"Of course I do!" I snapped. "You…you hurt your own brother, Leo! What makes you think I'd believe you wouldn't hurt me too? Especially after this?"
My voice cracked through the silence like glass shattering.
Don't even start. In my head, the words burned louder than my voice. You didn't just hurt people, Leo. You killed my father.
Leo didn't answer. He just stared at me.
Then, after a long, breathless pause, he stood up.
"You know what, Emily?"
His tone was cold. Final.
"You're fired. And we're getting a divorce."
Shit. Fired? Divorce?
I shouldn't have lost my temper in front of Leo. Now I'd lost everything.
But screw it. He was still a bastard. I understood his suspicion, sure, but the way he told me… that he doubted I was pregnant, that he doubted the baby was his.
It hurt. Badly.
Even though I never really wanted this baby in the first place, the thought still crushed me.
I stood up and left without saying a word.
I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, I'd end up screaming curses and spilling secrets I could never take back.
The walk to the bus stop felt unreal. My steps felt light, almost floating.
And before I knew it, I was already there.
I waited for about ten minutes before pulling out my phone and calling Juno.
"Hey, what's up, Valerie? Are you home already?"
I didn't answer.
"Val? What's going on? Are you okay?"
"Jun, I'm staying at your apartment for a while. I… I can't go back home right now. I just can't."
"And? What happened?"
"Leo kicked me out."
"What?! What the hell did he do that for?"
I sighed. "It's a long story, and I'm really tired. I just need… a long nap."
There was a pause. Then Juno said softly,
"Okay. I'll be there before you arrive. See you soon."
Beep.
The line went dead.
I had no idea what to feel anymore. Everything inside me was a mess, anger, sadness, disappointment, confusion, and something else I couldn't name.
Mostly, I just felt… empty.
~~~~~
"Val?"
Juno's voice pulled me back to reality as I stepped into her apartment.
She and Max immediately rushed over, both looking worried.
"Val, what happened? Can you tell us now?" Max asked, tucking a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.
"Sure… I mean, yeah. I guess I can."
They both guided me to the couch, eyes full of questions.
"So… why did Leo kick you out?" Max asked.
I exhaled, staring at my hands.
"Uh, we fought after coming back from the hospital. He said he'd been doubting my pregnancy all along. And I… I didn't even know I was actually pregnant. I mean, this was supposed to be fake, right?" My voice trembled.
Max reached for my hand, squeezing gently.
"No one knew there was really a baby in me," I whispered. "The whole thing shocked me too."
I took a deep breath. "Then Leo… he gave me something. Turns out, after my miscarriage, he had a DNA test done. He wanted to know if the baby was really his."
"What? And he actually told you that?" Juno's voice rose.
I nodded.
"So what were the results?" Max asked carefully.
"99%. It was his. The baby was his."
"What the fuck?" Juno slammed her hand on the table. "If he knew that, why the hell would he still throw it in your face like that?"
Right. I should've been that angry too.
"Then why'd he fire you? Wasn't this all on him?" Max asked, still holding my hand.
I sighed. "I got angry. Said a few things that… probably hit him hard. After that, he fired me and said he wanted a divorce."
Juno and Max both stared at me, mouths open.
"Unbelievable," Juno muttered. "Does he even care about you? You literally just—"
She stopped mid-sentence, realizing what she was about to say.
I smiled weakly. "It's okay, guys. I'm just really tired. I think I need a hot bath and a long nap."
"Wait, Val." Juno's voice hardened. "No matter what, we're still finishing this. We'll find a way."
Max nodded beside her. "Yeah. We'll handle it."
I smiled back at them.
I know. I shouldn't feel this broken. Especially when my main goal is still finding out who killed my father.
~~~~~
The city lights of Avellyn glowed too bright against the night sky.
"Val? You good?" Juno's voice broke through my thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm good," I said, turning to see her and Max watching me closely.
"Val, are you sure you'll be okay alone? I can tell my boyfriend I'm not coming tonight." Juno was already pulling out her phone.
I let out a small laugh. "Don't be dramatic, Juno. Go see him. You two haven't met in ages."
Then I glanced at Max. "And you, don't you dare skip that concert. You fought so hard for those tickets."
They both pulled me into a hug.
"I'll be fine, you guys. Go."
"If anything happens, you call us right away, okay?" Juno said, her tone serious.
I nodded with a small smile.
"Remember, Val," she added. "We'll keep going no matter what, whether you're still in Rhys Tech or not."
"Yeah," Max chimed in, grinning. "We've got Plan B. Or C. We could burn the place down… or poison Leo."
I laughed. "Easy, Max. We don't even have proof Leo's the one who killed my dad. But if we ever find out who did… I'll kill them myself."
Juno and Max exchanged a look, then smiled.
"Good to have you back to your senses," Juno said.
"Okay! How about a girls' night next week? Face masks and movie marathon?" Max shouted.
"Sounds good!"
"Hell yeah!" Juno laughed, patting my shoulder.
We all laughed like idiots.
"Okay, Val, we're heading out. Call us if you need anything."
I gave them a thumbs-up and watched them leave, closing the door behind them.
Suddenly, the silence was too heavy.
I hated it.
I walked to the kitchen, poured myself a glass of wine, and downed it in one go. But my heart was still racing.
Eventually, I headed to my room, turned on the news channel, and switched off the lights. The clock showed 9 PM.
Maybe too early to sleep, but I couldn't keep staying awake. My thoughts were too loud.
The ticking of the clock felt unbearable, but I must've drifted off anyway.
~~~~~
I woke up at 3 AM, drenched in sweat. It was November, but my body felt like it was burning.
Then I heard it, faint, distant.
A baby crying. From the kitchen.
Slowly, I got out of bed. Sweat trickled down my temple.
My legs moved on their own, following the sound. I grabbed the doorframe, hesitating.
Don't go. Please…
But my stupid legs wouldn't listen.
And then I saw it.
A crib. With a baby inside.
Crying, naked, and trembling.
No.
No, this can't be real.
This is a dream. It has to be.
I tried to step back, but my body moved forward instead.
I picked up a small blanket and covered the baby.
The crying stopped.
But a second later, it started again, louder, sharper, until it pierced through my ears.
This isn't real. It can't be real.
I slapped my cheek.
Ouch!
I ran to the bathroom, turned on the shower, and stood under it.
Cold.
Too cold...
No… please, no…
I sank to the floor, letting the icy water hit my skin.
I just wanted to wake up.
But the water only got colder. My fingers started wrinkling.
The crying. God, it wouldn't stop.
Tears mixed with the freezing water as I broke down completely. My chest ached. I was terrified.
I just wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
Then suddenly, someone pulled me out from under the shower.
"Oh my god!"
I couldn't see who it was, but my sobs only grew louder.
"I'm sorry… I'm really sorry…"