Chapter 135 Silly

Chapter 135 Silly


We eventually got into the car, and for several minutes, the only sound I heard was the quiet hum of the car engine.

And I knew that I needed to tell him what I had been carrying around since Brian showed me what he'd discovered.

I looked out the window and closed my eyes for a moment before I opened them again.

"Dylan?"

"Hmm?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

His expression immediately changed.

"What happened?"

"Nothing happened."

"Reet." He called softly.

Then I turned towards him. "It's about Miranda."

He frowned. "What about her?"

I hesitated. "I don't know how to say this."

He shifted a little bit closer to me. "Just say it."

I took a slow breath. "Brian found out that Miranda has been receiving psychiatric treatment."

His eyes widened. "What?"

I nodded. "We followed her to the hospital."

"You did what?"

"I know it sounds strange, but…"

"Reet, what do you mean you followed her?" He interrupted.

I quickly shook my head. "We just stayed across the street. We didn't approach her."

He looked genuinely stunned. "She went there herself?"

"Yes." I said quietly.

Dylan's face went completely still.

He didn't say anything for a moment.

Then he looked away. "Miranda?" He said her name like it was foreign to him.

I nodded.

He shook his head slowly. "I didn't know."

I watched him.

He blinked. “If she's really under psychiatric aid, then…” He trailed off.

I wasn't even bothered that he didn't finish his statement, I was just concerned about how he felt.

He continued. "I've known her existence for such a short time, and even after everything she's done, I feel bad for her.”

I gave him a sad smile and squeezed his hand.

He looked at me. “But she doesn't deserve my pity.”

I nodded slightly in understanding because I thought the same thing too. "The container we found… the one marked 'MC'. Brian had it checked and discovered its contents weren't ordinary pain medication."

Dylan frowned. “It was some stupid psychotic medication.” He finished for me.

I gave him a small nod. “Yeah.”

He stared at me.

The silence that followed was uncomfortable.

Dylan leaned back against the seat, and his eyes remained fixed somewhere ahead of him.

Then he clenched his jaw. “She hid it so fucking well.”

I bit my lip. "It's obvious she didn't want anyone to know."

Dylan laughed quietly, but there was no humor in it. "Apparently, the Carters are really good at hiding things."

I looked at him.

Then Dylan swallowed. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to think anymore."

I didn't have an answer, but I understood him more than anyone.

He'd thought for so long that his biggest problem was that his father had another family.

Then he'd learned about Miranda.

Then he'd learned what she had done.

Then he'd discovered how much resentment she carried.

And now there was another layer to the story.

One neither of us had expected.

"Does knowing this make you feel differently about her?" I asked, despite myself.

Dylan remained silent.

After a moment, he said, "I don't know."

I nodded. "I don't think it changes what she did."

"It doesn't." His response was immediate. "Whatever she's dealing with doesn't erase what she did to you. Or to your father, to me, or to anyone else." He said.

I relaxed slightly.

"But..." He paused.

I looked at him. "But what?"

Dylan stared through the windshield. "She's still my sister." He said softly.

My heart sank, but I didn't interrupt.

He continued. "I spent my entire life thinking I was an only child."

He gave a small, bitter laugh. "Then suddenly I found out I have a sister."

He shook his head. "Not only that. I found out she's been living with this resentment toward me for years. She blames me for things I didn't even know were happening."

I listened.

He shifted slightly in his seat. "I don't know how to process that."

I instantly placed my hand over his and he immediately grabbed it.

I smiled softly. "You don't have to do it all at once, Dylan."

"I know." He said as he looked down at our joined hands. "I've been angry at her."

"And you have every right to be." I said quietly.

"But sometimes I look at her and..." He paused.

"What?"

He continued. "I wonder what it would've been like if I'd known she was my step sister."

My chest ached.

Then his voice became softer. "What if I had known she existed when we were younger? What if she hadn't grown up believing that I stole everything from her?"

He shook his head. "Maybe things would've been different."

"Maybe." I mumbled.

"But that's the problem." He looked at me. "We'll never know."

I squeezed his hand.

He looked away again. "My father should've told me… He should've told her." He paused. “He should've protected both of us from this."

I nodded. “I understand.”

He continued without hesitation. "He made choices for everyone without giving anyone the chance to understand what was happening."

Then he clenched his jaw. "And Miranda paid for those choices."

His eyes became distant. "She clearly suffered because of him."

I remained quiet.

He looked at me again. "But that doesn't mean she gets to make you suffer."

I nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Dylan sighed. "And I don't know if I can forgive her."

"You don't have to." I muttered. "Not now. Not ever, if you aren't ready."

He looked at me. "But I think I want to understand her."

That surprised me.

I furrowed my brows. "Understand her?"

"Yes." He looked down again. "Heck, I can't look past her actions and pretend everything is fine. I just want to understand how she became this person." He said.

Then I thought about Miranda standing alone at the hospital reception desk.

For the first time, I wondered whether understanding her might be necessary.

Not to actually erase what she'd done because… no one can undo what she'd done, but to finally understand how all these secrets had shaped the person she'd become.

Dylan exhaled slowly. "I just wish I had known sooner."

I leaned against the seat and resisted the urge to ask him what he would have done differently if he had known before now.

I sighed. “It's crazy how she hid her struggles so well even as a teenager.”

He nodded. “It kinda sucks.”

A long silence settled between us.

Then Dylan looked at me. "Thank you for letting me know."

I smiled faintly. "You deserved to know."

He nodded.

Then he looked ahead again. “You know, as ridiculous as it might sound… I still can't believe I actually have a stepsister.”

I let out a small scoff and squeezed his hand. "I know right."

He suddenly gave me a small, uncertain smile. “Yeah…” He paused. “But would I sound like a dick if I said I want to kiss you right now?”

I scoffed.