ASHAL

It’s been days since Maddi said she saw her sister at the hospital, alive. I told myself she was hysterical and grief-stricken. I desperately needed to believe it or I wouldn’t be able to move on myself.

But something in her voice that day had been raw and blunt. Her eyes flashed with so much conviction that it terrified me. That day has been haunting me since. I can’t shake the feeling.

Olivia’s death was hard to accept. It still is. Yet, for the sake of our baby and my sanity, I had to find a way to shelve the guilt and remorse. But Maddi crushed my fragile reality and made me start questioning everything all over again.

So here I am, parked a few blocks away from the Dunns’ house, pretending I haven’t been sitting here for nearly half an hour. The house sits still under the gray light, curtains drawn, the quiet suburban calm of people trying too hard to look normal.

I glance over at the marble steps, polished door, and hedges trimmed within an inch of their lives. The air feels... heavy and wrong. It’s almost as if the walls are keeping secrets too big for their frame.

I kill the engine, grab the basket I’d bought on my way here—wine, chocolates, fruit, things polite people bring when they want to look harmless—and step out.

Mrs. Dunn opens the door before I even knock twice. Her eyes flicker with something akin to shock at first, then fully bloomed fear. I watch her hand tremble as she presses it against the doorframe.

"Ashal," she says, "What a surprise."

"Mrs. Dunn." I offer a smile. "I thought I’d drop by to check on Maddi, and the family, of course."

Her gaze darts over my shoulder, as if checking for reporters.

"Maddi’s asleep," she says too quickly. "She hasn’t been... herself lately."

"I was under the impression that she was recovering. If you don’t mind, I’d like to see her just in case she needs to see a doctor."

Her throat moves as she swallows. "Of course. Come in."

The air inside the Dunns’ house smells faintly of lemon cleaner and lavender. The family pictures line the hallway with their smiles frozen in a timeline that ended months ago. Olivia’s face appears in several of them, bright, full... alive even. I force myself not to stop and stare.

Mrs. Dunn leads me to the living room and I follow behind like I don’t know my way. I offer her the basket. Her fingers shake when she takes it.

"Thank you," she murmurs. "You didn’t have to—"

"I wanted to." I cut in gently. "You’ve been kind. I appreciate you visiting my baby every day. The doctor informed me. Thank you."

She straightens, eyes flicking up. "He’s my grandson, Mr. Rollins. I don’t need to be coaxed to see him."

"I know but I am still grateful. Thank you."

There’s a moment of awkward silence between us. We both struggle to breathe around it.

"I also wanted to... thank you," I continue, lowering myself onto the couch. "For forgiving me for everything that happened between me and Olivia." Her expression shutters as she dips her head. "And for accepting my relationship with Maddi. I know you had a fallout with your husband over it. I’m sorry about that too."

"There’s nothing to forgive," she says faintly. "I just want my daughters to be happy."

The innocent use of the word ’daughters’ rings in my head. I meet her eyes instantly and it burns with the same shock as in mine. Was that an insinuation that both daughters are alive or is the denial of Olivia’s death her coping mechanism? I blink hard to shut down my suspicious brain.

"That’s generous of you, Mrs. Dunn." I wring my hands wearily. "Frankly, I haven’t forgiven myself for everything that happened."

Like I expect, she stiffens at my words, her eyes darting toward the door. I press on, my voice a low rasp.

"I have no excuse for tying Liv down for years and forcing her to stay by my side. That was on me but believe me, I didn’t mean for things to end that way. I thought I was finally doing the right thing—giving her the freedom she deserved. I was ready to make everything right for her, to support her dreams however I could. I can’t believe she just... never got to live it."

The words shake something loose in me, till the room starts to blur at the edges. Quickly, I wipe my eyes.

"I keep thinking about the last time I saw her, the way she looked at me. It kills me that she died in so much pain and fear."

Mrs. Dunn presses a handkerchief into my hand before I even realize tears have fallen. God. I hate this, but I can’t help myself.

"I kept the truth from Maddi because of her condition at the time," I go on hoarsely, "and when she recovered, I told her Liv died but she didn’t believe me." I meet Mrs. Dunn’s eyes now. "She swore she saw Olivia at the NICU, watching our baby."

Mrs. Dunn’s face twitches with more shock than disbelief. Then in a flash, it regains the same rigid politeness she usually wears. That tells me everything I need to know.

"She told me without a shred of doubt," I repeat quietly, "that she saw her sister in the NICU, alive."

Mrs. Dunn’s hands twist in her lap. "Maddi’s been... fragile as you know," she says finally. "Grief does strange things. She—she wants to believe her sister’s alive. If it helps her heal, what’s the harm in letting her believe it as long as she can?"

I nod slowly. I can almost hear the crack in her voice. My brain tells me it’s the truth disguised as compassion, but I dismiss it

"I understand. Still, if you ever plan to tell Maddi the truth, I’d like to be there. She shouldn’t face that alone."

She looks up and her face softens a little. "You’re kind to offer. But... it’s better my husband and I handle it. Maddi already resents you right now."

I nod. "Okay, I’ll leave the family to handle it. Can I ask one favor?"

"What favor?"

"I’ve tried everything possible to heal but it’s become apparent that only one thing can help me move on. I’d like to visit Olivia’s grave. I want to bring her flowers occasionally, and talk to her. I won’t find closure any other way."

Mrs. Dunn’s eyes widen slightly.

"I think it’ll help me move on and stay strong for our baby," I add. "I’d love to see photos from the funeral as well. I was rightly disinvited but maybe going through the photos will make me feel like I was present for her final rites—"

Before I can finish, a door creaks behind us. I whip my head and find Maddi gaping at us.

She stands at the entrance of the hallway, rumpled from sleep, hair falling into her face. For a second, she looks like Olivia. It hits me like a blow to the chest. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Then she blinks, and I see the familiar fire that never leaves Maddi’s eyes.

"Ashal," she says flatly. "What are you doing here?"

"Maddi." I rise to my feet. "I came to check on you."

"Her jaw tightens. "I told you I needed time."

"I know, and I tried to stay away but I was worried about," I reply, stepping closer. "You weren’t answering my calls. No one here was answering my calls to tell me how you were doing." Maddi trades a glance with her mother before responding.

"I didn’t want to, and I asked them not to talk to you till I was ready to talk."

"I just have a few things to say and I’ll see myself out. Five minutes. Please?" She hesitates, glances once more at her mother before nodding. I move before I can stop myself, catching her hand and pulling her gently toward her room. I don’t let go until we’re inside with the door shut, and silence pressing around us.

Then I turn and meet her glare.

"I’m sorry I broke my word and came over without your permission. I’m sorry you’re pissed but I’ve been losing my mind thinking about you, afraid you’ll never forgive me."

"You lied," she blurts out. "You let me believe she was alive."

I stagger backwards in shock. "What?"

But she said she saw Liv at the hospital...what is she saying now?

She studies me for a long, breathless second. "I know you were trying to protect me. I hated you for it, but... I understand now." Tears blur her eyes. Still shell-shocked, I search her face, trying to read the meaning beneath her words.

"You’re... forgiving me?"

"I’m trying," she clarifies. "Because I know Olivia wouldn’t want me to hate you. You didn’t kill her, Ashal. Lily did."

Hearing her reaffirm Liv’s death is a huge blow to my chest. "But Maddi, at the hospital...you said..."

"I know, and for a moment I thought I did. It just made no sense that Liv wouldn’t talk to me or hold me in the state I was," she says quietly. "After a few days back home, the scales fell off. I saw how my parents tiptoed around the topic of Olivia, how they look and whisper when they think I’m not listening or watching. I realized she was gone."

Her eyes shimmer. The tears come fast. She starts shaking, hands clutching at her chest like the grief might rip her open. I reach for her just as she collapses against me. Her sobs are hot and raw against my neck.

"She’s gone," she keeps saying. "Liv’s gone." My heart breaks with hers

"I’m sorry" I mutter even though some trembling part of me still refuses to believe it. I hold her until her tears dry into exhaustion, and when she finally pulls away, there’s an emptiness behind her eyes that I recognize too well.

By the time I leave her room, I feel hollow. Mrs. Dunn is in the living room again, clutching her phone, whispering to someone. She ends the call the moment she sees me.

"My husband is on his way," she says too brightly. "He’d like you to stay for dinner."

"I wish I could but I’m already late for an appointment."

"Then at least let me pack you something to go."

"Okay. Thank you."

She disappears into the kitchen. I wait but not patiently. I keep pacing restlessly as the silence gnaws at me. My entire visit plays in a loop in my head while my brain searches for cracks; Maddi’s switch feels too sudden but her grief was raw. Mrs. Dunn’s suspicious reaction when I mentioned funeral photos and visiting Liv’s grave jar with my imagination of how she ought to have reacted if the funeral had indeed happened.

I catch the faint buzz of her phone on the table. She’s got no lock screen or password on it. Something dark pushes through me. Before I know it, I’ve picked it up.

Her last call wasn’t to her husband at all. It’s a private number. There’s no name but it’s a repeated contact.

My pulse spikes. I’m still staring at the number when the phone buzzes again—same number. Reflexively, I answer.

"Hello?" My voice trembles.

For a moment, all I hear is silence. Then, a man’s voice sails through.

"Why are you answering my wife’s phone?"

The voice comes from behind me, not the phone.

I turn slowly to find Mr. Dunn in the doorway, his eyes like twin blades.

I hang up and place the phone back on the table, forcing a faint smile. "Mrs. Dunn said you’d invited me for dinner," I say smoothly. "I was just... about to leave. I saw a call and thinking it was you, I thought to apologize personally for not being able to join you."

He studies me for a short moment. "That’s thoughtful but it’s still not polite to take someone’s call regardless. I would have understood."

The silence that follows is like suffocation. Mercifully, Mrs. Dunn returns with the food packed in a container.

"Here you go," she says quickly, handing it to me. "It’s still warm."

I thank her. I thank them both and then get out.

The evening air feels light in my lungs because I’m sure of it now. The tremor in her voice, the worry in his eyes, the secret number — they all point to one thing.

Olivia Dunn is still alive!

***

Rain starts to fall as I drive back. My hands grip the steering wheel until my knuckles ache. If she’s alive, she’s hiding somewhere. Judging by Maddi’s words at the hospital, Liv wouldn’t stay too far from our baby. I’m guessing she’s hiding somewhere familiar enough to feel safe, but far enough to stay hidden.

And then, suddenly, it hits me.

I park down the road, engine still humming. The building looms above me, windows gleaming under the rain. My pulse quickens as I step out into the downpour.

Cold water pelts my face, runs down my collar but I barely feel it. My eyes are locked on a single window. It’s the one where she’d sit late at night, curtain half-drawn, staring out at the city.

And now... it’s half-drawn again. My breath catches. I stand there, rain seeping into my clothes and my shoes squelching against the pavement.

My heart is a wild, deafening drum.

"Olivia," I whisper.. Lightning flashes. For a split second, the window glows, and then I see a faint movement inside, like a shadow crossing the room. Then the curtain shifts and a figure steps into frame to close the window.

And even drenched, even half-blind from the storm, I know that silhouette.

It’s her.

Every instinct in me ignites. My breath hitches. The rain roars in my ears. I can’t tell if the wetness on my face is all water or mingled with tears. She steps closer to stare and the outline of her face becomes clearer.

My lips tremble again. "Olivia."

Of course, it makes sense that she would return to the one house that was her home for over two years; the one house I was too broken to keep and too grief-stricken to ever visit again. I couldn’t even be bothered to personally handle to sale of the penthouse, never even looked up who the new owner was.

Like they say, the best place to hide something can sometimes be in plain sight. Liv knew me well enough to hide in the last place I’d expect her to be. This brings more happy tears to my eyes.

She reaches up...and closes the curtain. The world goes dark again. I stand there, soaked, shaking, staring at the window like it’s the only thing tethering me to life.

She’s alive, I hum. She’s alive!