Until You Could Stay (Book TWO)

BOOK TWO — CHAPTER 1: THE LAST BREATH

CASSIA

Tomorrow would mark one year.

One year ago, when Charles asked me to be his girlfriend, I didn’t answer right away.

Because I wanted to see that confident expression on his face for just a little longer.

“Are you sure?” he’d asked.

“About what?”

“That you want to be with me.”

“I don’t know. Let me think about it.”

He’d raised his eyebrows.

“Cassia.”

“Charles.”

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I.”

Then I laughed.

And kissed him.

That had been my answer.

Now, every time I remembered that moment, something tightened in my chest.

I picked up my phone.

I opened our last messages again.

Two months ago.

Sixty-one days.

During our last conversation, Charles’s voice had sounded different. I’d heard some noise in the background.

“Charles, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, beautiful. I’ll call you later.”

“Are you sure?”

“As sure as ever.”

Then another sound.

Someone shouting.

Sharp explosions, one after another.

“Charles?”

“Cassia, hang up the—”

The line had gone dead.

The first night, I’d waited for him to call again.

The second night, I’d turned my phone’s volume all the way up.

The third night, I hadn’t slept at all.

Now it was the sixty-first night.

And I was still waiting.

I touched the screen.

Tomorrow is our anniversary.

I typed the message.

But I didn’t send it.

Then I added another sentence.

You can be late. I won’t be mad.

My eyes filled with tears.

Just come home.

I pressed send.

The message was delivered.

But it remained unread.

CHARLES

You never got used to pain.

I’d learned that much.

You learned to anticipate it. You learned which movements would put more pressure on your ribs, which breaths would feel like a knife driving into your chest, and which side you could lie on to get a few minutes of sleep.

But you never got used to it.

Especially when another punch to the face made your nose bleed all over again.

“Talk.”

I raised my head.

I looked the man standing in front of me straight in the eyes.

“Good morning.”

He frowned.

“What?”

“I said good morning. I don’t know whether it’s day or night, but I’m trying to be polite.”

Another punch.

My head snapped to the right.

A flash of white light burst across my vision.

I couldn’t open my right eye anymore.

It had swollen shut.

My nose was broken. I’d stopped counting how many times they’d hit it. There was a wound in the middle of my lower lip that kept trying to heal, only to split open again during every interrogation.

I clenched my teeth.

I could taste blood.

The man leaned closer.

“Tell me where your unit is.”

I looked at him.

“You’ve asked me that before.”

“You didn’t answer.”

“So your memory does work.”

He grabbed the metal cup on the table and hurled it against the wall.

“Stop mocking me!”

“All right.”

I paused.

“Can I mock someone else?”

His face turned red.

He walked toward me.

This time, he didn’t punch me.

He moved behind the chair, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and pulled my head backward.

“I want names.”

I remained silent.

“Your commanding officer.”

Silence.

“Your mission.”

I didn’t answer.

“How many of you are there?”

I turned my head as far as I could.

“You really have a problem with asking too many questions.”

He released my hair.

The chair tipped violently backward.

When I hit the stone floor, pain shot from my shoulder into my neck.

For several seconds, I couldn’t breathe.

The man righted the chair with his boot.

“You’ve been here for two months.”

Had I?

Two months.

It felt longer.

Maybe it really had been two months.

Or maybe he was lying.

Inside the cave, time had been thrown into a corner like something nobody needed anymore.

I couldn’t see the sun.

I had no watch.

No calendar.

Only the sound of water dripping from the walls, footsteps echoing through the corridor, and sometimes muffled screams coming from somewhere far away.

“You haven’t told us anything in two months.”

I turned my eye toward him.

“See? You can learn things when you try.”

His boot slammed into my ribs.

I didn’t laugh this time.

I tried to catch my breath.

He leaned over me.

“One day, you’ll talk.”

I looked up at him from the floor.

“I think you need a hobby.”

When they dragged me back into the rear section of the cave and dumped me on the ground, Daniel was sitting against the wall.

At least, he looked like he was sitting.

His head had fallen to one side.

His shirt sleeve was torn, and the old bandage around his leg had darkened.

The men shut the door behind them.

The metal bolt slid into place.

I didn’t move for a while.

My ribs ached with every breath.

Then I turned toward Daniel.

“Hey.”

No answer.

“Daniel.”

Silence.

“If you’re sleeping, that’s incredibly rude.”

Still nothing.

I pushed myself up onto one elbow.

Then I crawled toward him.

“Buddy?”

I touched his shoulder.

He didn’t react.

His face was pale.

His lips were dry.

I placed my fingers against his neck.

I searched for a pulse.

I couldn’t feel one.

I waited a little longer.

Checked again.

“Daniel.”

I lowered my head toward his chest.

His breathing was so shallow I could barely detect it.

For a moment, it felt as though the entire cave had fallen silent.

Daniel and I had worked together for years.

Not long enough to finish each other’s sentences.

Long enough to know when the other was lying.

Sometimes a single look was enough.

Sometimes we needed to remain silent.

And sometimes we needed to keep talking to keep each other alive.

“Don’t do this to me.”

I put my fingers against his neck again.

“Daniel, wake up.”

Nothing.

I clenched my jaw.

“That’s an order, soldier.”

One second.

Two.

Three.

Then Daniel’s lips moved ever so slightly.

“Your rank…”

I froze.

“What?”

Without opening his eyes, he murmured,

“Isn’t high enough to give me orders.”

I stared at him for several seconds.

Then I lowered my head and laughed.

The pain in my ribs was so sharp that I immediately stopped.

“You bastard.”

Daniel managed to open one eye.

“Thought I was dead?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

“You were a little quiet.”

“I was trying to sleep.”

“You picked a terrible time.”

The corner of his mouth lifted.

“Is there a good time around here?”

I leaned my back against the wall.

“The food service is pretty terrible.”

“File a complaint.”

“I did.”

“What did they say?”

“They punched me in the face.”

Daniel laughed quietly.

Then he started coughing.

I immediately turned toward him.

“Hey. Easy.”

He rested his head against the wall.

After a while, his breathing settled.

“How long has it been?” he asked.

“I don’t know.”

“A month?”

“Maybe.”

“Two?”

“Could be.”

Daniel closed his eyes.

“I wonder what the weather’s like outside.”

“Probably better than in here.”

“I love your optimism.”

We didn’t speak for a while.

Then Daniel opened his eyes.

“Charles.”

“Yes, princess?”

“Are we getting out of here?”

I looked at him.

The question wasn’t born of fear.

It was an assessment of our situation.

We were both injured.

Daniel’s leg was in bad shape.

My left arm hadn’t been working properly for days.

We didn’t know where the cave entrance was.

The guards were armed.

But I didn’t list any of those things.

“Yes.”

Daniel turned his head.

“You’re that sure?”

“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking at your ugly face.”

Daniel smiled faintly.

“Same goes for yours.”

I leaned my head back.

“Good. We’re agreed.”

I still remembered the night we were captured.

Some parts were painfully clear.

Others came back in fragments.

Broken voices over the radio.

Shadows moving through the darkness.

Bullets striking the ground.

And the phone.

I held an old black button phone.

Daniel made fun of it every time he saw it.

“One day, antique collectors are going to come after you.”

And I always gave him the same answer.

“At least I don’t cry when the screen cracks.”

I hadn’t taken my personal smartphone on the operation. This phone was only there for necessary communication. There were no photographs of Cassia, no message history, and no personal information about her stored on it.

But I knew her number by heart.

That night, I’d wanted to hear her voice.

“Charles?”

“Yes, beautiful?”

“Are you listening to me?”

“I’m carrying out the most important mission of my life.”

“What mission?”

“Listening to you.”

“Then what did I just tell you?”

I fell silent for a moment.

Cassia immediately laughed.

“I knew it!”

“Wait a second. I know the answer.”

“Charles!”

“You were speaking so beautifully that I couldn’t concentrate on the actual words.”

“You’re absolutely impossible.”

“And yet you love me.”

“Sometimes I question that.”

I smiled.

“I don’t.”

Then a voice came from somewhere in the distance.

Daniel’s voice.

“Charles!”

I turned my head.

Then the first gunshot rang out.

Cassia’s voice changed.

“Charles? What was that?”

I stood up.

“Nothing, beautiful.”

“You’re lying.”

Daniel shouted again.

“CHARLES!”

“Cassia, I’ll call you later.”

“Charles, wait—”

“Hang up the—”

An explosion.

The connection broke.

And darkness.

The next few minutes blurred together.

Daniel had been wounded.

I’d tried to get him out.

An explosion had thrown me to the ground.

When I raised my head, we were surrounded.

They’d ordered me to drop my weapon.

I hadn’t.

Eventually, a blow from behind knocked me unconscious.

When I opened my eyes again, I was inside this cave.

My phone was gone.

My weapon was gone.

Daniel was beside me.

And both our hands were tied.

The door opened again sometime later.

I couldn’t tell whether it was a few days later or merely that same evening.

This time, they took me alone.

There was someone in the interrogation room I hadn’t seen before.

He was calmer than the others.

That didn’t mean he was a better man.

It simply meant he wasn’t in a hurry to shout.

He sat at the table.

Placed a file in front of him.

“Charles.”

I raised my head.

“Wow. You learned my name.”

“We know a great deal about you.”

“I hope it’s all good.”

He opened the file.

“We know you’ve received specialized training.”

I remained silent.

“We know you’ve participated in long-term operations.”

I didn’t answer.

“We know who you are.”

I looked at him.

“Then why are you asking me?”

The man took a sheet of paper from the file.

“You could work with us.”

I laughed.

“Is this a job interview?”

“You could save your life.”

“What are the benefits?”

He narrowed his eyes.

“What?”

“Health insurance? Meal allowance? Paid vacation?”

He put the paper down.

“Be serious.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Your working conditions are terrible.”

The man glanced at the guard behind him.

The guard stepped forward.

The first punch struck my stomach.

I doubled over.

The second blow landed against my back.

I fell from the chair.

I spent several seconds on the stone floor trying to catch my breath.

The man spoke calmly.

“Now we can continue.”

I raised my head.

“I’m filing a complaint with human resources.”

As the interrogation dragged on, the man’s patience wore thin.

I had nothing to say.

At least, nothing I intended to give him.

Specialized training didn’t mean you couldn’t feel pain.

It didn’t mean you always knew what to do.

Sometimes, it simply meant knowing what not to do.

Knowing that the smallest detail you revealed might be exactly what the person across from you wanted.

A name.

A location.

A facial expression.

A moment’s hesitation.

So I stayed silent.

Eventually, the man closed the file.

“Fine.”

He stood up.

“Let’s try something else.”

He returned to the same questions.

“Tell me where your unit is.”

I straightened slightly in the chair.

“First, tell me something.”

He frowned.

“What?”

“How many of you are here?”

He laughed.

“Why would I tell you that?”

I shrugged.

“We’re getting to know each other, after all.”

“You’re my prisoner.”

“I noticed. Your hospitality gave it away.”

He slammed his fist against the table.

“Talk!”

“All right. Let me ask you something first.”

He looked at me impatiently.

“What?”

“Where’s the man who brought us here?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“It is. I have a complaint to make.”

He frowned.

“What complaint?”

“The transportation was awful.”

For a moment, there was silence.

Then he struck me hard.

My head snapped sideways.

I spat blood from my mouth.

“Well,” I said, “apparently your customer service is terrible too.”

He leaned over me.

“I’m not playing games with you.”

I looked back at him.

“Neither am I.”

This time, I didn’t smile.

“I know who brought me here. What I want to know is who gives him his orders.”

Something changed in his eyes.

Only for a moment.

But I saw it.

“So you take orders from someone.”

His expression hardened.

“Shut up.”

I tilted my head slightly.

“Interesting.”

He grabbed me by the collar.

“You’re not going to learn anything.”

I smiled.

“I just did.”

He punched me again.

But now I knew something else.

This man wasn’t making his own decisions.

And he was trying to hide someone above him.

He hadn’t told me anything.

Yet he’d still spoken.

During the next interrogation, another man stood beside him.

He was older.

The first man rose immediately when the newcomer entered.

So this is the man I’ve been looking for.

I raised my head.

“Finally. The manager’s here.”

The newcomer looked at me.

“You must be Charles.”

“Can I submit my complaint to you?”

He didn’t answer.

“I’m not satisfied with the behavior of your staff.”

“You haven’t said a word in two months.”

“I just did.”

He sat down.

“I know men like you.”

“And I know men like you.”

“Do you?”

“Yes. You love making other people talk, but you talk too much yourselves.”

He smiled faintly.

“Are you trying to get information out of me?”

I smiled back.

“Took you long enough to notice.”

When they threw me back beside Daniel, the blood on my face had already dried.

The door slammed shut.

Daniel raised his head.

“You look terrible.”

I leaned against the wall.

“Thank you.”

“No, seriously.”

“You’re not exactly handsome yourself.”

Daniel studied me.

“Your eye?”

“Still there.”

“Can you open it?”

“It’s taking some time off.”

Daniel tried to laugh.

Then his expression grew serious.

“Did they learn anything?”

“No.”

“What did they ask?”

“Everything.”

“What did you say?”

“Mostly rude things.”

Daniel shook his head.

“Not surprised.”

We sat in silence for a while.

Then Daniel asked,

“Do you ever think about life outside?”

I closed my eyes.

“Sometimes.”

“I think about food.”

“Shocking.”

“A huge plate of food.”

“Don’t.”

“Fresh, warm bread on the side.”

“Daniel.”

“And coffee.”

“I swear, when we get out of here, I’m going to strangle you.”

Daniel laughed.

Then fell silent.

So did I.

Cassia was on my mind.

The way she frowned while preparing something in the kitchen.

The way she used her hands when she told a story.

The way she rolled her eyes when she was annoyed with me.

And the way she sometimes smiled after kissing me, without saying anything.

How much time had passed?

Two months?

More?

Was Cassia still waiting?

What if she’d forgotten me?

The thought lingered for a few seconds.

Then I opened my eyes.

Don’t be ridiculous, Charles.

I knew her.

Cassia could be infuriatingly stubborn.

So could I.

Finding each other might have been an accident.

But refusing to give up on each other wasn’t.

I turned toward Daniel.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get out?”

“Eat.”

“We’ve established that.”

“Then sleep.”

“Anything else?”

Daniel opened his eyes.

“You?”

I thought for a moment.

Then smiled.

“I’m going to kiss someone.”

Daniel grimaced.

“Don’t you dare kiss me.”

“I wasn’t talking about you.”

“Thank God.”

During the next interrogation, they didn’t tie me to a chair.

They ordered me to stand.

I couldn’t put my full weight on my left leg.

They’d noticed.

The man in front of me folded his arms.

“Stand straight.”

I straightened.

“Like this?”

“Straighter.”

“Are we taking a photograph?”

He stepped closer.

“You’re not making jokes today.”

“Then you start. I’ll listen.”

The punch came.

This time, it struck my jaw.

My head snapped backward.

I lost my balance but didn’t fall.

He stepped closer again.

“Who’s your commanding officer?”

I remained silent.

“How many of you are there?”

I didn’t answer.

“What’s the purpose of your operation?”

I looked at him.

He raised his fist.

“Talk!”

I tilted my head slightly.

“Come here.”

He stopped.

“What?”

“Come closer. I’ll tell you.”

For a moment, he looked surprised.

Then he smiled.

“Finally.”

He approached.

“I’m listening.”

I leaned toward him.

“I’ll whisper it in your ear.”

He moved even closer.

The corner of my mouth lifted.

“Fuck off.”

His expression froze.

The guard behind me let out a short laugh.

The man turned toward him.

“OUT!”

The guard immediately left.

I smiled.

“Well, at least he has a sense of humor.”

A blow struck my stomach.

I doubled over.

Then something hit the back of my knee.

I fell.

The man leaned over me.

“Still think it’s funny?”

I tried to catch my breath.

“A little.”

He grabbed my hair and lifted my head.

“I’m going to finish you.”

I looked at him.

“Can we finish this conversation first? You’re giving me a headache.”

Daniel was being interrogated somewhere else in the cave.

I recognized his voice.

I never heard him scream.

But I heard a man swearing angrily.

Then Daniel’s muffled voice followed.

“Did you ask my friend the same question?”

The man shouted.

Daniel continued.

“Because you’ll need to compare your answers.”

I heard a blow.

Then silence.

I stared at the stone wall until I heard Daniel’s voice again.

“Are you taking notes? I can speak more slowly if you want.”

I smiled.

That’s my guy.

Hours later, they brought him back.

They dropped him beside me.

Fresh bruises marred his face.

He stared at the ceiling for a while.

Then turned toward me.

“Charles.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t think these guys like us.”

I closed my eyes.

“You only just figured that out?”

“I’m a little hurt.”

“Me too.”

Daniel grimaced.

“Literally.”

We both laughed.

Then stopped because laughing hurt too much.

When they took me to the final interrogation, something about the cave had changed.

I noticed it immediately.

The guards were moving faster.

More talking than usual filled the corridor.

Someone had arrived from outside.

People were arguing.

But I didn’t ask anything.

When I entered the interrogation room, no photograph sat on the table.

No file either.

Only three men.

And a gun.

One of them stepped in front of me.

“It’s over.”

I raised my head.

“Great. Where’s the exit?”

He stared at me.

“One last chance.”

I sighed.

“Again?”

“Give us the names.”

I remained silent.

“Tell us their locations.”

I didn’t answer.

“Help us.”

I smiled.

“I have a suggestion.”

He waited.

“Find another profession.”

He drew his gun.

Pressed it against my forehead.

The cold metal dug into my skin.

I didn’t pull away.

I looked him straight in the eyes.

“Kneel.”

“No.”

“I said kneel.”

“I heard you.”

He pressed the gun harder against my forehead.

“Do you want to die?”

I looked at him.

“No.”

A victorious expression appeared on his face.

“Then talk.”

“I don’t want to tell you what you want to hear.”

“You’re not getting out of here alive.”

I smiled.

“You don’t know that either.”

He stepped closer angrily.

“I decide.”

“Then why have you spent two months asking me questions?”

The gun was against my forehead.

His finger was on the trigger.

I could see it.

I could also see the sweat on his face.

The anger in his eyes.

But none of it mattered.

“Any last words?” he asked.

The corner of my mouth lifted.

“Have you ever thought about changing your hairstyle?”

For a moment, he didn’t understand.

“What?”

“It looks terrible.”

The gun pressed harder against my forehead.

He clenched his teeth.

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Okay.”

I paused.

“Find a barber first.”

He shouted.

“ENOUGH!”

I didn’t blink.

“Couldn’t agree more.”

His finger moved toward the trigger.

And at that exact moment—

BOOM!

An explosion from the cave entrance shook the entire ground.

Rock pieces fell from the ceiling.

The man turned his head.

Gunfire erupted in the corridor.

I heard someone shouting.

Then another explosion.

The door burst open.

Armed soldiers rushed inside.

“DROP THE WEAPON!”

The man in front of me tried to turn around.

He didn’t get the chance.

A soldier rushed in.

Within seconds, the man was on the ground, and his weapon had been taken away.

I raised my head.

I recognized a familiar face in the doorway.

“Well, well.”

The soldier stared at me.

“Charles?”

I smiled.

“Gentlemen, you’re a little early.”

He rushed toward me.

“My God, what happened to you?”

I nodded toward the man on the floor.

“We were in the middle of something.”

The soldier stared in confusion.

“What?”

“I was getting information out of him.”

He looked at my face.

Then at the man on the ground.

Then back at me.

“You were?”

“Yes.”

“Charles, we’ve been looking for you for two months!”

“I know. You’re a little slow.”

The soldier laughed despite himself.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Thank you.”

He began undoing my restraints.

“We’re getting you out of here.”

“One second.”

“What?”

“The other position.”

He stopped.

“What about it?”

“Not all of them are in this cave.”

His expression turned serious.

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve been here for two months. You start noticing things.”

He reached for his radio.

I continued.

“The men who brought us here aren’t part of the same group as the interrogators. They take orders from different people. Someone else runs the interrogations. He was here earlier.”

The soldier looked at me.

“Who?”

“I don’t know his name.”

“Did you see his face?”

“Yes.”

“Could you identify him?”

I smiled.

“Give me a little time. Let’s wait until my eye opens first.”

The soldier’s expression grew serious again.

“Charles…”

I interrupted him.

“Daniel’s in the back section. His leg is injured. Get him out first.”

The soldier spoke into his radio.

“Second prisoner in the rear section of the cave. Medical team required. We also have information suggesting a possible second position. Check the surrounding area.”

Then he turned back to me.

“Your mission is over, Charles.”

I shook my head.

“Mine isn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re going to find the man who interrogated me.”

The soldier looked into my eyes.

“We will.”

They carried the stretcher toward the cave entrance.

At first, I could only see the rocks overhead.

Then the narrow walls of the passage.

They turned a corner.

Suddenly, a cold breeze brushed my face.

I tried to lift my head.

The medic immediately leaned over me.

“Don’t move, Charles.”

But I didn’t listen.

Because I could see the sky.

It wasn’t bright blue.

Pale sunset colors were tangled among the clouds.

One side was gray.

The other was golden.

And it was the most beautiful sky I’d ever seen.

For the first time in two months.

I blinked.

The light hurt my eye.

But I couldn’t stop looking.

The soldier walking beside the stretcher glanced down at me.

“You okay?”

I smiled.

“The sky’s still there.”

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he raised his head and looked up at the sky.

“Yeah.”

I tried to take a deep breath.

My ribs hurt.

But I breathed in again anyway.

The cave smelled of nothing.

No damp stone.

No heavy, suffocating air.

There was wind.

Fresh air.

And the distant sound of a helicopter.

The medic ran beside the stretcher.

“His pulse is racing! Blood pressure’s low!”

Someone else shouted.

“Helicopter’s ready!”

I didn’t take my eye off the sky.

A cloud drifted slowly overhead.

What would Cassia say if she saw this?

She’d probably want to take a picture.

Then she’d show it to me.

And I’d spend more time looking at her than at the photograph.

Charles, look at the sky.

I am.

You’re looking at me.

My view is better.

The corner of my mouth lifted.

“Idiot…”

The medic leaned over me.

“What did you say?”

I shook my head slightly.

“Nothing.”

My eyelids were growing heavy.

The man touched my face.

“Stay with me, Charles.”

“I’m here.”

“Don’t close your eyes.”

I paused.

Then smiled.

“Can I take a little nap?”

“No.”

“You’re very strict.”

He looked at me.

“Charles!”

I opened my eyes again.

“Okay, okay.”

The helicopter’s roar grew louder.

They carried me inside.

The straps were fastened.

The medical team began working around me.

Someone was tending to my arm.

Someone else kept talking.

Then I heard Daniel’s voice in the distance.

“Charles!”

I turned my head.

They were bringing him too.

On another stretcher.

His face was pale.

But he was alive.

I smiled.

“You’re late, princess.”

Daniel struggled to raise his head.

“I’m eating first.”

I laughed.

“In your dreams.”

A medic stepped between us.

“Both of you, stop talking!”

Daniel looked at me.

I looked at him.

Then we both smiled.

My eyelids grew heavy again.

This time, I tried to fight it.

But the voices were beginning to fade.

The last thing I heard was a medic shouting.

“Charles! Keep your eyes open!”

CASSIA

11:59 p.m.

I picked up Charles’s mug.

It had been sitting in the same place for two months.

Tomorrow would mark one year.

Our first anniversary.

And we wouldn’t be spending it together.

I looked at my phone.

My message was still unread.

You can be late. I won’t be mad. Just come home.

I tried to put the mug back on the counter.

But my fingers slipped from the handle.

CRASH!

The mug fell to the floor.

Broken pieces scattered around my feet.

Suddenly, my heart raced.

An inexplicable tightness squeezed my chest.

I held my breath.

It was as if something had happened very far away.

As if someone had called out to me.

I looked at my phone.

The screen was dark.

No messages.

No calls.

Slowly, I sank to my knees.

I reached out to pick up the broken pieces.

Then stopped.

My eyes filled with tears.

And only one name escaped my lips.

“Charles?”

END OF CHAPTER 1