Page 111 of Trial of Deceit

Jediah entered the living room.The tension was so thick, the air was stifling.Jediah inhaled a big breath, then released it along with every fiber of his being that’d make him think irrationally.

Sashoy glanced between Dimitri and Reine, who stood at Dimitri’s side.Her eyes narrowed at their proximity before she chuckled.“Wow…” she laughed, shaking her head while anger rushed to her eyes.“You a go get mad wid me when you a deal wid somebody else?Likkle Reine outta everybody?!”

Dimitri’s jaw ticked.Jediah couldn’t tell if it was from anger or guilt.

“Enough,” Jediah ordered.

Everyone looked at him, including Bryony, who had rushed into the room with a blanket-wrapped baby cradled in her chubby arms.The fire left Sashoy’s eyes as she moved to Bryony and took the baby.Reine’s eyes widened while Dimitri’s mouth gaped slightly, some tension leaving his shoulders.

“W-Whose baby is that?”Reine forced out, an edge to her voice as if she was scared of the answer.

Ignoring Dimitri’s shell-shocked gaze, Sashoy didn’t spare Reine a glance before looking at the baby.“Acacia’s,” she spat, and Jediah clenched his jaw.

“What?!”came a shout from behind Jediah, causing him to tense.

“Acacia isn’t dead?”Bryony asked with a spark of hope.

Ashari marched toward Jediah.Glowering, she stopped before him.“You have a baby?!Don’t you think you should’ve told me that before telling me what you wanna do with ours?!”

Jediah looked down at the raging woman.“You agreed.”

Ashari scoffed.“Wow.Agreed,” she mocked, making air-quotes around ‘agreed’.“That’s before I realized that it isn’t ’cause you care about me, it’s ’cause you’re trying to trick me!You’re unbelievable!I hate that I agreed to do this ’cause I love you!”she yelled, knocking the wind out of him.She stomped away while wiping the back of her hand across her eyes.

Love.

This was the second time she’d ever used that word toward him.

“Somebody need fi start explain wa a happen!”Reine exclaimed.

“That’s a question for Jed,” Dimitri spat.

Jediah’s eyes narrowed on Dimitri, who gave him an equally menacing glare.“Sashoy, give the baby back to Bryony.Everybody else: go take a breather, and don’t come back until unu ready fi talk to mi wid sense.”

Sneering, Dimitri stomped toward the nearest exit.Reine watched after him, her brows crinkled while she debated her next move.

“Reine,” Jediah warned.

She snapped her head toward him.Reine’s face was a mix of emotions.Pressing her lips together, she walked away in the other direction.

Jediah exhaled a deep breath.He closed his eyes, pinching the space between his eyebrows.Shaking his head, he murmured, “Everybody in a this house a go mad mi.”

A throat cleared, followed by a loudoink.

Jediah stiffened.

“Jed—”

“Cameron,” Jediah said slowly.“I’m going to count to three… Three.”Jediah opened his eyes and surveyed the room.His shoulders loosened after he saw that no one remained in the room.

Releasing another heavy sigh, he moved to the kitchen.He grabbed a random bottle of liquor before moving to the backyard.He didn’t expect to stumble into anyone out there except the occasional groundsman.

His shoeclackedagainst the stone tiles embedded in the grass leading to the two graves.Avoiding Malia’s, Jediah focused on Kayon’s.Hepoppedthe cork off the bottle, took a chug, and wiped his hand across his mouth with a wince.

“If only you were alive to see this,” Jediah said, allowing memories to infiltrate his mind as he took another swig.

The person before him removed their gas mask faster than he could lift his gun.Jediah’s eyes widened at the face that stared at him.Then, he recovered quickly.He aimed at the woman, who consequently raised her gun at him.His finger ticked against the trigger, but he just couldn’t bring himself to apply enough pressure to fire it.It was strange seeing her in tactical gear.“Malia…” Jediah said through clenched teeth, his voice dripping disgust and his lips twisting into an angry sneer.

She coughed, blinking rapidly at the dust that got into her eyes.

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