Chapter 58 In his arms

Chapter 58 In his arms
  Maya
  “Peter was my brother, and yeah… you’re the child he had with…” Jeffery took a deep breath, the tip of his nose turning red. “…someone he shouldn’t have been with.”
  I just stared at him.
  “She ruined his life. Your mother ruined my brother’s life,” he said quietly, running a hand through his hair.
  Well. That was one discovery.
  “She introduced him to drugs, and that got him killed before you were even three!” His voice broke slightly, and my chest tightened. Jenny stood frozen beside us, completely stunned.
  He walked past me and returned to the couch where he had been sitting earlier.
  He buried his face in his hands, and for a moment, he looked vulnerable.
  I caught a glimpse of the father I used to know when I was younger.
  I had never seen him cry before, but something about this moment made my chest ache. I couldn’t even explain why.
  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked softly.
  I would have coped with knowing my parents were drug dealers. That would have been easier than finding out the people I believed were my parents… weren’t.
  “Because you deserved a life free from their mess,” he muttered.
  I let out a dry chuckle.
  “You mean the life I’m living right now?”
  The question hung in the air unanswered.
  Because honestly, there was no good answer.
  I deserved the truth. Then and now.
  “Peter was arrested in Spain. At the airport,” he said after a while. “He had gone for a delivery, like he always did.”
  He lifted his head but stared at nothing in particular, his expression completely blank.
  “He tried to escape,” he continued, his voice heavier now. “They shot him on sight. He didn’t survive.”
  At that point, he looked at me.
  I dropped my gaze immediately, and a tear slipped free, falling to the floor.
  I hadn’t even realized I was crying.
  “Do you know what your mother did when she found out he was dead?” he asked, a humorless smile appearing on his face.
  “She came to pick you up. Said she was leaving the country with you.”
  My heart sank with every word.
  “It was when she was arrested at the airport that we discovered she had hidden drugs on you.” My breath caught.
  “She was going to use you for trafficking,” he said bitterly. “Because who searches babies?”
  I sniffed, swallowing hard.
  What…?
  “She was arrested, charged, and sent to prison.”
  I already knew how the rest of the story went.
  They took me in.
  Raised me as their child… until they stopped.
  And then the favoritism began.
  But thinking about it now, maybe it wasn’t favoritism at all.
  They simply chose to love their own child.
  I was the reminder of his brother’s mistake—the one that cost him his life.
  I wiped my tears.
  Everything suddenly made sense.
  Why I looked different.
  Why I was treated differently.
  Why I was always looked at with resentment.
  Why Jenny hated me.
  She never knew the truth either. She grew up believing I was adopted.
  In reality…we were cousins.
  “Thank you,” I whispered.
  Both Jenny and her father stared at me.
  “Thank you for saving me from her,” I continued.
  I couldn’t imagine what my life would have been if they hadn’t taken me in. I might have ended up on the streets.
  Or worse—moving from home to home with foster parents who might have cared even less.
  They gave me an education.
  A home.
  Food. Clothes.
  It meant something.
  “Maya,” he called gently.
  I straightened, my head pounding and my eyes burning.
  I needed to leave.
  “I should go now,” I muttered, turning toward the door.
  They didn’t try to stop me. I didn’t want them to either.
  My fingers trembled as I turned the knob. It was too much to process.
  They were right.
  Whoever had sent those messages was right. They knew more about me than I knew about myself.
  And that terrified me.
  I stepped outside without looking back—not even once. I just kept walking.
  My head throbbed, but I didn’t stop.
  Only after a few moments did I realize I had forgotten my disguise. My face was completely visible now. Anyone could recognize me.
  I didn’t care.
  A car stopped a few meters ahead of me. Red? Orange? I couldn’t even tell.
  Tears blurred my vision.
  The door opened, and someone stepped out.
  Someone I knew. Someone I kept running into, even when I tried not to.
  And somehow… the exact person I wanted to see right now.
  Our eyes met as I walked toward him. He stayed where he was, watching me carefully.
  If I was right, he was avoiding repeating what happened last time.
  He wanted me to come to him.
  And I was doing just that. Smart man.
  “Hey… are you okay?” he asked softly, concern clear in his eyes.
  I lowered my gaze.
  “Can you not talk?” I asked, my heart sinking further as I looked back at him.
  “…and just hold me instead?”
  He didn’t hesitate.
  His arms wrapped around me, pulling me close.
  I clung to him like my life depended on it. Like he might disappear if I let go.
  And I cried.
  I let everything out in the arms of the man I love—loved.
  I just wanted to escape this harsh reality, even if only for a moment.
  And in his arms…I did.
  This whole thing was completely messed up.