Chapter 148 : "He haunts my dreams."

Suddenly a notification caught Farah's attention – a friend request on her Pacebook account. The name was unfamiliar, but the profile picture sent a jolt of relief through her. It was a bouquet of white roses, Ava's favorite.

A glimmer of hope flickered within Farah. Perhaps Ava had created a new account, a secret way to reach out. "Oh, Ava," she whispered to herself, "Finally, you contacted me."

Just moments ago, Farah had felt utterly alone, adrift in a sea of emotional neglect. Sure, her family hadn't provided the love and support she craved, but there was Ava. A small smile touched her lips. For Farah, there was Ava, and for Ava, there was Farah.

Reasoning that the immediate priority was to connect with Ava, Farah decided to postpone her visit to Ibrahim's mansion. The truth could wait. Reconnecting with Ava was more important. 

Reaching her apartment, Farah bypassed the common area where her roommates were having dinner. Lost in her thoughts, she mumbled a quick excuse about eating later.

Hurriedly entering her room, Farah wasted no time in accepting the friend request and sending a message - "Ava? Is it really you? Are you alright?"

She sank onto the bed and started to wait for reply.

Meanwhile, in Hat Yai, Ava sat before a desktop computer in her bedroom, the soft glow of the computer screen illuminating her face. Earlier that morning, Somchai Wongcharee had insisted on having the computer installed, along with a brand new smartphone. Despite her initial protests, claiming she wouldn't need a computer, Somchai was resolute. Now the desktop computer sat before her.

She hadn't truly anticipated Farah recognizing her secret Pacebook account. Ava typed a reply - 

 "How did you guess it's me?" 

Farah's response arrived almost instantly. 

 "White roses, fool! Tell me, why didn't you contact me earlier? You reached Thailand safely, right? Are they treating you well with whom you living right now? Is there any problem? Are you alright?"

Farah's message was a jumbled mess of worry and relief. And Ava knew well that a text reply wouldn't suffice so she initiated a video call. 

The screen flickered, and then Farah's face materialized before her. A wave of emotions – relief, joy, and a hint of apprehension – washed over both women as their eyes met.

The silence stretched for a beat. The four days since Ava's disappearance had stretched into a decade.In the grainy video chat, they looked at each other silently with small smiles. The physical distance was vast, but the bond they shared transcended the miles.

Farah spoke first. "Ava..... I don't even know where to start. But seeing you safe, even on this screen... it's a relief I can't describe. How are you? Just tell me you're alright, even if it's a lie. Just a moment of relief, please."

The weak smile continued to play in Ava's lips. A sigh escaped her lips as she spoke, "I am alright. At least, physically..." 

A change in focus drew her attention back to the screen. Ava's brow furrowed slightly as she noticed the bandage adorning Farah's forehead. The grainy video quality made it difficult for Ava to discern the details at first, "Wait. What happened to your forehead? Is that a bandage, Farah?"

"It's nothing, really," Farah dismissively brushed it off, "Just a little bump. I, uh, accidentally walked into a wall the day I got back from Langkawi."

Her voice faltered slightly at the end. It was a half-truth. Revealing the truth, especially the role Ibrahim played in it, wouldn't do any good right now. 

 Yes, the collision with the wall was real, but not the timeline. The incident with the wall hadn't occurred upon her return from Langkawi, but rather the day before. She returned to Kuala Lumpur the next day after Ibrahim and Samir's visits in langkawi.

"Oh, Farah," Ava said, "Please be careful. You know how clumsy you can be sometimes."

A weak chuckle escaped Farah's lips, "I'll try."

The conversation shifted, and Ava's smile vanished completely. "Does Ibrahim know... about me leaving? Ibrahim must have realized I'm gone by now, right?"

Farah simply nodded. "He figured it out the morning after you left."

Ava's throat tightened as she swallowed hard. The mere thought of Ibrahim's reaction upon discovering her absence sent a tremor through her entire being. Her body language mirrored the surge of raw fear.

Imagine a flickering candle flame in a sudden gust of wind. That's how drastically Ava's composure shifted. Her posture tensed up. Her fingers, once loosely intertwined, twisted together in a nervous knot.

A man like Ibrahim who could eliminate over 60 people at once in a fire and who could murder his own father - he would not hesitate to harm anyone who had aided her escape. 

No one, it seemed, was beyond his reach, and anyone who dared to defy him faced a terrifying consequence. Her fear had been a gnawing suspicion as she got no updates until now. There were no contacts between her and Elara too. Now, with Farah's confirmation, her terror knew no bounds.

Witnessing Ava's sheer, Farah said, "Jey. Calm down, why are you so scared? You're safe there. Ibrahim can't get to you."

"But what about the others!" Ava exclaimed, "You, Elara, Professor Syed, Aqil... what about the people who helped me escape? All are in danger because of me!"

"Ava, please calm down," Farah pleaded, "They're all safe, at least for now. Remember, I'm not there with you, so my ability to help is limited. You need to stay strong, alright?"

"Safe? Strong?" Ava forced herself to relax her posture, taking a deep, shaky breath. Her gaze drifted towards the balcony. Though the glass doors were shut, "How can I be strong, Farah, when this very room becomes my tormentor? This room has a balcony..... just like my apartment. Every night, it's the same. The fear creeps in. It's insidious..... suffocating."

She closed her eyes for a brief moment, as if willing the image away, but when she opened them again, a haunted look had settled in their depths.

"He haunts my dreams. In my dreams. Ibrahim stands there, on the balcony, just like he used to appear back in my apartment. Silent. Predatory."

"He doesn't make a sound. No warning, no sound, just a chilling apparition appearing in the dead of night," she whispered, "He just stands there, staring at me with those cold eyes. And then... he says it. 'I'll find you soon.' And I wake up, gasping for breath."

Farah could only clench her fists, "Don't say those things. You're not broken. You're strong, stronger than you think. He can't hurt you anymore. You're safe now." Farah tried her best to calm Ava down. 

Tears filled Ava's eyes, but she blinked them back, her jaw clenched tight, "I try not to think, not to dream, to push the memories away. But the silence is a killer too. It allows the memories to fester. Ibrahim... he's more than a monster, Farah. He's eaten me from the inside out. He's... he's eaten my heart. He's EATEN my heart..."

Farah let out a heavy sigh, "There's a saying, Ava. No matter how hard you try to shield your heart, sometimes it gets broken by those closest to you."

Ava's gaze locked with Farah's through the screen, "What would you do. If you were in my place, facing the same horrors, would you have run away like me?"

Farah's brow furrowed slightly as she thought for Ava's question. She didn't have a ready answer. No easy answer formed on her tongue, "How bad did it hurt, Ava? Knowing all the truth." 

Ava's gaze dropped, her eyes welling up for the second time since the call began. A single tear escaped, "I... I begged. Begged God to remove my feelings for him. To rip Ibrahim out of my heart. Because I'm a powerless. Little things make me happy and little things make me cry too. Every second was a struggle to push him out of my thoughts, but even the slightest memory, the mere image of him in my mind, shattered my peace. Sometimes, it feels like it will take a lifetime to get over from him.. how will I ever get over him? The love I felt for him, it was so strong..."

It was clear, undeniably clear – Ava still loved Ibrahim. Perhaps, a part of her always would. It was crystal clear that letting go wouldn't be easy. Maybe, never truly possible. It was a love that, despite the abuse, remained deeply rooted within her. 

But this fact was a bitter pill to swallow for Farah. She really wanted revenge, but the more she thought about it, the worse it felt.

Taking revenge wouldn't just affect her. It would also hurt Ava, her best friend. Hurting Ava was the last thing Farah wanted. Even if Farah somehow managed to get revenge, Ava would be really sad and messed up by it all.

Farah was at a crossroads. On one hand, she wanted the justice for her father. On the other, the potential consequences of her actions threatened to inflict a fresh wound on the person she cared about most.

But suddenly a new, horrifying realization dawned on Farah. Targeting Ibrahim directly might be too risky, but a chilling alternative surfaced in the recesses of her mind.

What if the target wasn't Ibrahim himself, but someone close to him? Someone who, by being eliminated, would weaken him, inflict same measure of pain to Ibrahim, yet wouldn't directly shatter the world of Ava? 

Pushing the unsettling thought aside for the moment, Farah focused on Ava, "It's getting late. We've been talking all night. You need some rest. I'll talk to a doctor about some sleeping pills. I'll send you a picture of the prescription, and you can have someone get them for you. A good night's sleep is exactly what you need right now." 

Ava glanced at the clock on her computer screen. "It's 3 AM already," she mumbled. 

Farah acknowledged the time difference. "Here it's 4 AM. One hour ahead. Alright, listen. Before you sleep, Send me the password and email address you used to create that Pacebook account? I'll add some extra security measures, make it private so only you and your approved friends can see this account not others."