Chapter 138
Chapter 138
Kelly
Kate wouldn’t stop. Everywhere I turned, she was there, her voice sharp, her presence suffocating.
"Do the test, Kelly. What are you so afraid of?"
"If you have nothing to hide, then prove it."
"I deserve that will. It’s mine by right."
On and on, like a relentless kid.
I was so tired. Not just of her, but of the way everything was spiraling out of control. The media was still on my back. My clothing company was hanging by a thread. The public doubted my very existence. And now, Kate was determined to tear apart the last thing I had left, my identity.
I exhaled slowly, gripping my phone as Kate’s latest text glared back at me.
K: I swear to God, Kelly, I will make you regret this if you don’t do the test.
I clenched my jaw. Fine, If this was what it took to shut her up, then I’d do it. I didn’t care about the will, I had never cared. But if taking this stupid DNA test would silence the doubts, if it would make the Kate back off, then so be it.
Besides… I needed to figure out how to recover the will anyway. Kate had made it very clear that she wanted it all to herself. Which meant I needed to find out what was really going on before she twisted everything to her advantage.
I scrolled through my contacts, pressing the number I had been avoiding. The clinic picked up on the first ring.
"Hello, this is Brightwell Genetic Testing, how can I help you?"
"I need to take a DNA test." A pause.
"Are you requesting a private test or a legal one for documentation purposes?"
"Legal," I said flatly.
So Kate won’t find a single excuse to claim I was hiding anything.
"Understood. You’ll need to bring a valid ID, and if there’s another party involved, they must be present as well."
Another party. Which was Kate.
I gritted my teeth.
"I’ll bring her."
"Great. We’ll set up an appointment for you. Earliest available slot is tomorrow at 10 AM."
"I’ll be there." I hung up and sent Kate a single message.
"Tomorrow. 10 AM. Be there or shut up forever."
Her reply came almost instantly.
K: Finally.
I shut my phone off, rubbing my temples. One problem handled. But another one was waiting for me.
I had barely settled on the couch when my phone buzzed again. Unknown number, I hesitated.
Then answered.
"Kelly… it’s me."
My grip on the phone tightened.
Ava? I hadn’t heard from her since the last time she embarrassed herself while on date with Susan.
My voice was cold. "What do you want?"
She hesitated. "I… I need to see you."
"Why?"
"Because I’m sorry."
I let out a scoff.
"Oh, you’re sorry? That’s great, Ava. That really fixes your whole mess."
"Kelly, please. Just let me talk to you."
I should have hung up. I should have told her to go to hell.
But instead, I found myself saying, "Where are you?"
"Outside."
My breath caught. "Outside where?"
"Your house."
I shot up from the couch, pulling back the curtains. There she was. Standing in the rain, soaked to the bone, eyes pleading.
I stepped outside, arms crossed. "You have five minutes”
Ava swallowed hard, hugging herself. "I messed up, Kelly, I know and I’m sorry."
"Yeah, no kidding."
"I didn’t mean for things to get this bad. I was scared."
I scoffed. "Scared of what? Of telling the truth? Of standing by me instead of watching your mom rip me apart?"
She winced.
"I thought… if I stayed quiet, if I picked her side, things would settle."
"Can you even hear yourself?”
She looked down. "I was weak."
"You were a coward."
Her shoulders shook.
"I know. And I don’t expect you to forgive me. But I want to try to make things right."
I stared at her. This was not the same Ava I used to know. She changed a lot.
"Why now?" I asked.
“Because I have been watching you fight alone for the longest time now , and I couldn’t take it anymore." Her voice cracked.
I frowned, pacing the room. She took a shaky breath.
“I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m still going to ask you to forgive me, I need to be able to move on with my life, from the past." She said, water dripping from her cloth as she knelt down.
“Stand up, Ava,” I said, trying to pull her up.
She stood, and I exhaled slowly.
“I forgive you” I paused, looking her in the eyes “the thing is I have already forgiven you before now, but it’s a shame that whenever I hear your name, I can’t help but recall those painful memories. But I’m going to let them go now” I said, hugging her. Tears threatened to fall, but I stopped them with my hands.
She hugged me back, tears dripping from her face to my back. I patted her back and whispered to her ear.
“It’s okay, you need a change of clothes, before you catch cold”