She Accepted Divorce, He Panicked

114 Overdose

Scarlett's POV

Well, I don't have one.

I talked big, but I didn't really have a "revenge plan" in my mind. Doing people harm is a huge project, and just thinking about it exhausts me.

"Whatever you want to do, we are here for you," Aurora says this, only to dart a weird glance at Adrian -

She could only speak for herself and Lilith on that one, but it's also awkward to specially exclude him from it.

"Yeah!" Adrian pretends he doesn't understand Aurora's awkward glance, nodding firmly with a genuine tone, "We are ALL here for you."

Aurora darts her eyes away, pressing her lips downward as they try to curve up as if having their own minds.

"You are staying with me though, right?" Aurora averts the topic she started, again, "I'm trying to get Lilith to come and live here, too. Her law firm is twenty minutes walk from her, and we can have pillow fights-"

Just within a minute, Aurora glances at Adrian in pure awkwardness twice with a look like she wants to bite off her own tongue. She is really not used to having a conversation with an outsider in our little circle. This time Adrian looks away, clearing his throat to hide his laugh.

"Lilith, are you okay?" I ask. Adrian looks happy just with Aurora's presence, Aurora is trying her best to give a pep talk, immersing in her burning speaker soul, and I'm having fun watching it. But among all this, Lilith looks bewildered as if something is bothering her. "I-I don't know if this is a good time to mention this, or whether I should mention it at all but..." Lilith frowns, twisting her fingers. She is the

111 Ovenlose

fierce of the three of us, physically, but she can be the timidest, too..

I think because she came from a different environn nt from me and Aurora, she has always felt a bit inferior. She is a straight shooter in the boxing ring, but she can hide a secret like "Sebastian has proposed to Ava" for years.

"Remember the last time you kept it to yourself?" I remind Lilith, nudging her softly, "It's us, you can say it."

Lilith's look is rarely serious, just like the time when she finally decided to let me in on her secret. But my reminder works well-

"Scar, I think something doesn't add up, the way Ava described...about your mom."

"What do you mean?" I frown.

"It can wait," Aurora cuts in, rubbing my shoulders comfortingly, "We

don't have to talk about this now."

"I'm okay," I encourage Lilith, and after hesitation, she takes a deep breath and says:

"You said Ava said 'her face flushed red'. That's not what an overdoser looks like. My...my mom overdosed, and I saw her dead body with my own eyes. If Ava said this, then she lied. Your mom might be a drug user, but she didn't die using. If-if this can make you feel better."

I knew her mom died, but I didn't know it was such a tragic death, and certainly not that she had to watch it herself. I hug my kind, lovely Lilith, murmuring: "Thanks, that does make me feel better. I'm really sorry for your loss..."

That DOES make me feel better. To know one good thing about my mom, not even a good thing, per se.

"I still want to look into my real family," I suddenly say, surprising

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everyone including myself.

I want to know how she died, IF she died. I want to know if she was properly buried and why she was there, alone with me. I might not want the father who allegedly abandoned me with her, but I'd still want to know who he is. I want to know where I came from.

Maybe it's desperate, but even knowing that she might cared about me in her last moments, that she might not have died a shameful death cant make me feel better.

"We can look into it for you," Adrian suggests with a dominant tone," Screening it for you, you know? There is really no need for you to know anything negative about this."

He glances at Aurora, who hods agreeingly. She knows he is right. I know that's the way with the least damage to me, too.

But I don't feel like it. That's like abandoning my mom in the cold world of dead alone. Now I know about it, I can't look away. I want to be there for her.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

"That's really sweet, but I want to do this," I make my decision, feeling both light and with a purpose at it, "I want to...feel related to her. Besides, it is my responsibility. I'll still need your help though."

My joking tone put everyone in the room in silence.

"You think you can take it?" Adrian finally breaks it, "You sure?"

I nod at him, firmly.

"Well..." Adrian tilts his head, looking straight into my eyes, "Ava could be lying about the whole thing."

What?! I open my eyes wide in shock, staring at him as I hear my own heart pumping in my chest.