The cold air still clung to my skin. The streets were quiet—barely any light from the streetlamps, just a few flickering bulbs in the distance, and some slow-moving jeeps crawling through the dark like they were searching for a way out.
I was walking with no destination, carrying the weight I'd been hiding in my chest for so long. It felt like a stone was tied to it—and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't let it go.
I was walking away now. Away from where Bryce and Zayden were. Away from the pain that was tearing at both my heart and my mind. I couldn't believe it.
I wanted to scream with everything I had. I wanted to disappear completely.
I wiped away the tears that wouldn't stop. The pain felt like fire being pressed into my chest over and over, and I didn't know if I was angry at Zayden, at Bryce… or at myself. I had no idea where to throw all the hurt I felt.
I turned into a small park near the terminal. I used to love the old rides there—the kind that moved when you dropped a coin in. Plastic horses full of memories. A long time ago.
But near one of the benches, I saw a soft drink can, thrown on the ground. That's where I let it out. I stepped on it over and over, screamed all the whispers of pain and sorrow inside my head, and when I couldn't take it anymore, I kicked the can away.
Then I sat down.
And the tears started again.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman walk by—wearing a scarf and a jacket. With her was a man and a young girl, maybe 12 or 13 years old.
The woman… she looked like a shadow from the past, or maybe a trick my mind was playing on me, but—
"Mom?"
It was soft, barely a whisper, but it came out.
My eyes widened. I couldn't breathe.
I froze. Tears fell. I didn't know if I should run or not. But my body moved on its own.
I followed them—around the park, through the side paths—until they stopped by a food stall. The little girl got cotton candy.
I couldn't believe it. That smile… I thought I'd never see it again. I thought she was gone. They told me she was dead. They said she died in an accident—because of me?
But she was here. Alive. And I wasn't part of it.
I walked up to them slowly. My knees were shaking.
"Mom?"
They were startled. The woman turned around.
And yes—it was her. Without a doubt.
But the way she looked at me… it was like I was a stranger. Like I meant nothing.
"Mom? It's me, Kiera," I said, trying to reach for her, but she pulled her hand away.
"I'm sorry, miss," she said gently. "You must be mistaken."
"I'm Kiera," I insisted. "Your daughter."
"I don't know anyone named Kiera, miss. Maybe you have the wrong person."
Then out of nowhere, my stepfather—Tito Joel—appeared.
"Do you need something, miss?" he asked.
But in that split second, he recognized me.
His eyes widened—not because he saw me, but because I saw them.
He grabbed me quickly, pulling me aside.
"Kiera…" he whispered.
"Tito… what is this?" I sobbed.
"You said mom was dead. But… was that her?"
"Kiera, let me explain," he said.
I laughed, though I didn't know why. "So you really just took her away from me? To build your new family? So there'd be no space left for me?"
"I'll explain everything, just not now. Not here," he said.
"Not now?" I whispered. "You're happy now? With your kid? But my mom—she doesn't even know me!"
"Why, Tito? Tell me. What happened? Why doesn't mom remember me?"
He gripped my arm tightly, trying to drag me away.
"Stop this, Kiera. Not here. Not now," he whispered in my ear.
I resisted.
"Let go of me! What are you doing? What kind of life is this?!"
But he didn't listen. He pulled me into a dark side street behind the park.
We stopped there, the sound of the little girl's laughter and the voice of the mother who should've been mine slowly fading into the distance.
Just us.
Finally, we were alone. No one else to hear.
"I thought she was dead…" I whispered. My voice was shaking.
"I thought she was really gone."
"You said—you said she died. Tito… didn't you say it was my fault she died? Isn't that why you were so angry?"
He stayed silent. He wouldn't look at me.
"You tore us apart," I said. My voice was barely audible, but burning with rage.
"You kept us apart on purpose."
"Is that why… is that why you gave me to another family? So your child could have a new 'mother'?"
He said nothing. But I saw the guilt on his face. I felt it.
"You didn't even let me say goodbye. You didn't even let me see her one last time. You blamed me. You made me think she was gone forever—but the truth is, she's alive… you just hid her from me."
And I broke down.
I couldn't hold it in anymore.