Chapter Four.

“Holy shit!”

Cassie’s voice rang out as the paper cup of vanilla milkshake slipped from her hand, splattering across the tiled floor.

I winced, preparing myself for what is to come next.

Not for the mess.

“You had a baby?” She questions, her eyes wide and disbelieving. “And you never told me?” She steps back as if the confession physically hit her. “I thought we were—” Her voice cracks as tears begin to fall from her eyes. “I thought we were best friends, Elina.”

It’s not until the first tear slips down her freckled cheek that I realized how deeply I’ve hurt her.

Cassie doesn’t cry.

She'd rather give you a sarcastic comment and insult you—maybe beat you up for it but she never cries.

Not when her first love broke up with her for her seat-partner or when she lost the volleyball game.

But she’s crying now because of me.

Without thinking, I crossed the room and wrapped my arms around her but she shrugged me off, not willing to get close to me. She wipped furiously at the tears that won’t stop falling, her mascara smudging beneath her eyes.

“I knew something was wrong,” she says. “I knew you were battling something, but I thought it was just... stress or something.  Maybe a phase that'll pass soon. But this?” She laughed bitterly. “This isn't a small issue , Elina. You lost a child and went through that pain alone—and I wasn’t there for you.”

I tried to explain, to speak, but the words felt stuck in my throat.

“Cassie, I—”

“No,” she cuts in, shaking her head. “Don’t tell me you didn’t want to bother me. Don’t give me that crap. I signed up for the full ride the day we became sisters by choice, not blood. I was there for your first heartbreak, your second apartment flood, your tequila birthday meltdown—this should’ve been no different.”

She folds her arms as she turns away from me, not willing to see my face.

I stepped in front of her, swallowing the lump in my throat. “You’re not just my best friend, Cassie. You are my sister. The sister I never had but always needed. I didn’t hide this from you because I didn’t trust you—I hid it because I was broken. Because I couldn’t even say it out loud without falling apart.”

She didn’t look at me, but her arms slowly drop.

“I couldn’t tell anyone,” I whispered. “Not even Noah. It was a burden I chose to carry alone. It felt... shameful. Like if I spoke it into existence, it would destroy me all over again.”

Cassie blinked slowly, absorbing every word, her expression softening. I can see it—the moment she realized this wasn’t about excluding her. It was about living 

She reached out and gently lifts my chin until our eyes met. “You’re not alone, Elina. You never were. Not while I’m still breathing.”

I broke. I wrapped my arms around her again, tighter this time, and this time she didn’t resist. She holds me like she means it, like she’s anchoring me back to shore.

I didn’t know how long we stayed like that but when we finally pulled apart, the air felt lighter.

Cassie wiped her face and cleared her throat. “So... what did Noah say when you told him?”

I stiffened.

She squinted at me. “Elina. You did tell him... right?”

I shook my head, barely able to meet her eyes. “No. I didn’t.”

Her gasp was sharp. “Elina Hemsworth! That was his child too. What possible excuse could you have for keeping that from him?”

I exhaled shakily, pressing my hands against the counter to steady myself. “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell him.”

She stared, baffled.

“Noah adores kids,” I explained, voice low. “We used to talk about having them someday—two, maybe three. He would’ve made the most loving father. But losing that baby would’ve destroyed him. It nearly destroyed me, Cassie. And if I had told him... it would’ve ruined him. His work, his spirit, everything.”

Realization dawned on her face. “That’s why you left?"

I nodded. “I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t be the one who ripped his heart out.”

Cassie exhaled and ran a hand through her wild curls. “And now someone knows... and they’re threatening to tell him?”

I nodded again, my fingers curling around the edge of the counter. “I’ve gotten two texts already. And the second one... it came with a name.”

“Let me see it,” she says, instantly shifting into problem-solving mode.

I handed her my phone. She studied the messages for a long, tense moment, then tilts her head.

“Well... lucky for you, they left us a trail.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

Cassie shrugs, already pulling out her own phone. “The number isn’t encrypted, and the name they used gives us something to dig into. I have a contact—an old friend from college. If anyone can trace the number and find out who’s behind it, he can.”

“You’ve got a hacker friend?” I blinked, surprised.

She smirked, “You’re not the only one with secrets, babe.”

I laughed softly, despite myself. “Yeah... I guess I deserved that too.”

I step closer to her outstretched arm, my voice sincere. “I’m sorry, Cassie. I never meant to shut you out. I was just trying to survive.”

She nodded slowly, then opens her arms. “Just promise me... no more secrets. From now on, we will handle things together.”

I took a breath.

“I promise,” I whispered, pulling her into another hug.

For the first time after my meeting with Noah, I felt relieved and healed. My resurgence to life and purpose was birthed in that hug with my mental physician at the moment, Cassie.

And this time, I won't let go.