Chapter 237
KATYA POV
I walked out of Roo’s office with my hands empty.
The door closed softly behind , but the sound still felt too loud in my head. Final. Like sothing had been sealed shut and I’d been left on the wrong side of it.
I didn’t stop walking. If I went back to my room, I knew exactly what would happen. I’d sit on the edge of the bed and stare at the walls until my thoughts turned vicious.
I’d replay every word Roo had said. Every look. Every pause. I’d imagine Michael calling. Texting. dieing. I’d imagine blood where there was none yet. I’d imagine guilt until it crushed the air from my lungs.
And then I’d cry. Not the quiet kind. The ugly kind. The kind that ca with the realization of just how small my life felt sotis.
How easily things were taken from . How little choice I really had. I couldn’t do that. Not now.
I slowed near the elevator,my steps faltering for just a second. The thought of Nonna’s warm voice and sharp eyes almost pulled in.
Almost.
But Nonna would notice imdiately. She always did. One look at my face and she’d ask what was wrong, why my shoulders were tight, why my eyes were dull.
She’d sit down, press food into my hands, tell to breathe. And I wasn’t ready to explain sothing I barely understood myself.
So I crossed that plan. The elevator doors stood open at the end of the hall, waiting. I stepped inside and leaned back against the cool tal wall as the doors slid shut.
I lifted my hand and pressed the button for the third floor. The ride down was quiet. Without my phone in my hand, there was nothing to distract .
Not like I knew how to use it in the first place. But it has given weight in my palm, a screen to stare at. I folded my arms around myself instead, as if that could replace it.
It had been a long ti since I’d gone to the kitchen without being told to. Miss Stella would probably raise an eyebrow when she saw .
She always did when I showed up unexpectedly now, like she couldn’t decide whether to scold or feed imdiately.
The elevator chid softly as it stopped. When the doors opened, the familiar warmth of the third floor greeted , different from the rest of the house.
I stepped out and walked toward the kitchen, my pace slower now. Maybe I didn’t need answers right this second. Maybe I just needed noise. Movent.
The comfort of sothing ordinary. I pushed the kitchen door open.The kitchen went silent the mont I stepped inside.
Not the gentle kind of quiet that ca when a dish was set down or a stove was turned off—but the sharp, sudden stillness of interruption.
Like I’d walked into a room I wasn’t ant to be. Every head turned toward at once.
The clatter of utensils stopped. A pot that had been simring monts ago was quickly turned down.
Soone’s hand froze mid-motion over a cutting board. Even the low hum of conversation died in my ears.
No one moved. I stood just inside the doorway, my hand still on the handle, unsure whether I should close it behind or retreat altogether.
The warmth I’d expected—the comfort I’d been chasing—curled inward instead, shrinking away from .
I’d been in this kitchen countless tis. I’d leaned against these counters. Sat on the stools.
Watched Miss Stella swat hands away from food that wasn’t ready. Laughed quietly at the way everyone pretended not to care when she fed them anyway.
But this ti felt different. This ti, it felt like I didn’t belong.
Miss Stella stood near the stove, a wooden spoon clenched in her hand. She wasn’t moving.
Her eyes were fixed on , wide—not with anger, not even with concern—but sothing closer to caution.
Like she wasn’t sure what version of had just walked in. The others followed her lead. No one spoke. No one smiled. No one told to sit or asked what I wanted.
The space between us stretched thin and uncomfortable. I swallowed, suddenly aware of how exposed I felt. How empty my hands were. How bare I felt without anything to anchor .
"Why are you here?" A voice cuts through the silence, bringing my attention to it and it was Lila.
No one said anything as Lila dropped the knife on her hand, she straightened and said "Are you here to get soone killed?"
The words hit so hard I forgot how to breathe.
For a second, I genuinely thought I’d misheard her. My mind tried to correct it. Refra it. Turn it into sothing else.
Are you here to get soone killed? I stared at Lila like she’d just spoken in another language, my heart thudding violently against my ribs.
The room seed to tilt, the edges of my vision blurring as if the kitchen had suddenly grown too small to hold .
"What?" I whispered finally. The knife lay on the counter where she’d dropped it, the dull clink still echoing in the silence.
Lila didn’t look away from . Her arms were crossed now, posture rigid, jaw set like she’d already decided who I was before I’d stepped through the door.
No one stopped her. That was the worst part.
Miss Stella didn’t scold her. Didn’t tell her to mind her tone. She just stood there, eyes flicking briefly to Lila and then back to , lips pressed into a thin line. The others avoided my gaze altogether.
My chest tightened.
"I—I don’t understand," I said, my voice trembling despite my effort to steady it. "Why would you say that?"
Lila let out a short, humorless laugh. "You’re a really good actor, katya. A really good one." Lila’s laugh faded as quickly as it ca, leaving the air raw and exposed.
"I an..." she said, tilting her head slightly, her eyes never leaving mine, " everywhere you go, sothing happens."
My stomach dropped.
She took a step forward as if she wanted every word to land exactly where it would hurt the most.
"You show up," Lila continued, her voice calm now—too calm—"and suddenly people start bleeding, dying."
I shook my head instinctively, my body reacting before my mind could catch up. "No," I whispered. "That’s not—"
"Just like Miss Adelasia," she said.The na hit the room like a slap.
I froze.
††
Well well well, did y’all think no one would question Adelasia’s death?
Btw, everyone, we hit win win t1!
Wooow, tha k y’all for paying for the privilege Chapters and as appreciation I would give a five Chapters bonus before February.
Thank y’all.
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