Page 72 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his

“We agree with your mum,” Arden adds, stepping into our small circle. “You screw this up, and we’ll help her hide the body.” Ella joins him, nodding her agreement. I should be upset that my best friends would choose Ally over me, but I’m not.

“It might be a little too soon to be joking about hiding bodies,” Chase adds, pulling Yasmin from her chair and bringing her over to us.

Arden laughs. “Never. We all knew I was just the scapegoat.”

I look over my friends and stop on Yasmin. I notice her eyes welling up; she’s worried about her sister.

Moments later, a nurse appears and calls Yasmin back. Millie, now in active labour, needs her sister.

Without a word, Yasmin moves, smoothing her hoodie with trembling hands, and slips away into the labyrinthine hallways towards the delivery ward.

Hours pass in an uneasy cocktail of tension and fleeting moments of nervous laughter. We drink horrible hospital coffee that barely warms us, trade half-hearted jokes that mask our anxiety, and check our phones repeatedly as if praying for updates.

And then, miraculously, Hayden reappears from the delivery room, looking dishevelled yet carrying something new in his eyes—a raw and unvarnished relief.

“He’s here,” he announces in a cracked voice. The simple words bring relief to the room.

For a few suspended seconds, silence takes over before everyone erupts. Friends and staff alike close in with congratulations, embraces, and an avalanche of questions. But I hold back, my focus on Hayden.

He looks overwhelmed, unsure if he can truly bear this responsibility—but he’s also undeniably changed.

There’s a fragile steadiness in him that wasn’t there before.

Finally, our eyes meet. I nod in support. “You good?”

He hesitates, then with, a shaky but honest smile, nods back. “Yeah. I think I am.” The weight in his voice is palpable, and in that moment, I truly believe it.

As our mum offers a soft, knowing smile from across the room and Ally gently places a hand on my shoulder, I realise that in the midst of all this turmoil, we’re all learning that sometimes, hope and strength are found in the unlikeliest of moments.

CHAPTERTHIRTY

ALLY

The house feels different today.

Lighter.

Maybe it’s because the tension that’s been hanging over it for months is finally easing. Or maybe it’s because Ashley is moving out—not just for the night, not to get space, but for good. As hard as it was having her here, I know it was for the best, and she actually grew on me. She became a friend.

I watch from the hallway as she moves around her room, folding clothes into a suitcase and stacking boxes near the door. It’s strange to see the space being emptied like I’m watching a chapter close in real-time.

A chapter I never thought would last as long as it did.

Ashley glances up and catches me watching. She smirks, tossing a hoodie into a box. “You gonna stand there all day or come in?”

I roll my eyes but step inside. “Just making sure you’re actually leaving.”

She grins. “Damn. And here I thought you’d be devastated to see me go.” Part of me is sad to see her go, but I’m happy she’s finally in a good enough place to do this.

Seek her own independence.

I sit on her bed, watching as she tapes up a box labelledbooks. “It’s weird. You’ve always been here.”

Ashley nods, pressing the tape down firmly. “Yeah, but it was never meant to be permanent.”

I hesitate before speaking. “Are you sure about this? Moving in with Caitlin?”

Ashley doesn’t even pause. “Absolutely.”

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