Page 193 of Seeking Shadows

She curses him under her breath, and Kyle just smirks, not giving a damn.

It’s a normal day at the Hill family.

I shake my head, letting out a low laugh.

For a moment, everything seems the same as before, as if we hadn’t spent years apart.

Kyle looks at me sideways, and without needing words, I know.

He accepts me. He accepts Mia.

And somehow, that means more than I was ready to admit.

Then I sigh.

"There’s something else about Mia that I need to confess."

"Okay," Taylor says, and Kyle just stares at me, waiting.

"Our mother didn’t die of an overdose," I confess because they deserve the truth. "Mia killed her."

The silence hangs heavy for a moment after my confession.

Taylor blinks a few times, as if her brain has short-circuited. Then, suddenly, she explodes.

"What the fuck?!" She takes a step back, looking at me like I just said I sold my soul to the devil.

Kyle, on the other hand, doesn’t say anything. His eyes widen slightly, his expression still closed, but there’s that rigidity in his posture—the one that gives away he’s digesting the information.

I sigh, running a hand over my face before explaining. I tell them about the abuse. I tell them about what our mother did and what broke me to the point where the only way out was to leave that town.

I tell them how Mia killed her. And finally, I tell them about Paulina—how I discovered that our mother had been literally negotiating me for drugs because I was the "weakest" of the three.

How Mia was the only one who did something.

Taylor stands still, shoulders tense, fists clenched. Then, out of nowhere, she lets out a dry laugh.

"That damned cunt." Her voice is low but full of venom. "She deserved to die."

Sometimes, it’s bizarre how my sister moves on so quickly.

Kyle finally takes a deep breath. "Are you okay?"

I hesitate, but nod. "Yeah."

He stares at me a second longer, trying to see past the automatic response, but doesn’t press.

"Are we okay?" I ask, making it clear this isn’t just about now. It’s about everything.

Kyle nods. And surprisingly, it’s Taylor who answers, pulling us both into a tight, suffocating hug.

"We are fine."

She holds me like I’d evaporate if she let go, like she’s trying to absorb years of distance into a few seconds.

Kyle mumbles something about us getting too sentimental, but he doesn’t pull away. I just close my eyes and let it happen.

When she finally lets go, Taylor crosses her arms, tilting her head with a speculative look.

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