b“/bbSee/b? bYou’ve /bbgot /ban entire team ready to back you up.” She said, and I couldn’t help but smile at their support, feeling, for the first GamHI maybe this wasn’t such an impossible idea after all.

Fine, bMava/b. I’ll do it. I want to be a better person.” I said, crossing my arms and leaning back againer the bedframe: The words left my mouth beole En time to second–guess them, but somehow, they felt right. Maya blinked at me, clearly thrown off by my sudden change of heartb. /bHer lips parted lis were about to question me, but I caught het nce at Riley, who was sitting quietly in the corner, pretending not to listen hus falling minotably intret me head slightly in his direction, and Maya’s eyes softened as understanding dawned on her.

‘Riley,” she called gently, turning her attention to him. “Why don’t you go check where Caroline is? She’s been gone a while.”

He looked up, his expression unreadable for a moment before he gave a quick nod and left the room without protest. I watched him go, waiting buntil /bthe sound of his footsteps faded before I turned back to Maya.

“It’s him,‘ I said simply, running a hand through my hair. “Riley has no one left but me, Maya. It’s just the two of us now, and I can’t keep pretending blike /bthat doesn’t matter. I need to step up.” My voice wavered slightly, but I pushed through, refusing to let the weight of the truth drown me.

“I don’t want to be the high–school–drop–out sister he’s ashamed of, the one people will ridicule him for when they find out, when he’s older. I want to be someone he can look up to, someone he can brag about. When he talks about meb, /bI want him to feel proud–not like he has to make excuses for me

Maya didn’t interrupt, didn’t try to offer any of her usual reassurances. She bjust /blistened,her steady gaze letting me know she understood. It wasn’t an beasy /bthing to admit out loud, but saying it made it feel more real, more urgent. Riley deserved better, and I was done letting him down

I watched Maya closely, the way her eyes softened as bshe /btook in bthe /bweight of bmy /bsilenceb. /bShe didn’t need me to say it aloud; bshe /bjust knew. It was in the slump of my shoulders, the way my fingers trembled slightly as they fidgeted with the hem of my sleeve. Maya reached out, her hand resting lightly on mine, grounding me in a way that I didn’t know I needed.

“Aurora,” she said softly, her voice carrying a kind bof /bunderstanding that felt like a balm against my frayed nerves.

“You don’t have to do this alone. I’ll be with you, all the way, through everything. But for now, there’s something important you have to do, and I know it’s not going to be easy.”

Her wordsnded heavily, and my throat tightened in understanding.

I didn’t want to face it, didn’t want to break the fragile bubble Riley bwas /bliving in, where his world hadn’t yete crashing downb. /bBut Maya’s steady presence gave me the courage to breathe through the ache. She was right. I had to tell Riley about our father. He deserved to hear it from me before the funeral made it real in a way that words never could.

I nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I know,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I just… I don’t even know how to say it. How do you tell someone that their father is gone, just like that? How do I take away thatst piece of innocence he has left?”

Maya squeezed my hand, her grip firm yetforting. “You’ll find the words, Aurora. You always do. And whatever happens, I’ll be right hereb, /bokay?b” /b

Her reassurance steadied meb, /band even though my heart felt like it bwas /bbreaking all over again, I knew I had to do it. For Riley. For the both of us.

bChapter /bbComments /b

?6

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