Maxine's POV

A few days had passed. The bruises on my knuckles had started to fade, but the ache in my chest hadn't.

I told myself I was fine.

Well, fuck it. I wasn’t.

Denise came back just as the sun was beginning to set, the dim light casting long shadows across the cell. Lovely and Ate Carmen were sitting quietly on their beds, their usual energy replaced by something heavier. They knew what was coming.

So did I.

Denise stepped inside, her expression unreadable. She was dressed in her usual crisp blazer, but there was a stiffness in the way she carried herself, like she wasn’t here just as my lawyer, but as someone who still cared.

She set the folder down on the table between us.

"Max.” She started, voice softer than I expected. "You don’t have to do this."

I exhaled slowly, already reaching for the pen. "Yeah, I do.”

Denise’s hand shot out, stopping me before I could pick it up.

"Listen to me." Her grip was firm, her eyes sharp with something close to desperation. "You’re making a mistake."

I swallowed but didn’t pull away.

She took a breath. "You don’t even know the full story. You’re just reacting to… whatever you saw.”

The pictures.

A’ishah with Clifford. Smiling. Stepping into that damn hotel.

I clenched my jaw. "It doesn’t matter."

"Of course it fucking matters!" Denise snapped, her usual composure slipping. "You’re willing to throw everything away over something you haven’t even confirmed?"

I pulled my hand back, flexing my fingers. "I don’t need confirmation."

Denise scoffed, shaking her head. "You’re unbelievable.”

She sat down, leaning closer. "Max, I know you. I know you don’t want to sign that paper."

I looked at her, my face carefully blank. "Then maybe you don’t know me as well as you think."

Something flashed in her eyes… frustration, sadness, something else I didn’t want to name.

She let out a slow breath. "If you do this, there’s no going back." I knew that.

I picked up the pen.

Denise clenched her fists. "She still loves you, you know."

I froze for a fraction of a second. But it didn’t matter.

"Then she has a funny way of showing it." I muttered, lowering my gaze to the paper.

Denise stared at me, her breathing uneven. "Max, please—"

The pen scratched against the paper.

My name.

Signed.

Final.

For a long moment, Denise didn’t move. Then, slowly, she let out a shaky breath, sitting back in her chair like the fight had drained out of her.

She looked down at the divorce papers, then back at me.

"You really think this is going to make you stop loving her?" She asked quietly.

I forced myself to meet her gaze.

"No.” I admitted.

Denise exhaled, looking almost pained.

"But it’ll help me learn how to.”

Denise had barely left when the guards called for me again. Another set of visitors. I almost told them to fuck off.

But when I stepped into the visiting area and saw Sienna and Gwyneth, I knew I was in for another lecture.

Sienna looked pissed. Her usually jolly expression was nowhere to be found, her brows were furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line, and her grip on her bag was so tight her knuckles turned white.

Gwyneth, on the other hand, was quieter. Too quiet. She looked at me carefully, like she was trying to figure something out.

I barely had the chance to sit before Sienna snatched the divorce papers off the table. The moment her eyes scanned the words, her face dropped.

"She—" She swallowed hard. "She filed for this?"

Gwyneth sighed, leaning back. "Yeah."

That caught my attention. I narrowed my eyes at her. "You don’t seem surprised.”

Sienna whipped around. "You knew?! And you didn’t tell us?!"

Gwyneth shook her head. "A’ishah told me when she filed it.”

Sienna was still fuming. "Why the hell would she even—" She cut herself off, her breathing sharp. "You know what? It doesn’t even matter. What matters is that you actually signed it!"

I clenched my jaw. "It’s done."

"The hell it is!" Sienna snapped. "What the fuck, Max?!"

"You should’ve at least—" Gwyneth started, but I cut her off.

"I should’ve what? Waited around? Let her play games with me?" My voice was sharp, cracking at the edges. "I saw her with someone else, Sienna. With Clifford."

Sienna flinched. "Max—"

"They were holding hands." I continued, my chest tightening. "Smiling. Walking into a hotel together."

Sienna’s eyes widened. "No. No way. She wouldn’t—"

"But she did." I snapped.

Gwyneth exhaled, her expression unreadable. Sienna, though? She looked like she had been punched in the gut.

“And you know what's worse?” I scoffed. “Well, ano pa ba? She's the one building the case that could send me away forever. She should've trusted me!”

My voice cracked at the end, and I hated it. I hated how weak I sounded.

Sienna sucked in a sharp breath, her hands curling into fists at her sides. "No. There has to be a reason—"

I slammed my hands on the table, making them both flinch. "A reason?!" My voice came out rough, raw. "Anong dahilan ang puwede niyang ibigay to justify this?!" I gestured sharply at the divorce papers, then at myself. "I trusted her, Sienna! I trusted her that she'll trust me.”

Gwyneth was still quiet, but there was something knowing in her gaze. I turned to her, breathing heavily. "And you. You knew, didn’t you?"

She met my eyes, steady and unwavering. "Yeah."

"You could’ve warned me." My voice dropped, the exhaustion creeping in. "You could’ve at least told me what the fuck was coming."

Gwyneth exhaled slowly. "Would it have changed anything?”

I let out a humorless laugh. "Maybe not. But at least I wouldn't have been blindsided. At least I wouldn't have spent days waiting—" My breath hitched, and I forced myself to stop.

Sienna’s expression crumbled. "Max…"

I shook my head. "You all keep telling me I shouldn’t have signed it. That maybe she still loves me. But tell me—" I met their eyes, my own burning.

"If she still loved me, why did she walk away? Why is she trying to put me behind bars? Why does it feel like I’m the only one who fucking fought for us?"

Silence. No answers. Just silence.

Gwyneth sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Max, I don’t think she wanted this."

"Then why did she do it?" I shot back.

They had nothing to say.

I leaned back, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "I was willing to fight for her, you know?" My voice dropped to something almost fragile. "Even after everything. Even after she left. But how the fuck do you fight for someone who doesn't even want to be fought for?"

Sienna covered her mouth with her hand, like she was trying to hold back her emotions.

Gwyneth sighed again, softer this time. "Maybe she just needs time.”

I shook my head, my fingers curling against my knee. "Time doesn’t fix everything, Gwyn."

"Then what does?"

I looked down at the signed divorce papers.

"Letting go.”

A'ishah's POV

The drive back to Pampanga was quiet, the hum of the engine and the rhythmic patter of rain against the windshield filling the silence between me and Clifford. He was finally discharged today, and though he tried to play it off like he was perfectly fine, I could tell he was still exhausted. His body was healing, but the weight of everything that happened still clung to him.

“Sure you don’t want to sleep for a week straight?” I teased lightly, glancing at him from the driver’s seat.

Clifford smirked, stretching his sore limbs. “And miss all the drama waiting for us back home? No way.”

I rolled my eyes. “You really think there’s drama waiting for us?”

He gave me a look. “It’s us, A’ishah. When is there no drama?”

I didn’t argue with that.

By the time we pulled up to Clifford’s house, the rain had settled into a light drizzle, the cool Pampanga air carrying the faint scent of wet earth and pine. I killed the engine, ready to help him out of the car, but before either of us could step foot outside, we heard a loud shout.

"A'ISHAH!”

I barely had time to react before Mara stormed toward us, her face red with anger, eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Her voice wavered between frustration and desperation. "You disappeared! You weren’t answering my calls! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but Mara wasn’t done.

“You disappeared! You fucking disappeared for a whole month! No calls, no messages, nothing! And now you just show up like nothing happened?!”

Her words hit like a slap, but before I could even open my mouth, she shoved me. Hard.

“You abandoned me!” She screamed, her voice breaking. “You left me alone while I'm breaking. Alam mo naman na hindi ko pa kaya di’ba?” She sobbed like a child. “Hindi ko alam kung kakayanin ko ba. Mahal na mahal ko si Nicole.”

Mara’s sobs cut through the rain, raw and aching. Her hands trembled at her sides, her entire body shaking with grief too heavy for her to carry alone.

“I needed you.” She choked out, voice cracking. “And you… you weren’t there. You weren’t fucking there.”

Guilt twisted in my chest, cold and suffocating. I swallowed hard, stepping forward, but she flinched away like my touch would burn her.

“Mara, I—”

“No!” She snapped, her voice sharp and brittle. “You don’t get to talk. Not until you serve justice for Nicole.”

“I know you're hurting.” I said softly. “But we can't rush justice.”

“Justice?” She spat the word like it was poison. “You think this is justice? No, A’ishah. You looked me in the eye and told me to trust you. That you will bring us justice.”

“I'm trying—”

“THEN, TRY HARDER!!”

Mara’s scream echoed in the quiet street, cutting through the rain like a knife. Her entire body trembled, fists clenched at her sides as if sheer force alone could make the world right again. I could see the exhaustion in her eyes, the weight of grief dragging her down, suffocating her.

Clifford stirred beside me, but I raised a hand, silently telling him to stay out of it. This was between me and Mara.

I took a slow breath, steadying myself. “Mara, gusto kong gawin ang lahat para kay Nicole. But justice doesn’t happen overnight.”

Her bitter laugh sent a chill down my spine. “Overnight?” She shook her head, a hollow, broken sound escaping her lips. “Three months, A’ishah. Three fucking month since she died, and ano? Wala pa rin tayong nagawa. Hindi pa rin nasintensyahan yung gumawa nito sa kaniya.”

I clenched my fists, the sting of her words cutting deep. I wasn’t just trying. I was fighting, digging through every possible lead, turning over every stone. But the truth was elusive, tangled in shadows and silence.

“I haven’t stopped looking.” I said, my voice firm but gentle. “I know it doesn’t feel like enough, but I swear to you, I will find out what really happened to Nicole.”

Mara’s breathing hitched, her hands balling into trembling fists before she exhaled shakily. “Then find out now.” She whispered, her voice raw. “Find out before it’s too late. Kasi kung hindi… wala nang matitira sa akin.”

The vulnerability in her words nearly shattered me. I took a step closer, hesitating when she tensed but not backing away.

“I won’t let you lose yourself.” I said quietly. “I promise.”

She let out a shaky breath, her anger fading into pure exhaustion. Then, without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving me standing there in the rain.

I stayed still, my heartbeat loud in my ears. Clifford sighed beside me, running a hand through his hair. “That could’ve gone worse.”

I shot him a look. “You think so?”

He shrugged. “She didn’t punch you.”

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Give it time.”

Clifford let out a dry chuckle, but his expression turned serious. “You okay?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Does it matter?”

“Yeah.” He said simply. “It does.”

I didn’t have an answer for that. So instead, I looked up at the sky, feeling the light drizzle against my skin. Somewhere, buried beneath the rain and grief, was the truth. And I was going to find it. No matter what it takes.

The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden glow over Clifford’s porch. The rain had finally stopped, leaving the air thick with the scent of wet earth. I lingered by my car, hesitating for a moment before turning to face him.

“I should go.” I said, adjusting my bag on my shoulder. “Just… call me if you need anything.”

Clifford leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips. “I’m fine, A’ishah. You don’t have to check on me like I’m some helpless patient.”

I gave him a pointed look. “You literally just got out of the hospital.”

“And I’m standing, talking, breathing—see? Fine.”

I sighed. Stubborn as ever.

Shaking my head, I opened my car door. “I’m heading to the jail.”

Clifford raised a brow. “Jail?” Then, as if a switch flipped, his smirk widened. “Oh. You’re gonna see Maxine.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not—”

“You miss her.”

I scoffed, gripping the edge of the car door. “I don’t.”

Clifford let out a dramatic sigh, placing a hand over his chest. “One month, A’ishah. Halos isang buwan na simula nung huli mo siyang binisita. Ngayon, bigla mong naisipang bumalik?” His grin grew smug. “Sigurado ka bang hindi mo siya namimiss?”

I opened my mouth, ready to argue, but the words died on my tongue. I had nothing to say.

Because he wasn’t wrong.

I wanted to deny it, to act as if this was just another visit, just another obligation I had to fulfill. But deep down, I knew better.

I missed her.

I missed the way her eyes softened when she looked at me, the way she always knew what to say even when I didn’t want to hear it. I missed her stubbornness, her warmth, the way my name sounded when she said it.

And I hated it.

Clifford must’ve noticed my silence because his smirk faded into something softer, more knowing. “It’s okay, you know.” He said. “To miss her.”

I swallowed hard, looking away. “She’s in jail, Clifford.”

“And?” He shrugged. “That doesn’t change how you feel.”

I clenched my jaw, shaking my head. “I should go.”

This time, he didn’t stop me. He just watched as I slid into the driver’s seat, gripping the wheel like it could steady the storm inside me.

As I pulled away from his house, the golden afternoon light stretched across the road ahead, but it did nothing to lift the heaviness in my chest.

As I was driving, my phone buzzed on the dashboard, flashing Jana's name on the screen.

I sighed, putting the call on speaker. “What is it, Jana?”

“Wow, that’s how you greet me? No hello? No I missed you?” Her tone was playful, but I could hear the hint of urgency beneath it.

I rolled my eyes. “I’m driving. Say what you need to say.”

Jana huffed. “Okay, fine. Where are you headed?”

“The jail.”

There was a beat of silence before she let out an exaggerated gasp. “A’ishah! You miss her, don’t you?”

I groaned. “Jana—”

“Don’t even try to deny it! One whole month tapos ngayon mo lang siya bibisitahin ulit? Alam mo ba kung gaano ka obvious?”

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “Jana, I swear to God—”

“Fine, fine.” She said, but I could hear the amusement in her voice. Then, just as quickly as she had teased, her tone shifted into more serious this time. “Listen, before you go there, dumaan ka muna dito sa station.”

I frowned. “Why? Anong meron?”

“I need to tell you something important.”

I didn’t like the way she said that. “Can’t you just say it now?”

“No. It’s better if we talk in person.”

I exhaled sharply, feeling the weight of her words settle in my chest. Jana wouldn’t ask me to stop by if it wasn’t something serious.

“Fine.” I muttered, already making the turn toward the police station. “I’m on my way.”

“Good.” There was a brief pause, then she added, “And A’ishah?”

“What?”

She hesitated before speaking, her voice quieter now. “Whatever happens, be ready.”

A chill ran down my spine.

I gritted my teeth, pushing down the unease creeping into my chest.

“I always am.”

As I pulled up to the police station, I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the unease that had settled in my chest since Jana’s call.

The golden afternoon light was starting to dim, casting long shadows across the pavement as I stepped out of the car.

The moment I walked inside, I was met with two familiar faces, Sienna and Sasha at the front desk.

Both of them looked up the second I entered, their eyes widening in what I could only describe as surprised panic.

“A’ishah?” Sienna’s voice cracked slightly, her expression caught between shock and worry.

Sasha elbowed her subtly, as if telling her to get it together.

I frowned. “Yeah?”

Sienna opened her mouth, closed it, then forced an awkward smile. “Uhm… Jana’s in her office.”

Something about her hesitation made my stomach tighten. My gaze flickered between the two of them. “Okay…? Then why are you looking at me like that?”

Sienna and Sasha exchanged a quick glance.

“No reason!” Sasha said a little too quickly. “She… uh… she’s just waiting for you.”

I narrowed my eyes. They were acting weird.

Sienna, who was usually composed, was fidgeting with a pen, while Sasha, who always had some sarcastic remark ready, was suddenly at a loss for words.

Something was definitely off.

But I was too tired to push for answers. Whatever this was, Jana would tell me.

“…Right.” I shook my head and started walking toward the hallway leading to Jana’s office.

As I reached Jana’s office, I barely had time to knock before the door swung open.

“A’ishah!”

Before I could react, Jana pulled me into a tight hug, nearly knocking the breath out of me.

“Uh… Jana?” I mumbled, confused by the sudden warmth. She was never this affectionate. What the hell?

She pulled back, grinning. “You absolute genius!”

I blinked. “Okay… What?”

Jana stepped back, gesturing excitedly toward her desk, which was covered with files, evidence bags, and a tablet playing a grainy security video on loop.

“The stuff you grabbed before? Yung mga kinuha mo sa cabin?” She smirked, crossing her arms. “They might actually be evidence.”

“You’re kidding.”

Jana shook her head, still grinning. “Nope. Turns out, your instincts are still sharp as hell.” She tapped the evidence bag on her desk. “And this? This might be exactly what we need.”

I exhaled slowly, staring at the bag, then back at her.

Jana grabbed one of the evidence bags from her desk and held it up. Inside was a simple-looking tumbler, nothing particularly special about it. It was the kind of thing you’d overlook in a crime scene.

I frowned. “May pakinabang pala talaga yan?”

Jana nodded, her expression growing serious. “At first, I didn’t think much of it either. But out of curiosity, I had it tested.” She placed the bag down carefully before leaning on the desk, her fingers tapping against the surface.

“And?” I prompted, already feeling a sense of unease creeping in.

Jana exhaled sharply. “We found traces of a chemical inside. A very strong substance that’s usually used to make someone sleep… fast.”

My stomach dropped. “You mean, like a sedative?”

She nodded grimly. “More than that. This isn’t just your typical sleeping pill dissolved in water. This is stronger. The kind of stuff used in controlled medical settings. If someone unknowingly drank this, they’d be out in minutes. Depending on the dosage, it could last for hours.”

I stared at the tumbler, my pulse picking up.

“That means…” I swallowed. “Someone was drugged?”

Jana’s gaze locked onto mine. “Most likely. And if that’s the case, this tumbler might be proof that what happened wasn’t just as it seems. It might’ve been planned.”

A shiver ran down my spine.

I had grabbed that tumbler without even thinking, purely on instinct. And now, it was looking like one of the biggest pieces of evidence in this case.

Jana set the tumbler aside and reached for another evidence bag. This time, she held up a sleek, white humidifier, the kind that wouldn’t look out of place in any ordinary home or office.

I frowned. “The humidifier.”

Jana nodded, her expression even graver than before. “I tested this too. And guess what I found?”

I stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

She tapped the evidence bag. “Scopolamine.”

The name sent a cold chill down my spine. I had heard of it before, whispers of it in crime reports.

Jana leaned forward, her voice dropping slightly. “You’ve heard of it, right? Devil’s Breath.”

I swallowed. “…Yeah.”

“It’s a powerful drug.” She continued, her tone serious. “It’s known for making people extremely suggestible. In lower doses, it can cause confusion, dizziness, and memory loss. But in higher doses?” She glanced at me. “It can knock someone out completely.”

My grip on the chair tightened.

“So you’re telling me...” I said slowly, my mind racing, “That someone put Scopolamine in that humidifier? As in, it was being dispersed into the air?”

Jana nodded. “Exactly.”

Jana exhaled, running a hand through her hair. “We can’t be certain who was meant to be drugged using the tumbler.” She admitted. “It could’ve been Maxine or Nicole. We don’t know who actually drank from it.”

I processed her words, my mind piecing things together. The tumbler could’ve been passed around or shared, there was no clear target.

“But the humidifier…” Jana continued, her eyes locking onto mine. “That was in your shared room with Maxine that night.”

My stomach twisted.

Jana leaned forward, voice firm. “Whoever did this wasn’t being subtle. They were targeting Maxine. They wanted her to fall asleep. And that’s exactly what happened.”

I felt my breath hitch as I recalled how Maxine had no memory of what happened that night. How she had woken up confused, disoriented, blamed herself for something she couldn’t even remember.

“This explains it.” Jana said, gripping the edge of the desk. “It’s not just trauma or stress blocking her memory. It’s this. The Scopolamine.”

A lump formed in my throat. “So you’re saying… Maxine didn’t just black out from drinking. She was drugged. On purpose.”

“Yes.” Jana’s voice was unwavering. “And this? This is enough evidence to get her acquitted.”

I blinked, my heart pounding.

“She was set up.” I whispered, the weight of it sinking in.

Jana nodded. “And thanks to you, A'ishah. Because you had the instinct to grab these things, we finally have proof.”

A heavy silence filled the room as Jana’s words settled in.

Maxine could be acquitted.

I should’ve felt relieved. And part of me was. Knowing that there was now solid proof that Maxine wasn’t at fault. That there was a chance to free her from all this.

But at the same time…

I was the one building the case against her. I was the one who doubted her. I was the one who believed, even for a second, that she could’ve done it.

My chest tightened as guilt twisted inside me. I had spent so much time convincing myself that I was doing the right thing, that I was being fair, that I was following the law. But the truth was, deep down, I hadn’t trusted her.

And now? Now that the evidence was proving her innocence? What did that make me?

Mara’s face flashed in my mind, her raw, grief-stricken sobs from earlier still ringing in my ears.

"Then, try harder!!”

She was already furious at me for not moving fast enough. What would she say when she found out that the person she believed was guilty, the person she wanted to suffer for Nicole’s death… has a big possibility of innocence?

Would she ever forgive me?

I exhaled shakily and clenched my fists.

No matter what Mara said. No matter how much anger or pain she threw at me… I would do the right thing.

I would serve the right justice.

For Nicole. For Maxine. For the truth.

~~~

Thank you for reading! 💛

AN: I’ve been reading your comments, and I appreciate all of you. Seeing your concern really moved me. Don’t worry, I’m doing good! I just got caught up with some things, but I’m back now.

And yes, we’re continuing our every-night updates! Thank you for sticking around. Let’s keep this story going!