We got to the location just as the sun was dipping, and the fading light shone across the dusty compound. The air felt heavy, almost cold, but my chest was pounding like there was a drum inside me. Our car spread out, engines humming low, headlights sweeping over the cracked concrete. Tires crunched against gravel, and in that circle of steel and glaring lights, I saw Lucy’s car parked smugly in front of the building.My hands curled into fists at my sides. Just seeing it was enough to make my blood rise.The doors opened almost in unison, and we stepped out. Cool evening air hit my face, but it did nothing to ease the heat boiling under my skin. I wanted to storm in right then, to find her and tear her apart, but Benjamin’s men were already moving into position. Silent hand signals passed between them, dark figures slipping into their assigned spots like they had done this a thousand times.Two of the men reached the front door, their boots thudding softly against the wooden steps. T
Marcus leaned back on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees, voice low but firm.“I have got the CCTV footage from the scene,” he said, eyes flicking to Benjamin. “Told a few of my guys to grab the footage from nearby streets too, and anywhere she might have passed.”Benjamin gave a short nod, his jaw tight. “We need to move fast. We have to find her before the police do.”The room felt heavier after he said that.Marcus’s head bobbed in agreement. “We will. But we have to wait for the rest of the footage. As soon as we get it, we move.”He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen a few times before putting it to his ear.“How is it going?” His voice was clipped, almost impatient. There was a pause, then another nod. “Okay, but we don’t have much time, so be fast.” He ended the call without another word.I sat wedged into the corner of the couch, knees pulled slightly in. My legs wouldn’t stop shaking, and I pressed my palm hard against my thigh, trying to stop them
A dull light pressed against my eyelids. My head throbbed like a drum in my skull.Somewhere near me, a voice broke through the fog.“Are you okay?”I turned my head, and three police officers came into view, their dark uniforms making them seem heavier than the air around them. Faith was standing by the door, her hands clenched in front of her, her eyes wide and wet with fear.And then it hit me, everything.The memory slammed into my chest, knocking the air out of me. I pushed myself up too fast, the pounding in my head exploded, but I didn’t care. My breath came hard and shallow. I started shaking my head like a psycho, and I started hitting my head.One of the officers reached out, trying to steady me, but I slapped his hand away. My eyes burned, vision blurring.“It’s not true,” I whispered, shaking my head.The officer’s voice was slow and careful, as if he feared his words might shatter me. “A neighbor reported she saw your mother getting shot… right after she got out of a taxi
The divorce papers sat on the table like a final goodbye neither of us wanted to say out loud.I stared at them, my throat tightening. The air in the room felt stiff, like it didn’t want to move around us just like we weren’t moving either. I glanced at Benjamin. He wasn’t looking at me. His eyes were fixed on the edge of the table, his jaw tense, lips pressed together. But I could see it. The sadness behind his calm mask. He was trying to be strong for both of us.My fingers trembled as I picked up the pen. It felt heavier than it should, like it knew what I was about to do.I hovered over the paper, just for a second.Then I signed.A tear slipped down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly with the back of my hand, pretending it hadn’t happened, pretending I wasn’t falling apart inside.I didn’t wait to see him sign. I couldn’t.I pushed the papers towards him, stood up without a word, and walked out of the room.My legs carried me to the bedroom, but they barely made it. The second the
“We should get a divorce,” I said, barely recognizing the sound of my own voice.It came out flat, too quiet, but somehow it still cut through the silence like a blade. My throat burned. The words tasted like ash, bitter and final.Benjamin turned to me first, then my mother. Their eyes snapped toward me like the world had just shifted. I didn’t look at either of them. I just stared ahead, blinking rapidly as the tears I had been trying to hold back finally pushed through.“That’s the only thing we can do now,” I murmured, wiping my cheek with the back of my hand, even though another tear slipped out right after.Benjamin’s fingers ran through his hair, dragging roughly at the strands like he wanted to tear something apart. He looked… lost. His jaw clenched as he looked at me. “This isn’t right,” he said in a broken whisper.My chest tightened. “I know.” My voice cracked. “But what choice do we have, Benjamin? We can’t keep doing this. It’s wrong.”He didn’t speak. Just stood there, b
A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it.I dropped the envelope on the table like it burned me. My fingers were trembling. My breath caught in my throat, like I was choking on air. My vision blurred as more tears flooded my eyes. I was shaking, my hands, chest, and lips were all trembling. I was falling apart right here in this hospital room.Benjamin picked up the paper with unsteady fingers. His eyes scanned the words. Slowly. Like he was hoping the letters would rearrange themselves into something different. Into something less cruel.His head fell back, hitting the wall behind him with a soft thud. But there was nothing soft about the pain in his eyes. Nothing soft about the way he held that result like it had just ripped out his heart.It was positive.Benjamin’s father… is my father.Benjamin is my half-brother.No. No. No.God—why?I couldn’t breathe. My lungs forgot how to work. My whole body felt like it was being crushed under something invisible but unbearably h