Chapter 146: The Life I Carry

Leitana’s eyes fluttered open, then squeezed shut again as bright light assaulted her sensitive eyes. She turned to the other side of the bed, instinctively seeking the spot where the sun wouldn’t hit her face. Her hand reached out, searching across the sheets for the familiar warmth of Ravial’s strong, comforting body.

Nothing.

Only cold, rumpled sheets.

Her face pulled into a frown. Her eyes snapped open. She blinked rapidly, adjusting to the light, and looked around.

The room was large and spacious, just as she remembered. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, catching on the polished furniture and the soft rugs. Everything was in place but there was no Ravial.

“Mi Ravial?” she called softly.

Her voice echoed back at her, small in the big room.

She crossed her legs over the edge of the bed and slid down. Her bare feet touched the cool floor. The moment she stood, dizziness hit her hard. The room tilted. She grabbed the wall to steady herself, breathing shallow and fast.

“Ravial?” she tried again, louder.

Still nothing.

She waited until the spinning slowed, then walked slowly to the full-length mirror on the far wall.

She stared at her reflection.

Her hazel eyes looked sad, tired, and hollow. Her hair was a mess, falling in loose waves down her waist.

She lifted the hem of the gown with shaking fingers.

Her stomach was still flat.

But life was growing inside her.

She blinked and tears filled her eyes and spilled over.

She hadn't realized for weeks but there were small signs, missed cycles, the faint nausea she hid from everyone. But she had never gone that line of thinking and now she was scared.

The tears fell faster.

Just then, a soft knock sounded at the door.

Leitana quickly pulled her gown down and turned.

Avery’s head poked through the opening.

Their eyes met and for one second, neither moved, then Avery rushed in, slamming the door behind her.

They collided in the middle of the room.

Avery wrapped her arms around Leitana tightly, squeezing like she might disappear.

“I thought maybe I would lose you,” Avery whispered, voice thick. Her hand stroked Leitana’s hair over and over. “I thought… I thought the worst when you were taken and lying on that bed.”

Leitana held her just as tightly, face buried in her sister’s shoulder and they stayed like that, hugging, and breathing each other in for a long moment.

Avery finally pulled back. She cupped Leitana’s cheeks with both hands, thumbs wiping away tears.

Leitana looked at her.“Avery…”

Avery’s eyes searched hers. “What?”

Leitana swallowed hard.

“Mi pregnant.”

Avery stiffened.

Then a slow, huge smile broke across her face.

“Oh my God, Lei….”

Leitana shook her head quickly.

Avery’s smile faltered. “Y..you aren’t you happy? You always talk about kids. You always say you want a big family. So what's….”

Leitana’s tears started again.

Avery’s expression changed, her smile gone, replaced by sudden understanding.

She remembered.

Leitana was dying.

Avery’s hands trembled on Leitana’s cheeks.

“Lei…”

Leitana looked down.

“Mi no know if mi can carry dis baby,” she whispered. “Mi no know if mi will live long enough to see it born. Mi scared, Avery, so scared.”

Avery pulled her close again, tight, and fierce.

“You will,” she said. “You will. We’ll find a way. Ravial will find a way. He’s… he loves you so much that it's scary, Lei. You know that. If anyone can fix this, it’s him.”

Leitana clung to her sister.

“Mi no wan’ leave mi baby,” she cried. “Mi no wan’ leave Ravial or yu.”

Avery rocked her gently.

“We will,” she said, tears pouring down her own face just as fast. She held Leitana like she could physically keep her here—keep her breathing, and alive by sheer force of will. Deep down, though, Avery knew what the doctor had said. There was no going back on that. No cure or miracle drug waiting in some hidden trial. Nothing.

Avery clasped her hand over her mouth as a sob tried to break free. She swallowed it down, just as fiercely as she held her sister in her arms.

“We will,” she repeated, voice shaky. “We will find a way. I promise.”

Leitana pressed her face into Avery’s shoulder and let herself cry, the kind of crying that comes after you’ve already screamed yourself empty.

They stayed like that for a long time.

Just holding on.

Hours later, Leitana sat curled in the corner of the living room sofa, legs tucked under her, phone propped on a cushion in front of her.

The video call screen was split into little squares: Lafu in her apartment, Marco in what looked like a hotel room, Stacy in her car, Diego and Jules sharing one frame, Anya alone in her kitchen.

They all looked tired, a little bruised but alive.

Lafu leaned closer to the camera.

“Yes, we gave all the evidence to the authorities,” she said. “Even the apartment footage and they’ve opened a full investigation.”

Marco rubbed his jaw—still swollen and bruised from the warehouse. “They arrested Victor Langston and Greg Harlan this morning. They’re being questioned right now. The cops are saying it’s coercion, trafficking, sexual exploitation, blackmail… the works.”

Stacy nodded from her car seat. “They’re also digging into Jim’s side dealings—the private bookings he handled outside the main agency channels. But realistically? Nothing major will stick to Ashbourne Talent. The auctions were private events run by the sponsors themselves, not the agency. The models signed NDAs and consent forms. On paper, it looks voluntary. The company can claim they knew nothing about what happened behind closed doors.”

Diego snorted. “They’ll probably get fined for ‘poor oversight’ or ‘failure to monitor talent welfare.’ Maybe some regulatory slap on the wrist. But jail time? For Ravial’s executives? Doubt it. No evidence ties the agency directly to any crimes. Jim was the one running the dirty side off-books, off-record. He’s the fall guy.”

Anya spoke up quietly. “The sponsors are the ones really in trouble—Langston, Harlan, the others. The footage is brutal, that's not consensual partnership. The DA is pushing hard on those charges.”

Lafu nodded. “And the two goons from the warehouse? Their bodies were found yesterday in an abandoned lot near the river. Dismembered and Tortured. No identification left except dental records. The cops are calling it a gang hit or someone was shutting them up before they could be arrested and questioned.”

Stacy shivered visibly on screen. “It was horrible, we were shown the photos and it looks like something out of a horror movie.”

Marco leaned forward. “No sign of Jim, though. He vanished, no body. No trace. Just… gone.”

Leitana’s breath caught.

She stared at the screen, her heart thudding.

Lafu looked straight at her. “Yeah. No one knows what happened to them. The only thing I remember from that day is rushing to you when you fainted. After that… it’s all a blur.”

The others nodded, looking a bit uneasy about the fact that they were all unable to remember some part of that day.

Marco shrugged. “Well, anyway… it all ends well. Those people are being investigated. Celeste’s death is no longer ruled an accident or suicide. It’s officially a homicide investigation now.”

Lafu smiled.

“Thank you, Leitana. Without you… we wouldn’t have come this far..”

Marco nodded. “Yeah. You’re the heart of this.”

Stacy wiped her eyes. “We love you, girl.”

Leitana managed a small smile.

“It’s all of us,” she said softly. “Not just mi.”

They talked a few more minutes, small things, recovery updates, when they’d see each other again.

Then Leitana asked the question that had been burning in her chest.

“What about Willow?”

There was silence for a beat.

Lafu sighed. “To be honest… I haven’t seen her since everything happened. She disappeared right after that…..day. She hasn't even posted on her social media accounts, nothing.”

Leitana nodded slowly then the call ended soon after.

Leitana sat there, alone in the big living room, staring at her reflection in the black glass of her phone screen.

She touched her stomach again then she looked out the window.

She didn’t know how much time she had left or if Ravial would come home tonight.

She didn’t know if Jim was really gone or what happened to him.

All she knew was that she was tired.

Then she closed her eyes and waited for whatever came next.