Lia left the school gate without looking back, her expression blank and cold. Section E watched her disappear around the corner, the whole room too tense to speak. Everyone knew why she asked for early leave. Principal Ramos may have believed the excuse of "family matters," but Section E knew better.
She was going to prepare the DNA samples.
Only Angelo, Aries, Jay, Lia, and the rest of Section E knew. Lara didn't know. Gema didn't know. Kiara definitely didn't know.
And the truth sitting under the surface was dangerous enough that no one dared say a word about it outside those walls.
Angelo sat at his desk, rubbing his temples. He had already told Section E the truth—that he and Lia weren't biologically related. Everyone just assumed they were siblings because they grew up together under Gema. Lia being Kiara's twin? He didn't believe that for a second. It didn't match anything he knew about her childhood.
Everything about this situation felt like stepping into a storm blind.
Meanwhile, Lia reached home. She pushed the door open to see Lara sitting at the dining table, folding clothes. Kiara was leaning against the counter, scrolling on her phone.
Kiara glanced up. Her lips twisted immediately.
"Oh. Look who arrived," she said, voice dripping with attitude. "Home early again. How surprising."
Lia ignored her completely.
She walked straight past, her cold silence somehow more insulting than anything she could have said.
Kiara's voice rose sharply. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Lara sighed, tired. "Kiara, please… don't start."
Kiara snapped, "Why not? She acts like she's better than everyone—"
Lia slammed her door shut hard enough to cut her off.
She didn't care.
She was used to Kiara's constant attitude. She was used to the glare, the snide comments, the competition over everything. They hated each other like it was part of their breathing.
Even before Lia learned the truth about her real mother… even before she knew she wasn't Lara's biological child… she always felt out of place in that house.
But Kiara was the one she hated most.
Lia tied her hair back, grabbed a small plastic bag from her drawer, and braced herself. With a fast, sharp pull, she ripped out a few strands of hair. It stung, but she didn't flinch.
She sealed the strands inside the bag.
Her hands trembled—but not from the pain.
She was scared of the truth.
She was scared that all the suffering she survived under Lara's chaotic marriages—every abusive man, every night she hid in silence—would come back with new meaning.
Because all this time, Lara treated her like a daughter…
But Lara never protected her like one.
Her phone buzzed.
ANGELO:
You reach home?
GIRL JAY:
Aries and I got our samples already.
ARIES:
When you're ready, we'll meet at the spot.
Lia typed nothing.
She grabbed a hoodie, hid the bag inside, and slipped out of her room.
Kiara was at the sink. Her eyes flicked to Lia and narrowed.
"Where are you sneaking off to now?"
"Don't talk to me," Lia said quietly.
Kiara scoffed. "Pathetic."
"Kiara," Lara called from her room, "stop. Both of you."
Lia didn't respond. She stepped outside the apartment and closed the door behind her.
Angelo, Aries, and girl Jay were waiting under a streetlamp.
Jay waved her hand the moment she saw her. "Lia! Over here!"
Lia walked toward them silently.
Angelo stepped forward. "Did you… bring it?"
She handed him the sealed bag.
Jay tucked her strands deeper into her pocket, nervous. Aries shifted awkwardly.
Nobody knew what to say.
They walked to the private testing center with masks on, their footsteps echoing on the pavement.
Inside, Lia spoke to the receptionist with her calm, cold voice:
"Hair analysis. Rush processing."
The receptionist took the samples and handed her a slip.
Results in three days.
Outside, the air was chilly. Jay hugged her arms.
"Lia… are you okay?" Jay asked softly.
Lia didn't answer.
Aries tried, "We won't pressure you. But if you need—"
"I don't need anything," Lia cut him off sharply.
Angelo stared at her. "Are you… scared?"
Lia looked up at the sky.
"I'm scared of lies," she murmured. "I'm scared of being unwanted again."
No one spoke after that.
They walked her home and stopped at the gate.
"We won't tell anyone," Angelo said.
Jay nodded. "Promise."
Aries raised two fingers. "Even on my grave."
Lia hesitated… then nodded once and went inside.
The lights in the apartment were dim.
Lara was asleep.
Kiara's light glowed under her door, and Lia could hear her loud music playing.
She didn't stop to listen.
She locked her door, leaned against it, and let herself breathe.
Three days.
Just three days…
before everything she believed about her life would break—
or finally make sense.