Ignoring the way my body protests, ignoring the slight dizziness that cos with it.
"You’ve been making this for for years," I say, my voice lower now. "Every morning. Every ti I asked."
She starts shaking her head.
"I didn’t....."
"Drink it."
She lets out a small sob.
"I.....i can’t."
The words hang there and everything inside just... drops....i don’t want too believe what that lady said.
Caleb goes still.
"What do you an you can’t?" he asks, his voice dangerously quiet now.
Mia’s grip on the tray falters, the glass rattling slightly.
"I... I just..." she stamrs, tears starting to gather in her eyes. "Please don’t make ....."
And that’s when I know....nit just suspicion anymore, not just words soone said to ss with .
This is real.
"You’ve been poisoning ," I say.
It’s not even a question.
Mia lets out a broken sound.
"No....no, I..."
"Then drink it!" I shout.
She flinches like I hit her and that’s when Caleb steps in.
He takes the tray from her hands before she can react....the glass nearly tips, but he steadies it.
His face is different now.
"Mia," he says, his voice low and hard. "Look at ."
She doesn’t as She’s full blown crying now.
"I didn’t an to...."
"Look at ."
She slowly raises her head and whatever he sees on her face...it confirms it for him too.
His jaw tightens.
"Explain," he says.
One word and Mia breaks....Mai breaks all at once.
One second she’s trying to hold it together, the next she’s shaking so badly the words barely co out right.
"My son...Gerald" she starts, her voice cracking hard. "He.....he was sick."
The room goes still as no one interrupts her....no one moves.
She clutches at her dress like it’s the only thing holding her upright.
"He’s been sick for months," she continues, her breathing uneven. "Doctors, tests, dications.....everything was so expensive. I didn’t have the money. I didn’t know what to do anymore."
Tears stream down her face freely now.
"I was desperate," she says, shaking her head like she hates the word even as she says it. "I didn’t have anyone to turn to. I thought... I thought I was going to lose him."
My chest tightens but I don’t say anything.
I just stand there, listening as everything twist inside .
"And then..." she hesitates.
Her eyes flick toward then away again.
"Zane t wit ."
Noah stiffens slightly when he hears the na....Caleb’s jaw tightens.
I don’t move, I don’t even blink.
"He ca to ," she continues, her voice dropping lower now, like she’s ashad to even say it out loud. "He said he knew about my son. He said he could help ."
A tear slips down her chin.
"He offered money. A lot of money. Enough to cover everything. Treatnt, hospital bills... everything."
Her hands tremble.
"All I had to do was... was mix sothing into your smoothies."
The room feels colder as my stomach turns.
"I didn’t even know what it was," she rushes out. "I swear I didn’t. He told it wouldn’t kill you, that it would just... make you weak. That it was temporary. That you would be fine."
Her voice breaks again.
"I didn’t want to do it," she says quickly. "I didn’t! But my son....he was dying. I had no choice. I had no one else."
I feel sothing crack inside my chest.
Lucas moves first.
"Why couldn’t you co to us? To ? You’ve been with us for years.....so why."
"Instead you choose to poison my sister," he says, his voice low.
Mia flinches like he hit her.
"I didn’t an..."
"You did it," he cuts in.
Each word sharp
"You watched her drink that shit every day and you kept doing it."
She drops to her knees right there.
"I’m sorry!" she sobs. "I’m so sorry....I had t...didn’t have a choice...."
"You always have a choice," Lucas snaps.
The room feels like it’s closing in with ivy crying quietly behind .
Noah hasn’t said a word.
Caleb stands still, his face unreadable, but his hands are clenched tight at his sides.
Mia crawls forward slightly, reaching out.
"Please forgive ," she begs. "I raised you....I took care of you....i would never hurt you if I had another way.....please....."
Her words blur together.
Lucas steps closer and she freezes.
"If you weren’t who you were to us," he says slowly, his voice dropping even lower, "you’d be dead right now."
And I believe him so does she as her face goes pale.
"I’m showing you rcy," he continues. "Only because you were like a mother to us."
A pause
Then.....
"Get out."
She blinks up at him like she doesn’t understand.
"Lucas.....please....."
"Get. Out."
This ti it’s louder. There’s no room for anything else in it.
She sobs harder, shaking her head, but no one moves to help her....No one steps in and no one defends her as Slowly, painfully, she pushes herself up from the floor.
Her hands tremble, her whole body does.
She looks at ....One last ti, like she’s hoping...Praying....For sothing. Anything but I don’t give it to her.
I can’t. I just stare at her as she lets out a broken sob.
Then turns and walks out just like that.
Gone and the door closes behind her.
I don’t move, I don’t speak I js just stand ther.....Trying to process the fact that soone who felt like ho...Was the one slowly breaking from the inside.
Lucas is still standing there when the door shuts behind Mia.
He doesn’t move for a few seconds. Just stands there, jaw tight, eyes fixed on the door like he’s debating going after her and finishing what he just said he wouldn’t.
Then he exhales then turns back to .
"We’re getting you checked tomorrow," he says, already pulling his phone out. "Full workup. Blood, everything. I want to know exactly what that shit did to you and how you are now that you’ve stopped taking it for a while."
His tone leaves no room for argunt nt that I have the energy to argue anyway.
He’s already dialing before I can even respond, walking a few steps away, speaking in low, controlled tones with whoever picks up. I catch bits of it...."first thing in the morning," "priority," "no delays."
Always in control and always handling things.
I just stand there still as hell, Everything feels like too much and not enough at the sa ti. My body is heav but my head is heavier.
"I’m tired," I say finally.
My voice cos out quiet, like I haven’t used it properly in days.
Caleb looks at imdiately.
"Yeah," he says softly. "You should rest."
I nod slowly.
"I want to sleep."
That part feels almost desperate like if I don’t sleep now, I might just... break.
"I haven’t had proper sleep in days."
Noah steps forward a little.
"Your room’s ready," he says. "It’s been kept the sa. Clean. Just the way you left it."
I shake my head.
"I don’t want to sleep alone."
The silence that follows is soft nd Understanding.
I glance toward Ivy. She’s already looking at , eyes still a little red from crying, but there’s sothing warm there
"Co stay with ," she says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world...I let out a small breath.
"Okay."
Noah nods. "Good."
Caleb gestures toward the stairs. "Go on. Get so rest. We’re here."
Lucas cos back just then, sliding his phone into his pocket.
"It’s set," he says simply. Then his eyes land on again, softer this ti. "Tomorrow morning."
I nod cause thts all I can manage as Ivy walks up to and gently takes my hand and we head upstairs slowly.
My legs feel heavier with each step, but I keep going. When we get into her room, it slls faintly like her....sothing light, sothing clean. The bed is already made, soft and inviting in a way that almost hurts.
"You can take a shower first if you want," she says quietly. "I’ll get you sothing to wear."
I nod again everything feeling distant now.
I take the shower. Let the water run over longer than I probably should, trying to wash everything off.
The dirt, the blood and the mories.
It doesn’t fully work but it helps... a little. When I co out, she’s left clothes on the bed for nd I change slowly, my body aching with every movent.
Then I climb into bed, the mont my body hits the mattress, it sinks in.... Ivy slips in beside a second later, pulling the blanket over us, she doesn’t say anything.
Just shifts closer.
Her presence... it helps More than I expected.
I stare at the ceiling for a few seconds, my mind still trying to catch up with everything.
Then, slowly.....My eyes close and for the first ti in days...
Sleep actually cos.
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