로그인“Come to the rooftop,” Elvins whispered in my ear after our class ended, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
Before I could even ask why, he was already walking away, hands tucked into his pockets, leaving behind that same air of mystery that always followed him.“Aww… what did your new boyfriend say?” Linda teased, stretching out the word boyfriend just to get under my skin.I rolled my eyes, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “None of your business, love. See you later.”“Uh-huh,” she said, smirking.I ignored her grin and walked out of the classroom. My heart was beating a little faster than I wanted to admit,partly from curiosity, partly from something else I refused to name.The hallway was quiet as I made my way up the stairs. By the time I pushed open the rooftop door, the cool breeze hit me first, carrying with it the faint scent of foods.Then I froze.A small table had been set up near the railing two chairs, a neat spread of food, and rAfter a few months, we were finally resuming school. A lot had changed or at least, I knew it would feel that way and I was certain the news of my mom’s case had already spread through the school like wildfire. But honestly? I didn’t give a damn, they could say whatever they wanted.“Are we seriously going to school today?” Kathryn asked for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.I sighed. “Kathryn, we can’t keep running forever. After everything that’s happened, what’s there left to be afraid of?”Without waiting for her response, I walked past her and headed for the car… I’m driving I said to her.I slid into the driver’s seat, letting out a quiet breath as Kathryn climbed into the passenger seat. The drive to school was tense and silent, the kind that made every thought feel louder than it should.The moment we stepped out of the car and into the school compound, we knew something was wrong.A crowd had gathered at the center of the comp
Today was the day my mother would be sentenced.The courtroom was packed, heavy with silence and every bench was filled, yet it felt unbearably empty to me as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. I sat stiffly, my hands folded in my lap, beside me sat Kathryn and on my other side was Bryain, Army and Elvin.A seats ahead sat Mr. Andrew.My stepfather.Yes. My stepfather.The man who had spent months rotting behind bars for crimes he never committed was finally free. After my mother’s confession was leaked, after endless interrogations and verifications, the court had no choice but to release him. He had walked out of prison just a day ago, a free man at last.And here we all were, gathered to witness the fall of the woman who had destroyed so many lives.Stella Anthony.The woman I had grown up calling Mom.I had expected this, I knew the law would not be merciful to her and she deserved everything that was coming. E
I walked back into the interrogation room.She was seated where I had left her, the food tray was empty now and she was biting her nails, restless.“You’re finally here,” she said, looking up at me.“I thought you would have run away, probably afraid to hear the rest of this interesting story I have for you.”Her lips curved into a faint smile.I sat down slowly, keeping my eyes on her.“So tell me,” I said quietly. “What happened to my dad in prison? How did he die?”She let out a short laugh.“You’re in a hurry,” she said. “You want the truth so badly.”She leaned back in her chair.“When Josh was arrested and sent to prison, I actually sneaked into the station that night,” she continued. “I went there to save him, I wanted him to choose me for once.”“But your father didn’t want to be saved,” she said, her voice calm, almost casual. “He looked me straight in the face and told me he would rather rot in jail or die than come with me.”
She laughed louder this time as she continued.“I stopped talking to Kate after that, In my mind, she was to be blamed for everything and not me. None of this would have happened if she had done the right thing from the beginning, I couldn’t stand watching her happy with Josh, not when she knew I loved him too.She apologized, of course. Said she was sorry for not telling me earlier but her apologies meant nothing to me, they were like mosquitoes buzzing in the air…annoying and useless.I wasn’t going to give up on Josh, even if it cost me my friendship with Kate, I didn’t care… I truly didn’t.She kept trying to get close to me, to fix things, but I shut her out completely, I blocked her and cut off every form of communication. When I finally moved out of her apartment, I made sure to go somewhere she would never find me.Then one day, I called Josh, I told him I had something important to discuss so he came over without hesitation, he had no idea what
We hurried straight to the police station and as soon as we arrived, Officer Clinton met us at the entrance.“Finally, you’re here,” he said. “Ms Stella refuses to say a word, she insists she’ll only talk to Lily. That’s why we had to call both of you.”The moment he finished speaking, he led me toward the interrogation room where my mother was being held.When I stepped inside, she was already seated. Her hands were cuffed, resting on the cold metal table, her head lowered onto them.Before Officer Clinton left, he paused and discreetly slipped a small recording device into my palm. The message was clear, since she wouldn’t talk to them, they needed her to talk to me.The door closed behind him.I sat across from her, my heart pounding. My voice came out barely above a whisper.“Mom”She slowly lifted her head and looked at me.The word hit me all at once. Mom.I shouldn’t have called her that, not anymore. She wasn’t my real mother and yet h
I clicked on the secretary’s live video. A picture filled the screen and my heart stopped.I knew that face.It was the face of the woman I had grown up with.My mother or at least, the woman I had believed was my mother.“As I mentioned earlier, I would be revealing the mistress’s picture and her real name today,” the secretary said, cutting through my thoughts. “The image you’re seeing belongs to the woman behind countless crimes and her real name is Stella Anthony.”“Everything is now fully in the hands of the police,” she continued. “So the truth surrounding Mr. Samito and Mr. Josh can finally come to light, and justice can be served for them, and for what she did to me eighteen years ago.”“The most painful part is that she took Mr. Josh’s child and kept her for eighteen years, making the girl believe she was her real mother and that child grew up loving the very woman who murdered her biological parents.”“I can only imagine the pain that girl will—







