who?” He whispered the words that pierced her heart like a spear: “The rapists.” She was silent for a few seconds, holding on tightly so she wouldn’t collapse, then replied with gentle firmness: “Maron... as long as I’m by your side, no one will come near you. I promise you that.” He looked at her with childish hope and asked: - "Will you stay by my side tonight? Until I fall asleep..." - "I will stay until you feel secure and fall asleep. And I won't leave you." ** He returned with her to the room, stretched out quietly on the bed, while she sat on the chair next to him, held his hand, and ran her fingers through his hair very gently. He sighed and closed his eyes for the first time without resisting. He fell asleep... his face at rest. As for her, she continued to look at him with tearful eyes and murmured in a voice that only she could hear: - "Was it you? Who's pain have I felt all these years? Who's pain have I woken up terrified about every night?" ** As morning came, Maroun opened his eyes to find her hand still holding his. He couldn't believe it at first, but when he turned to see her awake, he smiled for the first time. He said in a low voice, "You're the first person who made a promise and didn't break it." Blaine replied, "And that's another promise... I won't leave you, as long as you need me." She stood up quietly, then looked into his eyes and said, "I want us to go somewhere together. Trust me... I won't hurt you." He nodded, not knowing where she was taking him, but he felt something strange in her voice... a warmth unlike anything he'd ever known before. ** She led him to the back garage of the police station. She asked him to wait by the wall, and said, "I won't be long. Just wait for me here." He stood there, still, his eyes wandering, his soul oscillating between fear and questioning. ** Ren sent a message to Aram: "Back garage. Important. Come alone." In the corner near the wall, Maron stood as Rin had asked him to, his head lowered, his hands clasped in front of his chest, as if preparing for something he didn't know. He didn't know what awaited him, and no one had told him. All he knew was that something in his heart was pounding with anxiety, the cause of which he didn't know. ** Aram arrived at the scene with quick steps, his heart racing. He didn't know what the "urgent matter" Rin had mentioned was, but something inside him told him: Today is not ordinary. He looked around until his eyes fell on that thin young man, standing motionless. Something familiar... something approaching a memory. He approached slowly, his eyes staring into the young man's face, and the closer he got, the more agitated he became. And the moment their eyes met... Maron shuddered. An old scream erupted in his chest. A heavy memory buried for years returned mercilessly. He took a step back, then fell to the ground, covered his ears with his hands, and began to scream: “Don’t leave me… I was screaming… I was screaming so much… Why didn’t you hear me?!” Rin immediately ran to him, sat beside him, and hugged him as if trying to close a twenty-year gap. As for Aram, he stood there, stunned. Tears pooled in his eyes, his hands trembling as if refusing to believe. Maroun raised his head, looked at his brother with a broken, defeated expression, and then said: “Brother… don’t go… don’t leave me again…” Just then, Aram moved, ran toward him, knelt on the ground, and embraced him with all his longing and guilt. He hugged him as if he were giving him back an entire life that had been forcibly stolen from him. The embrace was silent, but more powerful than any words. Tears flowed, no shame, no hesitation, just a pure sense of belonging, betrayal, and return. ** The echo of that moment rang through Ren's mind as she watched the scene, her heart trembling, as if she were witnessing it A slow restoration of the heart of a man who had almost lost everything. She didn't say a word, and she didn't need to. The meeting alone was enough. ** Maroun remained silent after the embrace, looking at the ground, then at Ren, then at Aram, as if he still couldn't believe that moment was real. Between the silence and the tears, every light in the room went out, except for a tiny ray of light that began to shine in the depths of the pain... That light was a name: Maroun... who returned. After Maroun calmed down a little, he raised his head toward Aram and said in a low, barely audible voice: "I want to go with her... alone." Aram looked at him, a look of surprise on his face, and then he was about to speak, but Maroun quickly added: "I'm going to tell her something... that I can't tell you now." A brief silence fell, a mixture of embarrassment and sadness, but Aram didn't press him. He nodded in agreement, despite the longing that filled him, then placed his hand on his brother's shoulder and said calmly, "As you wish... I'll be waiting for you whenever you need me." Maroun gave a brief smile, then slowly stood up, turning to Rin, who was silently observing the situation. She looked at him gently and opened the car door without speaking. He got in next to her, and she closed the door behind him. She drove off, leaving Aram standing there, watching her walk away, his heart clinging to words yet to be said. ** On the way back, they didn't exchange many words. Rin drove quietly, her mind preoccupied with what her heart might hear shortly. Maroun sat silently beside her, staring at the road as if trying to weave enough of the darkness to tell his story. He knew the time had come to tell the story... But he had no idea how much pain would be released when he spoke. ** Chapter Three: A Painful Past When the door closed behind Maron in Ren's house, he didn't feel like he had entered a home... but rather a temporary space of safety, one he feared would be taken from him as everything else had been before. Ren sat on the edge of the sofa and gently gestured for him to sit. He nodded silently and sat down, his back hunched, his eyes unsteady, and every fiber of his being speaking of ancient fear. Finally, after a long silence, he said: “I want to tell you what happened... everything... just don't interrupt me.” Ren nodded, her heart trembling without showing on her face. ** He began in a low voice: “The man who took me from my family… wasn’t what they thought. He wasn’t a savior, he was just a middleman… affiliated with a dark organization called the Black Organization.” “An organization that specialized in kidnapping or buying children… then torturing, raping, selling, or even killing them.” “They treated us like commodities, displaying us on websites in the digital dark. Our suffering was filmed and sold to criminals… who saw us as nothing more than tools to feed their sickness.” ** Ren covered her mouth with a hand, but didn’t speak. It was as if her voice was choking her, but she kept her gaze fixed on his. Maroun continued: “Even the doctor who told my family I needed long-term care… wasn’t just a doctor, but a member of the organization. His mission was to prolong the children’s lives long enough to exploit them further.” “Each child had a number… no name, no identity.” "I was taken to a huge palace, surrounded by empty lands. Its quiet wasn't peace... but rather preparation for a slaughter whose screams no one could hear." "At the top of the hill was a large tree... which had witnessed many deaths." ** "On the first night, the so-called 'Grand Master' came and asked Rameau to film everything that would happen. He stripped me, raped me... then beat me until I couldn't breathe, then threw me into the cellar." ** He lowered his head, as if weighed down by shame. He said: "I wasn't the only one there... the cellar was filled with crying, silent voices. Children don't always scream... because they're used to not being heard." "Then one day, a mute child, no older than three, was brought to me. He was clean, untouched, and they placed him in front of me." "They wanted me to be jealous... to hate him. But he approached me scared. I felt like he was like me. When he was scared, I hugged him. When he was hungry, I gave him my food." "They wanted me to turn into a monster... but I remained human." ** "One day, the old master suddenly entered, carrying a plastic bottle filled with caustic liquid. He approached, and I ran to hug the child... He poured the substance on my back, and the skin burned..." "I screamed in pain, but not at myself... at him." "Then they dragged the child and me, blindfolded us, and led us to another room." "When they removed the blindfold, I saw the child tied to a cold bed, with the doctor standing over him, holding a scalpel... Then he began to cut open his stomach without anesthesia." "He was in pain... but he didn't scream... because he couldn't." "The master told me, 'This is what happens when you try to defend someone.'" "I never slept again." ** Rin froze, her eyes welling up. She wanted to get up… to scream… but she just held on to his hand. ** Maron continued: “After that, they sometimes took us out to clean the palace… Once, a seven-year-old boy accidentally broke a plate, because he was so hungry and dizzy.” “They didn’t forgive him. He was taken away, stripped by the lord’s men, and then tied to the tree at the top of the hill.” “The night was bitterly cold… he froze to death by dawn.” ** Maron covered his face with his palms and said: “Sometimes I wished… I were a dog. Yes, a dog.” “They fed the dog well… played with it, petted it. As for us… we were chained.” "One day, they put a dog collar around my neck and tied me up with another child. They told us to crawl, to bark… to eat scraps." "They called me a number… not a name." ** Rin breathed heavily. “But you survived,” she said, trying to pull him out of the maze. He shook his head, then said, “I endured everything… to see her.” I looked at him, and he said, “The girl who hugged me when I was on the run… I didn’t know her, but I felt like I belonged to her.” “Every time I was beaten, I imagined hugging her.” “Every night I was raped, I recalled the warmth of her embrace.” “She saved me… with a hug.” ** Rin wanted to say, “It’s me!” But she kept quiet. If he confessed, let it be conscious, not accidental. ** Maroun looked at her shirt and suddenly asked: “What does this number mean?” 913?" She looked at him, then smiled sadly, and said, “It’s my favorite number. In numerology, 913 refers to a guardian angel.” “And when you add it up, 9+1+3=13, which is my lucky number.” “And in the world of love… it’s said that it indicates that the person we love has a name that begins with the letter M.” He looked at her for a long time, silent, but didn’t comment. ** Rin was silent, then stood up, and said, “I’ll bring you a warm drink.” Stay here." As she moved toward the door... the bell rang. She opened the door. No one was there. But she found a small box lying on the floor. She picked it up and looked at it... On it was written: "All that belongs to Maron." ** Her heart trembled. She looked at it, then at the box... And the night around her grew heavier than ever. Chapter Four: The Second Shock The sky was overcast with dark clouds when Rin went out to check for knocking, but she found no one. But she noticed a small box lying on her doorstep, written in elegant script: "All that belongs to Maron." Her fingers trembled as she picked it up. A chill ran down her spine. How had this package arrived now? At this precise moment? Who knew Maron was here? Or who would dare send something with that address without being detected? She hid The package in her coat, she glanced at Maroun, who was sitting silently in the next room, then walked out the back door, her heart pounding as if he were running on his own. ** She knocked on Aram's door quickly. He opened it, his face showing confusion: - "Ren? What's...?" She interrupted him as she walked right in: - "No time. This package was placed in front of my house. It says: 'Everything that belongs to Maroun.'" She placed it on the table and took off her coat. His mother, hearing their conversation, emerged from the next room, her face filled with instinctive concern: - "What's going on? What's this box?" Aram said calmly, nervously: - "Mother, please, sit down." We have to see what's inside." ** Aram opened the box slowly, as if afraid it might swallow them. Inside, there was a small memory card, some tattered papers, and an old, faded photo of a child in a children's hospital. He took the card, inserted it into his laptop, and they all sat in a circle of weary silence. The card opened, revealing several folders labeled Maroun's name and numbered videos dated back twenty years. ** Aram clicked on the first clip... A small child, no more than five years old, appeared, stripped of his clothes, being dragged along the floor by his arm. He cried silently, unable to resist. Then a burly man appeared, his face familiar... his features clearly defined. Their eyes were fixed on the screen... Rine gasped, and the mother put her hand over her mouth, her chest rising and falling in astonishment. But Rine... was looking at the man, not the child. His eyes... His voice… his appearance… She whispered in a choked voice: “This is impossible…” ** The clips continued: Maroun being raped, flogged, whipped, forced to watch children being tortured in front of him, left for hours in a dark basement. In one of the clips, the man’s voice was clearly heard saying: “Ramo, film this scene… I’ll send the clip to the next client. Let him see how obedient this child is.” ** Suddenly, Ren put her hand over her mouth and stood up: “No… that voice… no… no…” She fell to her knees, her breath ragged, her face pale: “No… it’s him… it’s him!!” Aram asked her as he approached: “Who? Who do you mean?” She raised her head to him and cried out in a state of collapse: “It’s my father!” "Mr.... the big one... is my father!!" Silence fell. Mother froze, and Aram didn't know what to say. Rin sat on the floor crying, repeating: "How? How?!" They said he left us… They said he traveled and never came back… They didn't say he was… a demon!!" ** Her mother approached her, sat next to her, and placed her hand on her shoulder: - "You didn't know… and it's not your fault." Ren said, sobbing bitterly: - "This is who I've been searching for my whole life… I thought I'd find him, not that I was chasing him…" ** After Ren realized the terrifying truth and collapsed in Aram's house, she couldn't help but quickly get up and wipe away her tears. She said in a trembling voice: - "Maroun is alone now… I have to go to him immediately before anything else happens." Aram nodded to her, but she could barely hear him. She left, feeling like time was running out, and her heart was about to explode from shock and guilt. ** She entered the house and found Maroun just as she had left him, sitting on the floor, leaning on The wall, his head bowed. She approached him, knelt in front of him, slowly lifted his head, and said, “Maron… I’ve come.” He didn’t look at her directly, but said quietly, “Now you know, don’t you?” She nodded without replying. He said, fighting back tears, “I don’t want revenge… I just want… the children to live.” ** Ren considered him for a moment, then whispered, “Do… you want to see her?” He asked hesitantly, “Who?” She said gently, “Your mother…” He turned his head suddenly, looking at her with eyes filled with awe, hope, and fear. He asked, his voice almost sobbing, “Is… she still alive?” Ren smiled and nodded, “Yes, and she’s waiting to see you.” ** She held his hand and helped him stand. His body was swaying with fatigue and weakness, but he walked with her, step by step, his eyes fixed on the ground. ** They arrived at Aram's house. Rine said, "I'll go in first... Just stay here for a few minutes, then come back." She went in and told Aram and his mother that Maroun was outside. Aram said, "I'll go out and greet him." But Rine shook her head. "No... This moment should be hers alone." ** Minutes later, the door opened slowly... Maroun entered. His body was trembling, his breathing ragged, and his eyes darting around as if he couldn't believe he was in this place. Then he saw her... ** His mother stood in the middle of the room, looking at him as if he were a miracle. Maroun stopped, unable to move a single step. The mother looked at him, tears streaming down her face, then said in a trembling voice: “When you feel pain… I will feel you…” ** The mother’s body trembled, and her chest heaved with sobs. He took a step closer. He said: “And if you scream… I will hear you…” “Don’t be afraid, my little one…” ** Maroun cried out In a choked voice: “I screamed so much… Why didn’t you hear me?!” The mother ran to him, hugged him tightly ,She broke down in tears. ** He said, collapsing in her arms: “I was in so much pain… They hurt me, Mom… and no one came… Why didn’t you feel me?!” ** She hugged him and whispered: “I prayed for you every day… every night… I never forgot you for a single moment…” ** He looked at Rin and said, his voice soaked with tears: “She’s the only one… who felt me every time I was in pain…” Rin nodded, crying silently, and said to herself: “We were two souls in pain together… and we didn’t know.” After the touching moment of their meeting, Rin asked Aram to accompany her to the police station to complete the procedures and report the matter to the police. Looking at Maroun, she said: “We must act now… There are details that must be recorded, otherwise we could lose everything.” Aram agreed and looked at his mother: “Mother… don’t let him go out, and don’t open the door for anyone… please.” The mother shook her head, her eyes still tearful from the encounter: “I won’t leave him again.” ** Aram and Ren left for the police station, thinking Maroun was safe. But little did they know… the danger wasn’t outside; it was already at the door. ** Several hours after they left, deep in the night, a loud knock was heard on the door. The mother trembled and rushed over, expecting that Aram or Ren had returned. She opened the door cautiously… And there stood the Grand Master, followed by several armed men in black. The mother trembled and tried to close the door, but one of the men rushed in, grabbed her, put his hand over her mouth, and pulled her inside. ** The Master entered slowly, staring coldly at Maron, who had left the room upon hearing the commotion. He froze… Then he said in a hoarse voice: “Please… don’t hurt my mother… I’ll do whatever you ask, just… don’t hurt her.” The Master smiled condescendingly: “Then let the punishment begin.” He looked at his men: “Untie the woman, let him see her receive his punishment.” Then he addressed Maron: “Take off your shirt.” Maron hesitated, but obeyed. He said: “Sit there… by the wall. Your punishment tonight: the belt of fire. And if you make any noise… your mother will be killed in front of you.” ** Maron sat on the floor, leaning his back against the wall, his eyes welling with tears, but he didn’t scream… he didn’t speak. ** The first lash fell... then the second... then the third... His back began to turn from white to red... then to dark blue. Every muscle in him trembled, but he remained silent. ** Then his body began to sway... And suddenly... he fainted. The master ordered one of his men to bring a bucket of cold water and pour it over his body. He woke up convulsively. ** The master approached, took out a small knife, and slashed the side of his neck, a long wound. It wasn't deep, but it bled profusely. He said in a low voice, "This is our message. If you try to talk... your brother will be next." Then he ordered his men to take all the remaining papers and all the equipment, and burned them later. ** They left. The mother ran to her son, who was lying on the ground, his neck bleeding, his back torn by the whips. She hugged him, sobbing hoarsely: - "... Forgive me... Forgive me, my little one..." ** At that moment, the home phone rang. The mother picked up the shaky phone; it was Aram on the line. She answered in a broken voice: - "Aram... They attacked us... They almost killed him!" ** Maroun was taken to the hospital minutes after Aram and Ren arrived. His body was teetering between life and fainting, blood still flowing from his neck, and his back was lacerated with skin. Aram sat in the ambulance, holding his brother's hand and repeating: - "I'm here... I won't leave you anymore." ** In the emergency room, Maroun entered the treatment room. Ren stood by the door, looking through the glass, her eyes filled with panic, guilt, and confusion. An hour later, the doctor came out and said: “The wounds have been treated, and the neck wound wasn’t deep, but…” He was silent for a moment, then continued: “But what’s worrying… is that he’s not speaking.” Aram asked him: “Has he lost his ability to speak?” The doctor replied: “No. His vocal cords are completely intact. But… he clearly doesn’t feel safe enough to speak. This is a silence resulting from shock, not from an organic injury.” ** Rine asked permission to see him. The doctor nodded. She entered the room quietly. The lighting was dim, and Maroun’s body was covered in bandages. He sat leaning against the bed, his eyes open, staring at the wall, unblinking. ** She approached him and sat down on the chair next to him. He didn’t move. He didn’t look at her. He didn’t respond to her presence. ** She gently placed her hand on his. He didn't pull it away, but he didn't grab it either. She whispered, "I'm here, Maron... I won't leave you." A long moment of silence passed. Then his body began to tremble slightly. A tear slipped from his right eye. Ren looked at him and whispered, "It's okay... Don't talk. I'll hear you in your silence." She held his hand tighter. She leaned closer and kissed his forehead. ** That scene was as if twenty years of pain were condensed into a single touch. Maron sat silently, but his eyes said it all. He closed his eyes then, quietly... and fell asleep. Rin sat next to him, put her hand in his hair, and remained awake… whispering to herself: - "You were the voice that resided inside me… Since childhood… I heard your screams, but I couldn't understand their source." Chapter Five: 913 After hours of surveillance and analysis, the police were able to reach Rin's father, known as "The Big Master." He was taken to the police station amid tight security, while Rin followed the news from inside the hospital, her eyes constantly fixed on Maroun's closed room door. ** Aram, who had returned from the initial investigation, told her: - "They arrested him… Now it's up to the court." She asked him, staring at the ground: - "Did they find any evidence in the palace?" He shook his head sadly: - "Unfortunately… no. The palace he was taken from is not the one Maroun described." It seemed like it was just a facade, devoid of anything to incriminate him." ** She wasn't surprised. In fact, it made her more concerned, because she knew her father's malice all too well. - "He hid everything... just as he hid me from the world." ** A trial date was set, and charges were announced against him, but without solid evidence, the case wasn't strong enough. On the day of the trial, Ren entered the courtroom Accompanied by Maroun's mother, they sat together, their hearts groaning under the weight of the possibilities. As for Aram, he remained in the hospital next to his brother, fearing he would be left alone again. ** The judge stood and announced the decision: - "Due to insufficient evidence and the absence of a direct witness to the crimes attributed to the accused, the court declares the accused innocent and releases him." ** Rine gasped and jumped up: - "Noooo!!! This is unfair! There are hundreds of children who...!" But her voice was drowned out by the whispers of the court. Her father came out, walked directly toward her, stood in front of her, smiled sarcastically, and whispered: - "Look who you tried to break..." She slapped him away and walked away, almost choking with bitterness. ** After the trial, Rine returned to the hospital. She entered the room and found Maroun still silent. ** She sat down next to him and said in a broken voice: “He went free… He wasn’t tried… Your screams, nor the screams of those who died, were not heard… Forgive me…” He didn’t answer, but tears trickled from beneath his closed eyelids. ** Ren left the room, then returned an hour later carrying a small bag and a box containing a flammable substance. That night, she didn’t go home. But to the palace. Her father’s palace. ** She found him there, sitting alone, as if he’d been waiting for her. “I knew you’d come,” he said without getting up. She pulled the weapon from the bag and pointed at him: “Get up…” ** She led him up the hill, where that dry tree stood, the tree of death. She tied him to it and poured the caustic substance over him. She said, her eyes blazing: “That child… froze to death because you tied him up here. You… will die from burning.” ** She lit the fire. He screamed, but no one saved him. He burned like everyone else, but this time… the scene wasn’t recorded. ** Rine returned to the hospital and entered Maron’s room. He was asleep, but his eyes moved when he felt her presence. She approached, sat at his head, and said: “You’ve got your rights. He’s dead. The criminal is dead.” ** He kissed her hand, without saying a word. His eyes said it all. ** Then she got up, turned herself in to the police, confessed everything, and said: “Yes… I killed him. And I’m not sorry.” ** She was taken to prison. The next morning, she was scheduled to be executed by firing squad for crimes against the state. ** Rine stood in the square, bound, her head held high, receiving insults from passersby without looking at them. At that moment, Aram was holding Maron, saying: “You can still save her… Speak up.” But Maron… remained silent. ** Until he had a strange vision… The mute child who had died came to him, took his hand, and gently pulled him along. Then he ran toward Rine… He stood in front of her, extending his arms to protect her, just as she had once done for him. ** Behind her, he saw the spirits of the children who had died… All of them stood guard over her. Maron got up from his seat and ran toward the square. ** He shouted for the first time in ages: “Stop!” ** He took off his shirt and turned his back to them: “Do you see these scars? These are the work of her father. He’s the one who raped me when I was five. He’s the one who killed the mute child in front of me. He’s the one who tied up a child until he froze to death. She… Rin… didn’t kill him for herself… she saved your children!” ** The people fell silent. Their gazes changed. Then the voices of the people began to rise, demanding Rin’s retrial. ** Maroun raised his head to the sky… his eyes welling with tears. It was as if he could feel the spirits of the children embracing him. The End.