Chapter 60 CHAPTER 60

Chapter 60 CHAPTER 60
The front door clicked shut behind me, the sound sharp in the quiet house. My heels clicked across the hardwood as I set my bag down with a soft thud. 

Before I could reach the stairs, keys rattled in the lock again. The door opened, Selena stepped inside. She closed the door with a firm push and looked straight at me.

“Ayla, can we talk?”

I turned toward the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out a bottle of water. “I’m listening,” I said, twisting the cap. It cracked open with a sharp hiss distracting from the brewing breathy from Selena.

She followed me to the kitchen. “You shouldn’t have done that at the office, not like that.”

I took a long sip, the water icy against my tongue, then set the bottle down harder than necessary. 

The plastic clacked on the counter. I moved to the sink and began rinsing a glass that didn’t need rinsing. “He has been doing it for a long time, Selena. It was time he paid for it.”

Water rushed over my hands, loud in the tiled space. I scrubbed the glass in slow circles.

“Why are you so angry?” Her voice stayed low, careful.

I set the glass down and reached for a dish towel, drying my hands with deliberate strokes. “I’m not angry, beating up an old man who keeps on cheating on his wife who is my sister is me being angry?”

“Yes, you could have just walked away or told your sister. Not to lock the door and beat them with a golf stick.” She throwing her hands in the air.

“We all deal with things differently, I saw necessary to do what I did.” I said shrugging my shoulders. 

“You beat them up? Do you know that they are planning to open a case against you? The poor has a tooth missing, Ayla.” I turned to look at her but shrugged my shoulders once more.

“She deserves it and if they do get me arrested that’s fine. At least in jail, I won’t be surrounded by fake people and cheaters.” I said.

“You see, you just want to throw your life away. Why?” 

“Maybe it’s because all my life I have never been my parents’ first concern. And now that you’re here, you’re not doing any better than them.” I said quietly. 

Stillness fell between us for a beat. I folded the towel neatly and placed it back on the hook.

Selena exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry, Ayla. I really am.”

She stepped closer. I turned to face her. Her arms opened, and I let her pull me in. 

Her hug was warm and firm, the fabric of her blouse soft against my cheek. 

I rested my hands lightly on her back for a moment, then stepped away first, smoothing my sleeves. 

“I forgive but you should do better, you’ve been really failing me these days.” I said looking at her.

“I noticed that and I’m sorry.” She said calmly.

“Do you have a dress for the ceremony tomorrow?” she asked.

“No.” I answered shortly. She disappeared upstairs and returned quickly, the rustle of a garment bag filling the hallway. 

She unzipped it with a long zip. Inside hung a deep red dress, silk catching the light, flowing like liquid.

The neckline was elegant, the fabric shimmering with each small movement.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, fingers brushing the cool, smooth material. “Thank you.”

Selena smiled slightly. “Let me take you out. Just us. We can talk properly, clear the air.”

I folded the garment bag carefully over my arm. “No. I know you’re very busy. We can talk after you come back from work.”

She tilted her head. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I met her eyes steadily. “I’m sure.”

She reached out and touched my shoulder briefly. “I’m sorry again. I promise we’ll catch up over a movie when I get back. Popcorn, the works.”

“Alright.” She lingered another second, then grabbed her things. 

The door clicked shut behind her, leaving the house quiet once more. I carried the red dress upstairs, the silk whispering against my arm with every step.

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Later that evening, the sky had turned deep indigo. I parked outside Sierra’s house, the engine ticking as I switched it off.

I knocked twice on the front door. The sound echoed, there was no response from inside. I tried the handle. It turned.

I stepped inside. The living room smelled of vanilla candles and detergent.

Sierra sat on the couch, shoulders hunched, staring at a small white stick in her hands. A pregnancy test. The plastic caught the lamplight.

“Sierra,” I said softly, closing the door behind me.

She looked up fast, eyes wide and red-rimmed. Her breath came in short, shaky pulls. “Ayla—”

I crossed the room and sat beside her. The couch dipped under my weight. 

I took the test gently from her trembling fingers and set it on the coffee table. “Breath, slow. In and out.”

She pressed both hands to her face. A sob broke out, raw and wet. “I didn’t know karma existed. I swear I didn’t. I’m being punished for marrying my little sister’s boyfriend. This is what I get, a fucking baby.”

Her shoulders shook. I rubbed slow circles on her back, feeling the tension in her muscles. “How could the moongoddess give me a baby with this horrible man?”

“That’s the past,” I said evenly. “Let it go, a baby is a blessing, Sierra. It is something that’s yours.”

She dropped her hands, tears tracked down her cheeks, glistening. “You don’t understand. I can’t do this. I’m getting rid of it, I have to.”

I kept my hand on her back, steady. “You’re scared right now. That’s loud in your head. But think about it like reallt think. This doesn’t have to be punishment. It could be a second chance.”

Sierra shook her head hard, hair swinging. “Second chance? After what I did? Every time I look at this test I see your face, when you found out. I took him from you. And now this?” Her voice cracked. “I deserve the punishment. Not a baby.”

I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, and picked up the test again. The two pink lines stared back clearly. 

“This is real. It’s happening inside you right now. You don’t have to decide everything tonight. But throwing it away out of guilt that won’t erase the past either.”

She wiped her face with the back of her hand, sniffling loudly. 

“You make it sound so simple. It’s not simple, Ayla. I wake up every day knowing what I stole. And now I’m bringing another life into this mess? What kind of mother would I even be?”

“A human one,” I replied. “Flawed. Like the rest of us. You think the rest of us don’t carry regrets? ” I set the test down again. 

“But you don’t fix old mistakes by making new ones, not like this.”

Sierra stared at the floor, breathing ragged. “I already called the clinic. They have an opening next week.”

The words hung between us. I let the silence sit for a moment, the vanilla candle flickering and popping softly.

“Cancel it,” I said. “At least wait to talk to someone. Sleep on it more than one night. You’re shaking, Sierra, your hands are freezing. You don’t want to do this.”

She looked down at her fingers twisting together, knuckles pale. “I’m so scared.”

“I know.” I covered her hands with mine, steadying them. “But fear doesn’t get the final say.”

She leaned against me suddenly, forehead on my shoulder. Fresh tears soaked into my blouse. “Why are you even here? After everything?”

“Because you’re still family. My messy, complicated family. And right now you’re sitting alone with a stick that just changed your life. You don’t have to be alone with it.”

We stayed like that for a while. The clock on the wall ticked steadily.

Sierra pulled back eventually, wiping her nose. “If I keep it, I will have to explain to it how me and the father met. I’m not proud and Callen already-”

“Callen can wait,” I cut in. “This isn’t about him right now. This is about you and what’s growing inside you. One step tonight is deciding not to do anything rash while you’re this upset.”

She nodded slowly, though her lip still trembled. “One step at a time,” she whispered.

I squeezed her hands once more, then stood. “I’ll make tea, something warm to calm you down. And we’ll sit here until you feel less like the world is ending.”

Sierra gave a weak, watery laugh. “You sound like you’ve done this before.”

I walked toward the kitchen. “Let’s just say I know what it feels like when everything crashes at once.”

“I guess i’m to blame for that.” I looked over, she was already looking over me with unshed tears. Sis, you did me a favour. This would’ve been me. “Let’s leave it in the past, what matters is I forgive you.”

The kettle filled with a rushing sound. I clicked it on. Behind me, Sierra picked up the test again, staring at the lines like they might change.