There was camera footage of him, the boy, seen last with the Bonfires that day.
Mrs. May continues speaking as I sink onto the stairs, looking at her hopelessly.
"Camera footage?" My voice is barely above a whisper, confusion thick in my tone.
Mrs. May nods, her expression unreadable. I wait for her to elaborate, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"Mr. Pitt, your parents' detective, was combing the area when he found out. That's when he discovered that they took him," she explains, her voice steady.
I can't bring myself to meet her eyes. Instead, I let my gaze drift to the floor, searching for answers in the scuffed wooden planks beneath us.
"When did you find out?" My voice comes out weak, almost defeated.
Because how could they have known and not told me? How could they have kept this from me, especially when they knew Dan and I were together?
Mrs. May exhales softly. "When you overheard me talking about it with your parents."
She moves to sit beside me on the stairs, her presence oddly comforting despite the weight of the revelation hanging between us.
I swallow hard before forcing out the question clawing at my mind. "So... is Dan really my brother?"
Mrs. May hesitates, then shrugs. "He could be. We don't really know."
A sharp, bitter laugh escapes me. "Then why would Mrs. Bonfire let us have a relationship, knowing what she did?"
Mrs. May looks at me with something close to pity, and I hate it. "If all of this is true, trust me, she's not going scot-free."
Her voice is firm, reassuring, but it does nothing to ease the sickening knot twisting in my stomach.
Silence settles between us. We sit there on the staircase, the only sound coming from the occasional whoosh of cars passing outside.
I break the silence first. "Technically, we're not blood."
Mrs. May turns to me, brows knitting together. "Does that excuse anything at all?"
I hesitate. "I mean... it doesn't, but—" My voice wavers, breaking apart before I can finish the thought.
Mrs. May sighs, this time speaking with quiet patience. "It doesn't make any of this right. You and him... that's a no-no."
I nod slowly, a lump forming in my throat. 'It isn't right... at all.'
Then, a sudden thought strikes me. "Has the lawyer sent out the papers yet?"
Mrs. May's attention sharpens. "No. Why?"
I exhale shakily, my stomach sinking. "I might have… gotten angry and given Mrs. Bonfire a hint."
My voice is laced with regret, my eyes lowered in shame.
Mrs. May stiffens. "You what?" Her voice rises, almost a shout.
I don't flinch, staying perfectly still as she jumps to her feet, scanning the stairs for her phone.
"She'll fly out of the country, or worst, she might already be on her way!" Mrs. May's urgency crackles through the air.
I shake my head, frustration bubbling up. "This is what happens when you all keep things from me, especially knowing I love Dan."
I was done playing the understanding child. No one was going to make me feel like I caused all this.
Mrs. May softens, her voice quieter now. "I didn't mean it that way." She turns, walking toward her room, phone in hand.
I watch her go, then slowly rise to my feet. Even if Mrs. Bonfire runs, I have a plan.
Pulling out my phone, I begin typing.
"You're right. We need to knock Dan out and take a sample of his blood."
I hover over the message, my breath coming out in shallow gasps. Then, with a final, determined exhale, I press send to Selena.
As soon as I press send, I remember,
I had left her at the karaoke event without even saying goodbye.
She must be furious. I reach for my phone, guilt settling in my chest. I need to call her, to explain everything.
But as I step into my room, I freeze.
The air feels heavy, almost suffocating, as memories of Dan flood my mind.
The stolen kisses.
The laughter.
The late-night whispers.
The intimacy.
The moments that felt like ours alone.
A shudder runs through me.
I should feel disgusted. I should be cringing at the thought of my own brother,
my brother, touching me in ways only a lover should.
But I don't.
Because I loved him. I still do. And that's the part that scares me the most.
Dan was all I had ever known.
The sharp ringtone of my phone jolts me from my thoughts. I exhale shakily, already expecting Selena's name to flash on my screen.
But it isn't her.
It's Dan.
My breath catches.
My thumb hovers over the screen, uncertainty gripping me. I should ignore it. I should let it ring out. But against my better judgment, I swipe to answer.
"Hel—" My voice barely escapes before I hear his.
"We need to talk."
Rage ignites inside me like wildfire.
"You knew," I spit, my throat tightening. "You were my broth—"
The word lodges itself in my throat, refusing to come out.
Dan is silent.
Then, after a moment, he speaks.
"It's not what it seems. That's why I need to see you." His voice is calm, too calm.
"When did you know?" My voice is sharper this time, accusing, demanding.
"For a while." His admission slices through me. "But it's not what it seems. You know I'd never want to hurt you."
Those words,
'I'd never want to hurt you'. echo inside me.
A bitter laugh escapes my lips, sharp and cruel. "That's all you've ever done, Dan. Hurt me."
Silence.
I glance at my phone, checking if he's still there.
Then his voice returns, steadier this time. "We need to talk, Hel."
I squeeze my eyes shut, my chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Does Sabrina know all this? Is that why you're with her? Tell me the truth, for once."
A beat of silence. Then,
"Yes, she does."
His answer is cold. Detached.
My body tenses, anger surging through me. "She knows? And I didn't?" My voice trembles, a mixture of fury and betrayal.
Dan doesn't respond.
"Come over," he finally says. "Let's talk. Mom wants to talk to you too."
Mom.
At the mention of her, something inside me snaps.
"I need you to listen to me right now." My voice drops, dangerously calm. I inhale deeply, steadying myself before delivering the words I've been holding back for too long.
"You and your mom had eighteen years of my life to tell me the truth.
Eighteen years.
And instead of telling me, you both chose to keep me in the dark,
So I don't want to know anything anymore.
Stay silent."
And before he can say another word, I hang up.
A text comes in.
It's from Selena.
"You don't deserve me. Here I was thinking you were the one stuck in a toxic cycle, but I'm realizing I'm in one with you."
Her words strike like a slap, knocking the breath out of me. My fingers tighten around the phone as I reread the message, again and again, as if the meaning might somehow change.
But it doesn't. It stays the same cold, sharp, and true.
I collapse onto my bed, my legs suddenly too weak to hold me.
She wasn't wrong. But she wasn't entirely right either.
I inhale deeply, my heart pounding as I dial her number.
Please pick up. Please.
It rings. Once. Twice. Three times.
By the fifth ring, she answers.
I hesitate, gripping the phone tighter. "Selena." My voice is soft, careful.
Silence.
I swallow hard. "Selena, I'm really sorry for leaving you at karaoke like that, it's just that—"
She cuts me off, her voice sharp with anger. "Are you really sorry?"
I open my mouth, but no words come out. I stutter, trying to form a response, but nothing feels right.
Then she speaks again, and this time, I feel the weight of every word.
"All you ever think about is Dan. Dan this. Dan that. Meanwhile, I'm right here, showing up for you, loving you as a friend should. And what do I get in return? Disrespect. Disregard."
I shiver. The rawness in her voice is unlike anything I've heard from her before.
I feel… called out. Exposed.
And I don't know how to respond.
"That's not true," I manage weakly.
She lets out a humorless laugh. "There you go again. Disregarding me."
I squeeze my eyes shut, the guilt clawing at my chest. "I'm sorry, Selena. I really am."
My voice is quieter now, stripped of defensiveness.
She doesn't respond.
Seconds stretch into what feels like forever before she finally speaks, her tone eerily calm. "Do you know what I deserve?"
My stomach twists. "What?" I whisper.
"A better friend."
Her words land heavier than a punch.
"I deserve better."
And then,
Click.
She hangs up.
I stare at my phone, the screen now blank, but her words still linger in the air like an open wound.
My heart shatters.
This pain… this was different. It wasn't like rage or betrayal. It wasn't like heartbreak over Dan.
This was loss.
A kind of pain I never expected. A kind of pain I never thought I'd feel because of her.
And worst of all, I never knew I had made her feel this way.