ROB’S POVEveryone was still staring and the tension hadn’t eased. I saw the panic in her eyes and the rage right beneath it.The officers tried to calm the crowd but Bianca’s voice cut through everything.“I’m not anyone’s property.”She stood up and looked at me and then at Nadir and then the rest of the room. Her body was trembling but her voice held steady.“I’m a woman. I work and I pay my rent. I dress how I want in my own house and I will not apologize for being seen. I have done nothing illegal and nothing shameful and I will not let you shame me into silence.”One of the women opened her mouth to speak but Bianca raised her hand.“You should be ashamed. Grown adults feeding off gossip like you’re righteous. You’re even spreading more lies and hate. Judging a woman for being single and having male friends and breathing too loudly. What do you want me to be? Invisible? Powerless?”No one answered.“I don’t need a man to protect me,” she said and her eyes moved between Nadir and
BIANCA’S POVThe neighbors came out of their houses to watch the police take Rob and me away.My neighbor was still ranting. “Yes. She invites different men over everyday. This is not a neighborhood for such behavior. There are children watching and she’s a bad role model.”The policeman took notes.It was all a lie and she was blowing it out of proportion but arguing would only attract more attention.We got to the community security office and they separated us. Rob was taken into a smaller room and I stayed in the front reception. I could hear voices behind the door, people murmuring. My neighbor was still talking, her voice loud and self-righteous.“She’s always walking around in shorts and inviting men over. That’s not the kind of woman we want in this area. It’s disgusting.”I sat down and said nothing. Any reaction would be used against me. I could feel the weight of the stares. People who never liked me used that opportunity to say all manner of things about me.“She carries
BIANCA’S POV “I lost our baby.” The words hung in the air and it felt like they were still stuck in my throat but I had already said them. His eyes didn’t move and his hands didn’t let go but his breath was uneven. “I didn’t know I was pregnant,” I whispered. “Not until after the accident. I started bleeding a few hours after they checked me and found no fatal wounds and I thought maybe it was the stress but it got worse. I had no idea I was two weeks and a few days pregnant.” I never wanted children. It wasn’t in books for me, nor was marriage. But to have my baby taken away by death without giving me a choice broke me in ways I couldn’t express. “I was already alone and I had no one and I didn’t even get a chance to feel anything before it was gone.” His hand rested on my back again and I leaned into it. I hadn’t said any of this to anyone. Not even the therapist. Not even myself out loud. I looked at him now and my voice cracked again. “I sometimes wish I didn’t survive.”
BIANCA’ POV “Bianca,” he said as soon as he saw me. Nadir turned to me, confused. “Yasmin? Who’s this?” Roberto’s gaze flicked to Nadir, then back to me. I cleared my throat and decided to act unbothered even though I was shaking inside. I fought back the tears and stepped forward with a smile. “Hi, Mrs Amari,” I greeted the landlady. “Bless you, my dear. This gentleman was looking for you,” she said. I turned to him. “How may I help you?” My voice shook. He didn’t respond. He just kept staring at me like I might disappear if he blinked. “I have to attend to something. Take care,” Mrs Amari said and walked away. “Yasmin I’ve got this. I told him he was in the wrong place. Go in and rest,” Nadir said. He placed his arm around me, gently trying to lead me inside as he reached for the door, but Rob stopped it with his foot and pushed it open wider. “You don’t get into strangers’ houses without permission,” Nadir said to him. “Back off, boy. I need to speak to
BIANCA’S POVThe clock ticked louder than usual and I hated that I noticed it. I sat on the couch with my hands folded neatly on my lap while my therapist scribbled something into her notepad. I knew the routine by now.“How was your week?” Dr Yara asked without looking up.I thought about lying. I wanted to say it was fine. That I was adjusting. That I wasn’t waking up with my hands clenched or checking the windows twice before bed. But I didn’t come all the way to this small town to pretend.“I didn’t leave the house,” I said. “Except for groceries. And even that was a disaster.”“Did you run into anyone?”I shook my head. “No.”“Did you want to?”“No.”She finally looked up. “You’ve been here for a year now. You’ve done well. You’ve made progress. But I think you’re holding on to something that’s keeping you in survival mode.”I stared at the wall behind her.“You don’t have to say it out loud,” she added. “Just sit with the thought. What are you afraid will happen if you start liv
I opened my eyes slowly and stared at the ceiling. I was still on the floor of Bianca’s apartment. My shirt was soaked and stiff from the blood on my nose. Only heaven knows how long I was out. It was dark outside My body ached from the fall but my mind felt clear. Clearer than it had been in a year. I sat up. My limbs protested but I moved anyway. I grabbed the photo of her from the floor and held it in my hands. Her eyes were focused ahead in the picture but I felt like she was looking right at me. I remembered everything. The dock. The shooting. The murders. The kidnapping. Vega. Bianca. Her laugh. Her voice. Her scent. I stood and grabbed my phone. I had been crawling in the dark, but I wasn’t blind anymore. I called the only number I could trust. “Gianni.” A pause. Then a voice filled with disbelief. “Roberto?” “I need a full trace on a subject. I’ll send you details in five. I need everything on her if she crossed state lines. If someone helped her disappear o