All Chapters of We Were Almost : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Maya sat on the edge of her bed. Ethan stood by the window. Both of them were watching the door."She's good," Maya said quietly.Ethan nodded. "Very good.""If I didn't know who she was, I would actually like her.""That's the point."Maya looked at him. "Is it working?"He met her eyes. "What do you mean?""On you. Is it working?"Ethan was quiet for a moment too long.Maya felt something cold in her chest. "Ethan.""No. Of course not. I know who she is. I know what she's doing.""But?"He sat beside her. Took her hand."But she's also just... here. Every day. Listening. Remembering things. Being kind.""She's playing a game.""I know.""Do you?"He looked at her. "Yes. I know."They sat in silence.Then Maya said: "We need to find out what she wants. Who else is involved? What her father is planning.""I know.""So we keep playing along. Let her think she's winning.""Okay."Maya squeezed his hand. "But don't forget who she really is.""I won't."The next morning, Sophia was waitin

Maya couldn't sleep.The name burned in her mind. Someone they knew. Someone close. Someone who had been part of their lives while pretending to be on their side.She hadn't told Ethan everything. Not yet. She needed to be sure.At 3am, she gave up on sleep. Sat up in bed. Stared at the wall.Her phone glowed in the dark.She texted Jake: I need you to check someone.Three dots appeared immediately. Jake was awake too.Jake: Who?She typed the name. Her finger hovered over send.If she was wrong, this could destroy someone innocent.If she was right, everything would change.She pressed send.Long pause. Then Jake: You sure?Maya: No. That's why I need you to check.Jake: Give me 24 hours.Maya: Be careful. If they're involved, they might be watching.Jake: I know how to be careful.She put the phone down. Stared at the ceiling.Twenty-four hours.Morning came too fast.Maya met Ethan before class. His face was tired too. Dark circles. Stubble. He looked like he hadn't slept either."

Three weeks since Maya left.Three weeks of phone calls that got shorter each time. Three weeks of Ethan sitting on the same bench, staring at nothing. Three weeks of Sophia appearing like she always did. Coffee in hand. Smile ready. Questions about his day.At first, Ethan told himself it was nothing. Just friendship. Just filling the empty space Maya left behind.But three weeks is a long time when you're lonely.Maya's days were different.She woke up every morning.Her mother's secret sat between them like a living thing. The fire. The woman who died. The truth Femi had held for twenty-three years.They searched together. Old boxes. Attic spaces. Storage rooms. Looking for anything that could prove her mother's innocence."This is hopeless," Maya said one afternoon. Dust on her hands. Cobwebs in her hair. Sitting on the floor surrounded by papers that meant nothing.Her mother sat beside her. Tired. Smaller than Maya remembered."I know.""Then why are we doing this?""Because giv

Ethan didn't sleep.He lay in bed staring at the ceiling, Sophia's words playing on repeat.I fell in love with you. Really in love.His phone was beside him. Dark screen. No messages from Maya since last night.He should call her. He knew he should.But what would he say? Hey, your enemy's daughter just told me she loves me. Also, I think I might feel something too.He couldn't say that.He didn't even want to admit it to himself.Morning came gray and cold.Ethan walked to class alone. No Sophia waiting with coffee. No Maya's voice in his ear.Just him and the weight in his chest.Halfway there, his phone buzzed.Sophia: Can we talk? Please.He stared at the message.He should say no. He should walk away. He should call Maya and tell her everything.He typed: Bench. After class.Class was a blur.The professors talked. He heard nothing. Students took notes. His notebook stayed blank.When it ended, he walked to the bench.Sophia was already there. Sitting in the same spot Maya alway

Maya didn't sleep.She sat in her childhood room, the unknown number's text burned into her brain.Ask Ethan about the bench. About the kiss.She read it a hundred times. Two hundred. Each time hoping the words would change.They didn't.At 5am, she made a decision.She booked the earliest bus. Not next week. Today.The bus ride was six hours of torture.Every mile felt like a year. Every text she typed and deleted. Every call she started and ended before it connected.She needed to see his face. She needed to know.By noon, she was on campus.Everything looked the same. Students walking. Trees are blowing. The bench where they had sat so many times.Everything was different.She found Bisi first.Bisi's face when she saw her said everything."You came.""I had to.""Maya…""Just tell me."Bisi hesitated. Then: "I saw them. Yesterday. On the bench. They were close. Too close. And then…" She stopped."And then what?""She kissed him, Maya. Sophia kissed Ethan."Maya felt the world tilt