CHAPTER 28: IF YOU THINK I’M FINE... YOU’RE WRONG.

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It was weird.

How a simple mistake could undo so much.

How one piece of wrong information could turn a house into a war zone... or a courtroom.

And now that the truth was out, I should’ve felt relief.

But I didn’t.

Not even close.

We drove home in silence. No music. No chatter. Just the hum of the engine and the weight of realization sitting between all of us like an uninvited ghost. I watched the road, eyes straight, jaw clenched. And they—my girls—they just sat there, barely breathing.

Guilty.

Ashamed.

But no one said it out loud.

Not even Sora.

She was curled up in the back seat like a whisper, refusing to look anyone in the eye. Her fingers twisted the hem of her hoodie like she was trying to disappear inside it.

I parked the car.

Got out.

Didn’t say a word.

I could feel their eyes on me as I walked toward the door. I heard Rin softly call my name.

I didn’t turn around.

Not out of anger.

But because if I did... I’d forgive them too fast.

And I wasn’t ready for that.

Not yet.

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The house felt colder.

Not because of the weather.

But because I made it so.

I wasn’t rude. I wasn’t yelling. I wasn’t breaking dishes or raising my voice.

I was just... quiet.

Too quiet.

Like that version of me before they knew me.

Before they saw my soul.

I made dinner that night. Didn’t ask if they were hungry. Just cooked. Ate. Cleaned up.

Rin offered to help. I nodded. Said nothing.

Akane tried to ask if I was okay. I gave a small shrug and kept washing plates.

Elira sat on the edge of the couch, twisting her hair between her fingers, like she wanted to say something important but couldn’t find the words.

And Mei... Mei stared at me like she was waiting for me to snap. She kept glancing between me and Sora, like she couldn’t decide who to worry about more.

They were walking on eggshells now.

Funny how fast the roles flipped.

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Sora didn’t come down that night.

Akane went to check on her, quietly, and they talked in low voices behind the door.

Eventually, they came out.

Sora’s eyes were red.

I was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels I wasn’t even watching.

She stood in front of me.

Her voice cracked when she spoke.

"I’m... sorry."

I didn’t look up.

Not because I wanted to hurt her.

But because I knew if I looked... I’d cave.

And this pain—this silent distance—I needed them to feel it. Just a little.

Rin walked over and sat beside me, resting her head gently on my shoulder.

"We were wrong," she whispered. "We let fear control us. And... we blamed the wrong person."

Still, I didn’t speak.

I wasn’t ready.

Sora sniffled. "I understand if you hate me. I don’t deserve to—"

"Stop," Akane cut in, her tone firm but warm. "None of this was your fault. It was the hospital. That nurse. They told you something life-changing and didn’t even check twice. You panicked. Anyone would."

"She didn’t do it to hurt us," Elira added, walking closer. "She thought she was... and that’s terrifying."

Mei sighed and rubbed her face like the entire week had taken five years off her life. "Honestly... I’d probably have run too."

Sora looked between them, overwhelmed by the support. Then, finally, to me.

I met her eyes.

Just for a second.

And I saw it. All of it.

The guilt.

The relief.

The shame.

And the desperate hope that maybe—just maybe—I didn’t hate her.

I stood up slowly. "I’m tired," I said, voice flat.

No anger.

No softness.

Just... a wall.

I left them in the living room, unsure of what to feel.

And went to bed.

Alone.

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Truth?

I didn’t blame Sora.

Not really.

She’d been scared. She was human. She thought she was carrying a life inside her and that it might destroy everything we’d built.

What got to me was how fast the others turned.

How easily they looked at me like I was the mistake.

Like I wasn’t just trying to help her.

Like I was the problem.

So yeah... maybe this silence wasn’t just about revenge.

Maybe it was self-preservation.

Because if this happened again... if any of them ever looked at me like that again—

I don’t know if I’d survive it.

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