POV: Jay
When Hex and I got home, I knew something was wrong the second I stepped inside.
The house was too quiet. Not peaceful. Heavy.
And then I saw her.
Trisha Reyes was standing in the living room, arms crossed, posture sharp like she was in the middle of an interrogation. No bag. No guest energy. Just confidence, like she had already claimed the space.
My chest tightened.
Of course it was her.
Hex stopped beside me. His jaw clenched instantly, eyes narrowing the moment they landed on her face.
"So," Trisha said, looking straight at him, "you're alive."
The words were calm. Too calm.
Hex let out a short, bitter laugh. "Disappointed?"
I stepped forward before things could explode. "You found out."
She turned to me. "I did. Charles is my son."
We already knew. I had known the moment her investigation started. The name Reyes had never been a coincidence. Marco and Hex going to the same school was never random either. And their bad blood… now it all made sense.
Hex's fists tightened. "Don't say that like it means something."
Trisha frowned. "I'm your mother."
"And?" Hex snapped. "That word doesn't suddenly rewrite my life."
Angelo and Aunty Gemma rushed in from the kitchen, Aries close behind them. Andy and Jeana followed, confused by the tension hanging thick in the air.
"What's going on?" Aunty Gemma asked.
Trisha didn't hesitate. "I've come for my son."
The room froze.
Hex turned fully toward her now. "No. You didn't come for me. You came for control."
"You don't get to talk to me like that," Trisha said sharply.
"I absolutely do," he shot back. "You weren't there. You don't get to show up now and make demands."
Trisha's eyes softened for half a second. "You don't understand. I thought you were dead."
Hex scoffed. "Funny. I thought I didn't have a mother."
That one hit deep.
"You don't know what I went through," she said.
"And you don't know what I did," Hex replied. "So stop pretending you care now."
Angelo stepped forward. "Hex, calm down."
"No," Hex said, voice shaking now. "I won't."
Trisha turned to Angelo. "I'm taking him with me."
Before Angelo could answer, Aries spoke up, his voice firm.
"Whether you knew he was alive or not," Aries said, "you can't just take him away like this."
Trisha looked at him sharply. "He's my son."
"And this is his home," Aries replied. "You don't get to erase that."
Hex took a step back, breathing hard. "I'm not going anywhere with her."
Trisha's expression hardened. "You're angry. That will pass."
"No," he said quietly. "This won't."
I stepped between them before things shattered completely. "You don't get to force him," I said. "He's not a case file, Trisha."
Her eyes flicked to me. "You're involved too deeply."
"Because I stayed," I replied. "When you didn't."
Silence slammed into the room.
Hex looked at me for a second, something raw flashing in his eyes. Hurt. Betrayal. Anger all tangled together.
"I don't want to be here," he muttered, then turned toward the stairs.
"Charles " Trisha called.
He stopped, just once. "My name isn't Charles anymore."
Then he walked upstairs, the sound of his footsteps sharp against the floor.
The door to his room slammed.
No one spoke.
Trisha exhaled slowly, rubbing her temples. "This is harder than I expected."
I crossed my arms. "You think?"
Angelo sighed. "We need to talk about this calmly."
"There is nothing calm about showing up after years and demanding a child," Aries said.
Trisha looked around the room, finally realizing this wasn't a place she controlled.
"I'm not leaving without him," she said.
My heart pounded.
I didn't say it out loud, but the thought burned clear as glass.
Over my dead body.
I turned away and walked upstairs, my hands clenched tight. The walls felt closer with every step.
Behind one door was a boy who had already lost too much.
And now the past had come knocking, demanding to take him again.
I closed my bedroom door quietly.
Some battles couldn't be won with shouting.
But I already knew one thing.
End of chapter 🌑🖤