Khian's POV
Everyone was asleep, the room dim and quiet except for the soft, steady breathing of my sister and the girls. I leaned back in my chair, my mind running in circles. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get my thoughts to settle. Everything from the past few days felt like a storm spinning in my head. Ethan’s accident. The files. Dad. It was all too much.
Suddenly, a soft knock came at the door, breaking the silence.
I glanced over at Ella, making sure she was still resting. Her breathing was calm. The last thing she needed was more stress. Quietly, I stood up and made my way to the door.
It was the police.
Two officers stood there, looking tired but serious. “Sir. Evince, we need to have a word. Is there somewhere more private we can talk?”
I nodded, stepping out of the room and closing the door gently behind me. As I led them down the hallway, I had no idea that Lily, lying still in the dark, was watching everything with her eyes half shut, pretending to be asleep. She had been awake the whole time.
The officers and I found a quiet corner in the hallway. One of them, Officer Drell, started speaking. “We’re following up on Ethan’s case. You’ve been looking into it yourself, haven’t you?”
I hesitated for a second. How could I tell them everything I’d found? About Dad… about the illegal deals and the accident? It didn’t feel right to spill it all yet. Not like this.
“I’ve… I’ve been looking through some files,” I began, my voice low. “But nothing concrete yet. I’m still piecing things together.”
Officer Drell raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced, but nodded. “Alright, but we’ll need you to keep us updated. This is serious. We can’t have anything hidden or held back.”
I swallowed hard. “Of course.”
The officers gave me a long look before finally leaving. I watched them disappear down the hall, my mind still racing. How long could I keep this hidden? How long could I protect my family from the truth?
I turned around, lost in thought, when suddenly I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. For a split second, I thought it was Ella. But when I turned, it was Mom.
She stood there, her face full of worry, her voice soft but filled with concern. “Khian, is everything okay? Why are the police always here? Why do they keep talking to you?”
I froze. I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t planned on telling her. Not like this. But the look in her eyes… I couldn’t hide it from her anymore.
“Mom…” I started, my voice shaky. “There’s something you need to know. It’s about Ethan… and Dad.”
Her face paled immediately, her hand trembling slightly. “Khian, what are you talking about? What does your father have to do with this?”
I took a deep breath, every part of me fighting not to break down. “Ethan’s accident… it wasn’t just an accident. I found some files… things that Dad was involved in. Illegal gambling, business deals, people... And there’s a strong connection to Ethan’s crash.”
Her eyes went wide, her lips trembling as she whispered, “No… no, Khian. This can’t be true.”
“I didn’t want to believe it either, Mom,” I said, my voice cracking. “But it’s all there in the files. Dad… Dad was behind it. I don’t know the full extent yet, but I’m trying to figure it all out.”
Mom stumbled back a little, her whole body shaking. She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filling with tears. “Your father… Xioma did this? He… he caused all of this?”
I could see the devastation in her eyes, the disbelief, the pain. It broke my heart. But I had to keep going. “Mom, Ella knows too… I told her. She understands… but I couldn’t keep it from you any longer.”
She shook her head, stepping back, as if the weight of the truth was too much to bear. “I didn’t know… I didn’t know…” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“I know,” I said softly, stepping closer. “You didn’t know, Mom. None of us did. But we have to face it now. We have to figure out how to fix this.”
Tears streamed down her face, and I reached out, gently pulling her into a hug. She was trembling, her body racked with silent sobs. “I’m sorry, Khian… I’m so sorry…”
I held her tight, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me. “It’s not your fault, Mom. None of this is your fault.”
She pulled back, wiping her tears. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know yet,” I admitted, my voice low. “But I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to worry about it right now. You need to rest.”
She nodded, though I could see the fear still lingering in her eyes. “Ella knows? And she’s… okay with it?”
“She knows, but it’s still hard for her too,” I said softly. “She’s strong, Mom. We’re all going to get through this, somehow.”
Mom gave me one last, trembling smile before heading back to Ella’s room. I stood there alone in the hallway, the silence heavy around me. Everything was crumbling, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold it all together.
As Mom turned around to head back into the room, I felt my heart skip a beat. My body froze, the shock crawling up my spine as I noticed Lily standing a few steps away, her eyes wide, confused, but also signaling something. She had been listening… she knew.
I couldn’t breathe for a moment. It was too much. My chest tightened with a sudden pang, and my head spun. I wanted to keep Lily out of this, away from all the mess with Dad, with the police, with Ethan’s accident. I didn’t want her to be dragged into this chaos. But it was too late. She had heard everything.
Lily took a few steps closer, her eyes soft but questioning, like she was waiting for me to explain. Her silence hurt. I knew I had to say something.
“Lily, I…” I started, feeling my voice catch in my throat. She looked at me, waiting. There was no escaping this now. “I didn’t want you to know. I didn’t want to pull you into this. It’s just… too much.”
She didn’t say anything at first, just nodded slowly, taking it all in. Her face was calm, but her eyes told a different story. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she finally asked, her voice low and quiet. “Why didn’t you trust me enough to share this with me from the beginning?”
Her words stung. She wasn’t mad, but the disappointment in her voice cut deep. I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. I didn’t know how to explain it. How could I explain that I was trying to protect her?
“I just… I thought it’d be easier for you not to know. I didn’t want you to get hurt by all this,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
Lily gave a small smile, though it was sad. “You can’t protect me from everything, Khian. I’m here… I’m with you. Whether you like it or not, I’m already involved.”
Her words hit me like a wave, crashing against everything I’d been holding back. For the first time in days, I felt something lift, just a little. She understood, even though I hadn’t told her. Even though I’d tried to keep her out. I felt a weight come off my shoulders, just by knowing she was standing there with me.
I let out a small chuckle, shaking my head. “You’re too good for me, you know that?”
She rolled her eyes, but there was a playful glint in them now. “Oh, please. You’re just lucky I like stubborn guys.”
We both laughed, a light moment breaking through the heaviness that had been hanging over us. For a brief second, it felt like nothing had changed between us. Just us, joking, being there for each other like always.
But just as the moment lingered, we were interrupted by Sophie bursting into the hallway, her face lit up with excitement. “You two! Ethan’s awake! He’s in Ella’s room right now, breathing. And he can speak! He’s okay!”
Lily and I exchanged a quick glance before rushing after Sophie. My heart raced, not from panic this time, but from relief. Ethan was okay. He was talking.
When we got to Ella’s room, the sight hit me like a ton of bricks. Ethan was sitting in a wheelchair, a few bruises on his legs, but smiling. Smiling and laughing. Ella was sitting up in her bed, grinning from ear to ear, as if the last few days of stress and fear had never happened. Katherine stood nearby, watching them with a soft smile, and for a moment, the room was filled with nothing but warmth.
The second Ethan noticed me, though, the laughter died down. Our eyes locked, and the room went quiet. Slowly, I walked toward him, unable to look away. It was like everything that had happened, all the emotions and the weight of it, hit me at once. I stood in front of him, my hands at my sides, and he stared up at me, waiting for whatever was coming next.
Without thinking, I lightly smacked his shoulder, then playfully punched him, careful not to hit too hard. “You idiot!” I said, my voice louder than I intended. “You scared the hell out of me, driving like that! Do you know what you put us through?”
Ethan grinned, rubbing his shoulder where I’d hit him. “Alright, alright, stop with the punches! I get it!” he laughed, though I could see the guilt in his eyes.
The rest of the room burst into laughter, everyone giggling at the sight of me trying to ‘punish’ Ethan like we were kids again. Even Sophie couldn’t help but tease us. “You two are acting like little boys. Just like the old days!”
I looked at her, rolling my eyes, but I couldn’t help the smile creeping onto my face. Ethan chuckled too, shaking his head.
I gave him another playful shove, but this time, it was softer. “You’re such an wimp, man. How do you manage to screw things up this bad every time?” I smirked.
Ethan grinned back, rubbing the spot on his arm where I’d pushed him. “Hey, not every day can be smooth sailing. Gotta keep things interesting, right?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, real interesting. Almost getting yourself killed… definitely a great way to shake things up.”
Ethan laughed, but there was something softer in his expression now. The room may have been full of people, but it felt like it was just the two of us for a moment, like we were back to being the dumb kids we used to be, messing around and getting into trouble.
“Oh yeah? Just time we took your dad’s car.” Ethan asked suddenly, his smile widening. “What were we, like twelve? And you swore you knew how to drive.”
I groaned, rolling my eyes. “Don’t remind me. We almost drove that thing into a lake! I was grounded for a MONTH.”
Ethan laughed harder. “Yeah, but it was worth it. That was the day we really became best friends, wasn’t it?”
I nodded, my smile turning a bit more serious. “Yeah, I guess it was.”
For a second, we just looked at each other, all the memories of our stupid adventures, the fights, the laughs, flooding back. So much had changed, but underneath it all, we were still the same. I realized then that no matter how much life had thrown at us, we were always going to find our way back to being those dumb kids, always getting each other into trouble.
“I’m glad you’re okay, man,” I said quietly, and for the first time in a while, the words felt real. “You have no idea how worried we was.”
Ethan’s smile faded slightly, and he nodded. “I know. I’m sorry, Khian. For everything.”
Before I could respond, Sophie’s voice interrupted us again, her playful tone snapping us both back to the present. “Okay, enough with the bromance, you two!” she teased. “We get it, you’re best friends forever. Now stop making it weird.”
The room erupted into laughter once more, and Ethan and I exchanged a glance before joining in. It was good to laugh like this. To just be in the moment, with the people who mattered most.