Chapter 176

POV Emília Gray

Although it wasn’t by much, the Olympians won. The joy displayed on each of the supporters, especially Penélope, who had cheered and shouted the whole game, was contagious. She wasn’t even cheering for our university, yet the feeling of victory was comforting. On the other hand, Kay was ready to strangle someone.

“I’m going to kill Daniel for making me waste my time and for him losing.”

“It happens, silly,” I said, laughing softly at her frown.

We moved to a quieter spot with less activity, as I kept track of the time until Daniel came out of the locker room. He probably had the usual speech, the coach's pep talk, and other sports-related matters to discuss before our friend was free.

I checked the time on my watch, eager to see him, but it was clear that all the Faceless Faces were making their way out of the crowd as well. Vance, Jaxon, and Cole, though in separate groups, had also come to watch Asher's game.

A subtle smile flirted on my lips. They supported their friend, even in secrecy.

“What are you smiling about, silly? Is it some guy?”

“Of course not,” I muttered.

“I hope it’s not, because I wouldn’t want to compete for attention.” The familiar voice hit my chest in a nostalgic way.

Both Kayleen and I let out a small, hysterical scream, climbing into Daniel’s lap. His scent infiltrated my nostrils, still tinged with the intense sweat from the game. I felt at peace. It was good to be with someone who still belonged to me. Someone who was alive and hadn’t been taken from me in the past.

“How are my favorite girls?” he asked, winking at Kay.

I smiled wickedly. His preference for Cullbert was obvious. She was the only one who didn’t see it.

“You idiot, how dare you lose in our presence?” Kayleen grumbled, giving him a light punch to his chest.

We got off his lap, resting our feet on the ground.

“I was paying more attention to seeing you two in the stands than to the game. Next time, stay home,” he teased. “Penélope, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”

“Hey, Daniel. How does it feel to be today’s loser?”

“Feels like you guys want me to feel like crap.”

“That’s exactly it,” Penélope replied, crossing her arms as if trying to intimidate him.

“Well, I want to get out of here before the Olympians beat me up. How about we go to a diner? I’ve got some gossip to share.”

“Of course you do. It runs in your blood,” I said, receiving another lip quirk from him.

“There are things that never change, huh, Lia?”

***

The air conditioning in the diner brushed against my skin. It was pleasant not to be hit by the intense sun, and I didn’t have to shake off droplets of sweat that liked to appear on my chest and neck.

We were sitting at a small table, with blue benches in a combination that fit well with the space, which had a strong aquarium vibe. The walls were decorated with drawings of fish, and false waves were reproduced in small aquariums scattered strategically around the corners.

I had ordered a mango juice, since I didn’t have money. I stole some coins from Dante’s house, which helped me pay for university meals and a few energy drinks for study sessions.

Penélope chose a full meal, as did Daniel. A portion of burger with fries was on the way. Kayleen opted for a hot dog. Maybe I’d steal a bit of each if I felt hungry.

"So, what's new?" Kayleen asked, stealing a piece of Daniel’s fries as soon as they arrived.

"First, I want to know how you guys are."

"If you wanted to know, you’d send messages," I retorted, sipping my drink.

"I’ve been busy. You know. Studying, competing, and being a total stud is complicated." Cullbert rolled his eyes, and both Penélope and I did the same.

"Well, I’ve been as busy as you."

"Being a hottie?" Daniel teased.

"Being an Olympic gymnast and a future psychologist," she answered, pushing him to the side. "And Emilia, being the best doctor we’ll have."

"Wow, it’s true, Emilia. You’re almost done."

I took another sip of my drink to soothe my throat.

"Thank God."

"Do you already know where you want to work?"

I shrugged.

"I don’t think about it."

"Why?" He asked, opening his mouth to take a big bite of his burger.

"I don’t know. I need to finish first before thinking about anything else."

"You’re literally the best student in your class. You don’t have to finish anything to know that any hospital in the country will be begging for you," Penélope reassured.

"Besides, you’re the daughter of the Grays. They left a huge mark on national health."

Anguish gnawed at my stomach.

Daughter of the Grays.

Once, that would’ve been something I’d tattoo on my forehead. Now, it was what tormented me. It wasn’t pride. It was inner destruction. It was the reason why, every night, my eyes would tear up, and my inner monsters dared to awaken their fury.

I wanted to break free from that mark. From that surname. From that agony.

But that’s who I was.

Emilia Gray, daughter of the city’s top doctors, the ones who were brutally and unjustly killed by their first love.

"Can we change the subject? College wasn’t something I was expecting to be the topic of our conversation," I confessed.

"You said you had gossip, so spill it." Kayleen slammed her hand on the table, like an order.

"Well," he devoured a large portion of fries, chewing while talking, "It’s not exactly gossip, but something I thought you should know. It seems they’re starting to investigate what happened on Punishment Day again."

Silence hummed in my ears, a whisper from beyond urging me not to show any emotion.

"From Sic Infit?" Penélope asked curiously. She was the only one of us from another city, so she hadn’t lived through the events firsthand. "The day your parents..."

"Yes. That day," I declared, keeping the impenetrable and opaque persona I needed to maintain.

"But why?" Kayleen’s question was laced with anger.

"It seems that some clues have emerged, and they want to dig deeper."

"Dig deeper?!" Kayleen was on the verge of getting worked up. "We already know who killed them. Fuck. There’s no doubt it was that fucking bastard Faulkner. Why the hell do they want to dig deeper when they can just find that bastard and arrest him?!"

"It was a chaotic night, Kay. It’s highly unlikely that he did it all by himself. We know that, and the police do too. They want evidence to uncover the truth."

My soul felt like it was about to be thrown off a cliff.

They were going to find out who was behind it all.

I couldn’t say for sure if it was fear or relief. Would Dante and the rest of the Faceless Faces being arrested be a punishment or a blessing?

"So, are they assuming it’s the guys from the kidnapping?" Kayleen had the courage to ask what was suffocating me.

"No. I don’t think so," he answered calmly. "I’ve spoken to Asher several times. He doesn’t seem like someone who would do that."

"Cole wouldn’t either," Penélope defended. "He would never kill anyone."

I wanted to laugh.

I wanted to laugh out loud, but my fingers sinking into my shirt and my mouth retreating to the straw stopped my laughter.

"But they think the Faceless Faces might be a clue."

"So, they’re assuming Dante is involved with the Faceless Faces?" I asked, reducing my tone of interest to the extreme.

"I’m a gossip, but not a private investigator."

"Then become one," Kayleen ordered.

Daniel chuckled lightly.

"Maybe he could be part of it. Both those Faceless Faces and Dante really like to use Latin."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Latin?"

"Duh? You never noticed?" Kay teased. "Sic Infit is Latin, just like the scriptures and threats that the Faceless Faces leave around. You did research on them. It was the least you should know."

I interlaced my fingers in my barely-defined curls. I didn’t have the products I needed to take better care of them.

"I never noticed Dante knew Latin..."

I couldn’t even imagine. There were certain words he’d say and things he’d write on the walls of that old lab, but I never imagined it was Latin. I thought he just didn’t know how to express himself properly back then.

"Do you still keep in contact with him?"

Daniel’s question caught me off guard. The moral condemnation overwhelmed my heart, and I barely reacted.

Kayleen once again nudged him, but I shook my head.

"It’s okay. I understand the curiosity." I drank the rest of my juice before satisfying the curiosity of the three of them. "I haven’t heard from him in years. The guy from back then is dead to me."

I wasn’t lying.

The Dante Faulkner from the past was buried in my memory, beneath the rubble of my chest.

"No feelings?" Daniel continued interrogating.

"What I had with him was beautiful, but it’s impossible to go back. It will never be the same."

"So, if he died..."

"Daniel." Kayleen cut him off. "Let’s not talk about him."

My friend nodded.

"Sorry."

"It’s fine."

Daniel nodded, Kayleen pretended not to pay attention to the details, and Penélope happily accepted.

"Well, let’s stop talking about sad things and talk about why I’m happy."

"Why are you happy?"

Penélope lifted a fry and slowly chewed it.

"The Olympians won, and the Fokley guys were the losers."

Daniel let out a considerable amount of air from his lungs with a violent sigh. Both Kayleen and I laughed. Penélope wouldn’t let the topic die.

We kept talking calmly, strengthening the bond we shared. However, my mouth was bitter, and my chest was torturing me.

I hadn’t answered Daniel’s question. I hadn’t said yes or no. I wanted to pretend I didn’t know what it meant, but trying to deceive myself was a flawed act.

Especially since I knew they could be caught, and I wanted them to be, and dead. Dante deserved the punishment fate had in store for him. That’s why it deeply irritated me that I couldn’t give a simple and direct answer because, under no circumstances, should there be any uncertainty about what I felt for Dante.