"Some nights change your life forever. Mine began with rain."

The city looked different when it rained.

The streets, usually bursting with people rushing toward their destinations, were now almost deserted. Streetlights reflected against the wet asphalt, creating golden streaks that shimmered beneath the relentless downpour. The cold wind carried the scent of rain, damp earth, and something strangely familiar.

Ariana Moretti tightened her grip on the umbrella as she stepped out of the university gates.

It had been another exhausting day.

Three lectures.

Two assignments.

One surprise class test she was certain she had failed.

She sighed, adjusting the strap of her backpack before checking the time on her phone.

8:47 PM.

"Great..." she muttered under her breath. "Uncle's going to lecture me again."

Her uncle hated it whenever she came home late.

Not because he was affectionate.

Because he believed the city became dangerous after sunset.

Ariana had always dismissed his warnings as overprotectiveness.

Tonight...

She wished she hadn't.

Her phone buzzed.

Uncle Vincent

"Where are you?"

She quickly typed back.

"Leaving now. I'll be home in twenty minutes."

The reply came almost instantly.

"Don't stop anywhere. Come straight home."

She frowned.

That wasn't unusual.

But something about the message felt... urgent.

Before she could think about it further, another notification appeared.

It was from Evelyn.

Evelyn: I survived Professor Harris's class. Barely. 😂 Coffee tomorrow?

A smile escaped Ariana's lips.

Ariana: Only if you're paying.

She slipped her phone into her coat pocket and started walking.

The rain grew heavier.

Most shops had already closed, leaving only a few cafés glowing warmly against the dark streets.

Normally, she would've taken a taxi.

But every ride-sharing app showed impossible waiting times because of the storm.

"Looks like I'm walking."

She pulled her hood over her head and continued toward home.

Thunder rolled across the sky.

The sound made her pause.

For a brief second...

A strange image flashed through her mind.

Flames.

Smoke.

Someone screaming her name.

A little girl's hand reaching toward a burning doorway.

Ariana stopped walking.

Her breathing quickened.

No...

Not again.

These memories had haunted her since childhood.

They always appeared whenever it rained.

Whenever thunder echoed through the sky.

Her therapist once called them trauma responses.

Her uncle always changed the subject whenever she asked about the fire.

Eventually...

She stopped asking.

The city was quiet.

Too quiet.

A gust of wind sent cold droplets across her face.

She looked around.

Something felt wrong.

Almost as if someone was watching her.

She turned.

Nothing.

Only empty sidewalks.

A parked black car stood across the street with its headlights off.

She couldn't see inside.

Probably nothing.

Trying to ignore the uneasy feeling settling in her chest, Ariana crossed the road.

Her apartment was only ten minutes away.

Then she noticed it.

The shortcut.

A narrow alley between two old buildings.

She usually avoided it after dark.

But tonight...

It would save her nearly fifteen minutes.

She hesitated.

Rain poured harder.

Lightning flashed across the sky.

"It's fine," she whispered to herself.

"I'll be through in two minutes."

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the alley.

The noise of the city disappeared almost instantly.

Only the rain remained.

Water dripped from rusted fire escapes.

Puddles rippled beneath her footsteps.

Halfway through...

Voices.

Low.

Sharp.

Male.

Ariana slowed down.

The voices grew clearer.

"You had one job."

"I-I can explain."

"You already had your chance."

Her heartbeat quickened.

Someone laughed.

Not loudly.

Calmly.

Coldly.

The kind of laugh that didn't belong in ordinary conversations.

Curiosity tugged at her.

She knew she should leave.

Instead...

She took one more step.

Then another.

At the end of the alley, beyond a half-open iron gate, several men stood beneath black umbrellas.

Their faces were hidden by the darkness.

One man knelt on the ground.

Another stood in front of him.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

Dressed entirely in black.

Even from a distance, there was something commanding about him.

He didn't move.

Didn't shout.

Didn't threaten.

He simply stood there.

The kneeling man was shaking.

"Please..."

His voice cracked.

"I have a family."

Silence.

The tall man slowly lifted a gloved hand.

One of the men beside him immediately handed him a pistol.

Ariana's eyes widened.

No...

This couldn't be real.

She instinctively stepped backward.

Her shoe landed in a puddle.

Splash.

The sound echoed through the alley.

Every head turned toward her.

Time stopped.

The kneeling man looked terrified.

The armed men reached inside their jackets.

And the man in black...

Simply stared.

Even from several meters away, Ariana could feel his eyes on her.

Cold.

Calculating.

Unreadable.

She couldn't see his face.

Only the faint outline of his jaw beneath the shadow of the umbrella.

Neither of them moved.

Rain fell between them like a curtain.

Then...

A single gunshot shattered the silence.

Ariana gasped.

The kneeling man collapsed.

Her umbrella slipped from her trembling fingers.

For one endless second...

She couldn't breathe.

The man in black lowered the gun.

His gaze never left hers.

No panic.

No anger.

Just quiet curiosity.

As though he were trying to remember where he had seen her before.

Fear finally broke through Ariana's frozen body.

She turned and ran.

Footsteps splashed behind her.

Someone shouted.

"She's getting away!"

The alley blurred as tears mixed with rain.

She didn't know where she was going.

She only knew she had to escape.

Behind her...

A deep, calm voice cut through the storm.

"Don't shoot."

The footsteps stopped.

Another man asked carefully,

"Boss... should we go after her?"

A long silence followed.

Then the voice answered...

"Yes."

A pause.

"But don't hurt her."

Ariana never heard the rest.

She kept running into the darkness...

Completely unaware that, from this moment on, her life would never belong to her again.