The weeks passed, and Lina felt increasingly trapped in a game whose rules she didn't fully understand. Tim was no longer part of her life, and the constant uncertainty about his fate gnawed at her. Lukas had become quieter compared to the past few months, and Lina watched with growing unease as the darkness within him took root.
She knew that Lukas, in his grief, was withdrawing more and more into his own world. Every time she tried to reach him to show him she was there for him, she received only dismissive responses. His gaze was blank, as if he were trapped in a spiral of despair and fear.
Lina decided it was time to change her plan. Perhaps she could help Lukas by giving him the hope he so desperately needed. She thought about what she knew about Tim and how much Lukas cared about him. If she could find Tim and bring him back, maybe Lukas would notice her again.
Determined, Lina set out to find answers. She knew it was risky, but she was willing to do anything to help Lukas—and at the same time, give herself a chance. It was the perfect moment to act, even if it made her feel uneasy.
She would find out where Tim was, and if she could bring him back, maybe she could win Lukas back too. The plan formed in her mind, and with every thought, her determination grew.
Tim was suddenly back in the city, and his appearance shook everything up. He had freed himself from his captor and returned, but he remembered nothing—no faces, no names, only the creeping fear that had accompanied him during his captivity. Despite his own trauma, he sought comfort from Lukas, who finally had a friend he could lean on again.
Lina watched everything with a mixture of anger and confusion. It was as if Tim was attracting Lukas's attention, and it was driving her crazy. It wasn't just the thought of Lukas being with Tim, but also the way Lukas was blossoming again. Lina felt her jealousy eating away at her from the inside. She knew she had to do something before it was too late.
That night, while Tim and Lukas retreated to the safety of Tim's home, Lina found a way to get close to Lukas. She waited patiently until darkness enveloped them and the house fell into a peaceful sleep. Holding a small notebook, she crept around the building where Lukas lived and found a spot from which she could see through a window into his room.
She watched him sleep peacefully. A feeling of obsession overcame her as she recorded his every move with pen. Lina couldn't help it; the urge to control him and hold on to what she had lost was too strong. That night, she took countless photos of him, the shy, vulnerable moments when he was unaware of her presence.
The more she saw, the more she went crazy. The pictures showed not only Lukas, but also what she hoped he would be. A distorted reality formed in her mind in which she was the one who truly knew him, the one who could protect him from the world.
But as she stood there, the light from her phone on the screen, a dark foreboding crept into her consciousness. She was willing to do anything to win Lukas over—even if it meant plunging herself further into darkness.
Lina was determined to regain control of her life, and to do that, Tim had to be removed. Jealousy overcame her as she saw Lukas's sole focus on Tim. It was time for her to take action. She had a risky plan: She would free Max and make him kill Tim. And she knew how to get Max to trust him.
In the darkness of the night, Lina sneaked to the remote shelter where Max was being held. She had discovered he was in prison, but the rumors of his insanity hadn't hurt him. With a fake ID and a convincing smile, she managed to outsmart the guards and free Max from his cell.
"If you kill Tim, I promise I'll marry you," she whispered to him as they hurried through the halls. Max nodded, his eyes shining with excitement. But she hadn't expected things to turn out any differently.
After escaping the prison, Lina urged Max to attack Tim. But when they reached the building, unexpected chaos ensued. Tim, who was unaware, noticed them and tried to escape. Max, confused and angry, failed to catch him. In the moment of the struggle, Tim escaped, and Max was distracted.
The police were quickly alerted and arrived at the scene. When the officers found Lina, she panicked. To save her own skin, she decided to twist the truth. "Max took me hostage," she lied, her voice trembling. "He forced me to free him. I had no choice!"
The police saw her as the frightened young woman and believed her. Only Tim, watching from afar, knew the truth. He knew that Lina had used a ruse to free Max and that she had used him as a tool against him.
While Lina was being taken into custody, Max disappeared into the night, and rumors began to spread that he had fled to North America to start a new life. But a deep emptiness grew within Lina as she was questioned by the police. Her plans had failed, and although she had managed to free Max, the prospect of winning Lukas's life had receded further into the distance.
Events took a turn Lina hadn't foreseen. When she informed the police about the attack and Tim's kidnapping, everyone believed her. Her plan had worked. Max had been identified as her kidnapper, and investigators were searching for him, while Lina was portrayed in public as the innocent victim.
People felt sorry for her. They sent her flowers and visited her to make sure she was safe. The support of her family and friends gave her a sense of power she had long thought she had lost. But deep down, she felt that the truth might come out at some point, especially Tim. He was the only one who knew the whole story and the one she had to eliminate for her plan.
One night, alone in her room, she was overcome with a longing for Max. She had considered him an ally she wouldn't give up. In an impulsive decision, she picked up the phone and dialed his number. But instead, all she heard was the voicemail beeping. Max was in North America and would never come back.
Unease overcame her. Without Max, she was on her own. Tim, who knew nothing of the truth, was the only danger she still had to eliminate. She had considered him a threat, and now she had to make sure he never had the chance to expose her lies.
At night, while Lukas slept, Lina secretly crept near him and took photos of him. She wanted to capture every moment to maintain control over his thoughts and feelings. "Someday he'll see me again," she whispered into the darkness. "He'll realize I'm the only one for him."
Tim, on the other hand, was filled with fear. He had heard everything, but the thought of telling the truth and thereby putting himself in danger silenced him. He kept the secrets inside, trapped in the fear that overwhelmed him.
Lina now had the power to manipulate Lukas and make him believe that Tim was the enemy. It was only a matter of time before she could regain control of his heart – and she would do anything to achieve that.
Tim gradually recovered from the traumatic experiences. Despite the shadows that haunted him, he was able to pull himself together again. The injuries he had suffered during his kidnapping healed, but the emotional wounds remained deep. In the time that followed, he sought comfort in Lukas. The two grew closer, and their romance blossomed, filling Lina with a sharp, gnawing hatred.
As Tim and Lukas spent time together, a dark jealousy grew within Lina. She secretly watched them laughing and cuddling in cafés. The feeling of being excluded and despised ate away at her. The affection Lukas showed Tim made her seethe inside. It wasn't just jealousy that tormented her; it was also rage at her own powerlessness.
"He's mine!" she often whispered to herself as she checked her fits of rage in the mirror. "I won't let them take care of him a moment longer than I can."
To regain her control over Lukas, Lina began using subtle manipulation. She sent Lukas messages pretending to be in trouble, thus managing to tear him away from Tim's embrace. Part of her enjoyed captivating Lukas again, while the other part struggled with the growing despair that Tim now meant so much to him.
"You are my light, Lukas," she once said to him, looking into his eyes. "You are all I need." The words rolled off her lips like honey as she blocked out Tim in her mind. Lukas looked at her, and for a brief moment, it seemed as if something awakened within him, as if he saw in her eyes what she had always tried to show him—her desperate love. But when Tim appeared behind them, that moment vanished in a flash.
In the time that followed, Lina saw the bond between Tim and Lukas grow stronger. She threw everything she had into her strategy to win Lukas back. Her schemes became increasingly dangerous as she embraced the darkness in her heart. The affection between the two was like a burning fire, and Lina was determined to extinguish it, no matter the cost.
She had a plan, and that plan would bring not only Tim, but also Lukas, under her control for good. She wouldn't let anyone take away something she claimed as her own. The hunt had begun, and Lina was ready to sacrifice everything.
Lina was determined not only to win Lukas back for herself, but also to eliminate Tim from the equation. She began to refine her manipulations and make her tactics increasingly sophisticated. At school, she made an effort to make her encounters with Lukas seem random and fateful. She made sure she was always near him during recess, that she ran into him when he was with Tim, and ensured their eyes met frequently.
"I've been thinking about you," she whispered once, passing him by chance in the hallway. "I'm so glad we're talking again." Her heart raced with excitement and fear as she met his gaze. For a brief moment, there was that twinkle in his eyes again, the one she missed so much.
But Lukas didn't seem to be fully focused. His thoughts often drifted toward Tim, and Lina noticed how he was becoming increasingly distant from her. This realization fueled her anger. She began to see Tim as the cause of all her problems, as the wall separating her from Lukas.
"I can't believe he just came here to take everything away from you," she once murmured to one of her few friends during lunch break. "He has no idea what you've been through. He doesn't understand you."
Her friend shook her head. "Lina, you should give him a chance. Maybe he's really good for you. Why are you so angry at him?"
Lina clenched her fists under the table, but she didn't let it show. "Because I can't let him take Lukas away!"
In a rash move, she decided to confront Tim directly. She wanted to draw him out, make him vulnerable. At school, she sought him out as he was standing in a quiet corner with Lukas. "Tim," she called with feigned cheerfulness, "could you talk to me for a moment?"
Lukas looked at her skeptically, but Tim nodded and followed her to a quiet corner of the school grounds. "What's up, Lina?" he asked, not feeling well.
"I just want to tell you that you don't belong here. Lukas isn't the one you should be with," she said coolly, looking him straight in the eye.
Tim smiled nervously. "That's not your decision, Lina. Lukas and I... we have a connection."
"A connection? You're just a distraction!" Lina cried, feeling anger rising within her. "I'll do anything to get him back!"
She cast herself as desperate to elicit sympathy. "He needs me, Tim. Believe me. I can help him, you can't. You don't know what I've been through, but I can show him that he's not alone."
Tim shook his head. "That's not the way, Lina. It won't work the way you imagine."
Those words hit her hard. In that moment, she sensed that Tim wasn't just a distraction for Lukas, but a serious threat. And she was willing to do anything to get rid of him.
She left the conversation, but the thought of what to do next was still working in her mind. The darkness within her began to unfold, and she prepared to take the next steps in her perfidious plan.
"I'll show you what happens if you try to take Lukas away from me, Tim," she muttered to herself as she walked back to Lukas, who was sitting unsuspectingly in the sun.
Lina returned to Lukas, but her thoughts were still on Tim. The idea of wanting to hurt him suddenly seemed absurd to her. If she hurt Tim, Lukas would only become more desperate and vulnerable. And that wasn't the path she wanted to take.
Thoughts formed in her head: If Tim suffers, Lukas suffers too. And if Lukas suffers, he won't want me. I can't lose him. This realization cut through her anger like a sharp dagger.
She watched Lukas laughing with his friends, his eyes shining with joy. If I hurt Tim, Lukas will hate me forever. I can't risk that.
Instead, she decided to focus on her own strategy. It was time she once again offered Lukas the support he needed without Tim interfering.
"Hey, Lukas!" she called cheerfully as she approached him. "I've been thinking about our last conversation. I really want to be there for you."
Lukas looked up, his expression becoming a little more serious. "Thanks, Lina. I really appreciate that. It's just... I've got a lot going on in my head right now."
Lina sat down next to him and placed her hand on his arm. "I understand. Let's just spend some time together. I'm here if you want to talk."
The warmth in her touch seemed to calm him a little. He nodded, and for a moment she felt as if she had regained his attention.
I will ignore Tim. I will do everything I can to show Lukas that I am the one who understands him. I can't let anyone—especially Tim—stand in my way.
As thoughts swirled in her head, her control of the situation slipped away. The plan to eliminate Tim from her life was no longer tangible. She didn't have to destroy him to win Lukas.
Lina found that she could instead regain control over Lukas by becoming a support system during his time of confusion and pain. She didn't want to hurt him, but to help him, and that would bring her the closeness she so desperately craved.
But in the deepest corner of her heart, the hatred for Tim continued to stir, and she knew she couldn't ignore him forever.
I can't let him come between us. But I'll be smarter about it. I won't stand by and watch him steal Lukas's heart.
With a new plan that was both strategic and emotional, she set about slowly reconnecting Lukas. And in doing so, Tim had to be pushed into the background without him noticing.
Lina decided to spend more time with Lukas. She began to care for him as if he were a wounded animal needing her affection and warmth. With every conversation, with every moment they shared, she tried to pull him out of his grief.
She arranged a meeting at her favorite café, where she had often gone with him and Tim. "Lukas, let's go to breakfast tomorrow morning. Just the two of us," she suggested, sitting across from him at a table.
Lukas looked at her in surprise. "Um, sure. That sounds good."
"Good. I'll pick you up at nine. You'll like it!" she said, smiling at him. In that moment, she felt strong and confident, as if she were in control of the situation.