The sound of a car pulling into the driveway shattered the tense quiet of the house.
Rea jolted upright from the couch, her heart thudding. Aster, who had been sprawled lazily next to her, instantly sharpened, his casual demeanor slipping just enough to reveal the awareness beneath it.
"They're back," Rea muttered.
"Seems like it," Aster murmured, watching the door.
Rea stood, wiping her damp palms on her jeans. She hadn't heard from them in days. No calls. No texts. Just that one cryptic message telling her to stay out of trouble and watch over Aster.
And now they were back, like they had never left.
The front door creaked open.
Celeste and Andrew stepped inside, both carrying the heavy exhaustion of people who had been moving nonstop.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then—
"Where the hell have you been?" Rea's voice came sharp and accusing.
Celeste exchanged a glance with Andrew before closing the door behind them.
Andrew sighed. "Rea, not now—"
"No," Rea cut him off, stepping forward. "You disappeared for weeks. Didn't even bother to call. You just dropped that message and expected me to—what? Pretend like nothing happened?"
Celeste let out a slow breath, placing her hands on her hips. "We didn't have a choice."
Rea scoffed. "Bullshit."
Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose. "Rea—"
"Where did you go?" she pressed. "Why do you keep lying to me?"
Silence.
Rea's pulse pounded in her ears as Celeste and Andrew shared another unreadable look.
And that's when she knew.
They weren't going to tell her the truth.
Not unless she forced them.
Aster, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke. "She has a point, you know," he said, stretching out against the couch. His voice was lazy, but his eyes weren't. "You guys disappear, leave her to deal with everything, and now you come back looking like you've been through hell, and we're all supposed to just act like it's normal?"
Andrew's jaw tightened.
Rea crossed her arms. "Start talking."
Celeste let out a breath, rubbing her temples. "It's complicated."
Rea's fingers curled into her palms. "Then uncomplicate it."
Silence stretched between them.
And then, finally—
Andrew spoke.
"We were gathering proof against Collaway," he admitted. "And trying to find Rina."
Rea stilled.
Aster, beside her, had also gone rigid.
"You're looking for my mother?" Aster's voice was low, careful.
Andrew nodded. "Yes."
Aster stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, he let out a short, sharp laugh. "And what exactly do you plan on doing when you find her?"
Celeste hesitated. "Saving her."
Aster's face darkened. "You don't even know if she wants to be saved."
Rea frowned, looking between them. "Why do you need Rina?"
Celeste let out a slow breath. "Because she holds the final piece of evidence against Collaway."
Rea's stomach twisted. "What evidence?"
Andrew's gaze flickered down—right to the necklace hanging around her neck.
Rea instinctively touched it.
A sick feeling settled in her chest.
"You're telling me," she said slowly, "this is the key to everything?"
Celeste nodded. "It's not just a necklace, Rea. It holds encrypted files. Proof of everything Collaway has done. That's why he's been after us for all these years. And that's why Rina stayed behind—so he'd never find you."
Rea's world tilted.
She had worn this necklace for years, completely unaware that it was the very thing keeping Collaway's secrets locked away.
Aster sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "And let me guess—Rina is the only one who knows how to decrypt it."
"Yes."
Rea swallowed. "So you lied to me."
Andrew sighed. "We didn't want to drag you into this—"
"Too late for that," Rea snapped.
Aster's face was unreadable, but his fingers twitched against his knee.
"So what now?" he asked, voice dangerously calm. "You expect us to just hand it over?"
Celeste hesitated. "No. Not yet. But we need time to figure out our next move."
Rea let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Right. Because keeping me in the dark has worked so well so far."
Andrew's eyes softened. "Rea—"
"No." She shook her head, her grip tightening around the necklace. "I want the truth. All of it."
Celeste hesitated.
But one look at Rea's face, and she knew—
She wasn't going to let this go.
Finally, Celeste exhaled. "Fine."
And then, at last—
She told her everything.