A'ishah's POV

Maxine’s gaze locked onto mine, and for a split second, everything else around us faded into the background. The noise of the station, the muffled conversations, it all became a dull hum.

Her eyes looked the same as they did the last time I saw her: filled with emotions I couldn’t decipher. Pain? Regret? Desperation? I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to know.

“A-attorney A’ishah?” John’s voice broke through the tension, his face a mixture of awkwardness and uncertainty as he stopped walking. Maxine stood there, cuffed and quiet, but her presence felt overwhelming.

I cleared my throat, forcing myself to maintain composure. “Where’s Lieutenant Jana?”

“She’s in the conference room, but—” John hesitated, his eyes darting to Maxine. “She’s a bit busy. Kausap niya ang Special Unit.”

Maxine didn’t break her gaze. She looked at me like she wanted to say something, like she needed to.

But I wouldn’t let her.

I hadn’t realized how tightly I was gripping my bag until I felt the straps digging into my palms. My heart tightened at the sight of her. But I told myself it was because of the case. Only because of the case.

“I won’t take long.” I told John curtly, brushing past them toward the hallway leading to Jana’s office. I refused to let her see how much her presence affected me.

“Wait.”

Her voice stopped me in my tracks, soft yet firm, the way it always had been.

I turned slightly, just enough to see her out of the corner of my eye. “Don’t.” I said coldly, my voice betraying no emotion. “You don’t get to talk to me, Maxine. Not here. Not anymore.”

Her face crumpled for a brief moment, but she quickly masked it with that stoic expression she always wore when she was trying to hold herself together.

John nudged her forward. “Let’s go, Max.”

As they moved past me, I caught a faint whiff of her perfume, a scent that used to feel like home but now only reminded me of the emptiness she left behind.

Once they were gone, I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes to steady my breathing.

“Pull yourself together, A’ishah.” I muttered under my breath, telling the ache in my chest to disappear.

But no matter how much I tried to convince myself that Maxine was just another part of the chaos in my life, I couldn’t deny the truth. Seeing her again stirred something inside me I wasn’t ready to face.

The door to the conference room is slightly a jar, and I can clearly hear Jana arguing to the Special Unit.

“Everything about this case is weird!” I heard her raise her voice.

“That's because Maxine wouldn't talk!” That's Detective Santos also raising his voice to her.

“Because you won't believe her! Everything she says is a lie for you!”

The tension in the conference room was too much even from where I stood. Jana and Detective Santos were at it again. Their voices echoed down the hallway, and though I tried to tell myself it wasn’t my business, I couldn’t stop myself from listening.

“She’s lying, Lieutenant.” Santos pressed, his tone filled with frustration. “She’s playing the victim, twisting the narrative to save herself. Don’t let her manipulate you.”

“And what if she’s not?” Jana shot back, her voice sharp. “What if we’re looking at this case all wrong because we’re too damn focused on assumptions instead of evidence?”

I gripped the strap of my bag tighter, hesitating just outside the door. Jana was one of the few people I trusted in the station, and hearing her defend Maxine like this only made the pit in my stomach grow.

“Evidence?” Detective Morales echoed. “Ano pang evidence ang kailangan mo, Jana? Hindi pa ba malinaw sayo na siya ang pumatay kay Nicole?”

The silence that followed was deafening. My chest felt tight, the weight of their words pressing down on me.

I stepped into the room, my heels clicking against the floor as I made my presence known. Both Jana and Santos turned to look at me, their expressions shifting from frustration to surprise.

“A’ishah.” Jana said, her tone softening. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to ask about the case.” I replied, keeping my voice even. “But it seems I’ve walked into something... complicated.”

Jana gave me a small nod, her expression unreadable. “We’re still piecing things together.” She said carefully. “But I’m starting to think this case isn’t as open and shut as it seems.”

“And Maxine?” I asked, the name bitter on my tongue.

Jana hesitated, glancing at Santos before meeting my gaze. “She’s not talking. At least, not fully. But...” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Something doesn’t add up, A’ishah. Her behavior, the inconsistencies in the reports, it’s like there’s more to this than we’re seeing.”

I folded my arms, forcing myself to stay composed. “And what do you suggest we do?”

“She needs someone to talk to her.” Jana said, her tone cautious. “Someone she’ll actually listen to. And right now, the only person who might be able to get through to her... is you.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I stared at Jana, unable to hide the disbelief on my face.

“You’re joking.” I said flatly.

“I’m not.” She replied, her expression serious. “You know her better than anyone else here, A’ishah. If there’s even the slightest chance she’ll open up to you, we need to take it. This case is too important to let personal feelings get in the way.”

“Jana, I can't!”

“She's right, atty.” Cleo interrupted. “I wish Maxine would talk to me. But right now, alam nating lahat na mas may chance na magsalita siya sayo.”

I wanted to argue, to tell them I couldn’t do it. But deep down, I knew Jana was right. If Maxine was holding back the truth, and if I was the only one who could reach her, then I had a responsibility to try.

Even if it meant reopening wounds I wasn’t sure had fully healed.

“Fine.” I said after a long pause, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “But don’t expect miracles, Jana.”

Jana gave me a small smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Santos, on the other hand, looked less than pleased. “This is a mistake.” He muttered under his breath.

Maybe it was. Or maybe it was exactly what I needed to finally get the answers I’d been searching for.

We left the Special Unit in the conference room as we went to Jana's desk to talk further.

Jana slid the folder toward me, her face as grim as I’d ever seen it. "These are all the pieces of evidence we’ve gathered so far.” She said quietly. "If you’re going to help us figure this out, you need to see everything."

My hands hovered over the folder for a moment. I wasn’t sure if I was ready. The memory of that night, Maxine standing in the middle of the room, holding the gun, and Nicole bleeding out on the floor was still burned into my mind. Did I really need to see more?

But I had to. For Nicole. For the truth.

When I opened the folder, the first thing that greeted me was a photograph. My breath hitched as I stared at it: Maxine, frozen in the middle of the room, her face pale, her hand gripping the gun. Behind her was Nicole, lying on the floor, blood pooling beneath her.

My stomach churned. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to keep looking.

“That photo was taken by one of the responding officers.” Jana said, her tone measured but heavy. “It’s… incriminating. Everyone who walked into that room saw the same thing; Maxine holding the gun, Nicole on the ground.”

I swallowed hard and turned to the next piece of evidence, a detailed forensic report. My fingers tremble slightly as I skimmed the pages.

“Maxine’s fingerprints were on the gun.” Jana continued. “There’s no denying she held it. But…” She paused, leaning back in her chair. “That’s where things get strange.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.

She pointed to a section of the report, her expression serious. “The gun wasn’t fired by her. Gunshot residue was found on her hand, yes, but not in a pattern consistent with actually pulling the trigger. It’s more like she touched it after it had already been fired.”

I blinked, staring at the words on the page as if they would rearrange themselves into something that made sense. “You’re saying she didn’t shoot Nicole?”

“I’m saying there’s more to this than meets the eye.” Jana replied. “And that’s not all. We found traces of another set of fingerprints on the gun. They’re partial, but they don’t match Maxine’s.”

I leaned back, my thoughts spinning. “So, someone else was there?”

“Potentially.” Jana said, nodding. “But we haven’t identified whose prints those are yet.”

I turned to another page, a blood spatter analysis. The report indicated that the trajectory of the bullet and the angle at which Nicole was shot didn’t match where Maxine had been standing when we entered the room.

“According to this, the shooter was positioned closer to Nicole.” I murmured, scanning the diagrams. “Maxine was too far away for the angle to match.”

“Exactly.” Jana confirmed. “But with her holding the gun, no one thought to look beyond the obvious.”

I stared at the evidence in front of me, my emotions a chaotic mess. Everything pointed to Maxine being involved but not in the way we all initially thought.

“She picked up the gun after… after whoever shot Nicole fled.”

Jana nodded slowly. “That’s one theory. But we still don’t know why she didn’t say anything. Why she didn’t explain herself.”

I clenched my fists, my mind racing. Maxine had looked at me that night with desperation, like she wanted me to understand something she couldn’t say. But I had ignored it, blinded by the scene in front of me.

“She’s hiding something.” I said finally. “And I need to know what it is.”

Jana placed a hand on my shoulder. “You’re the only one who might be able to get through to her, A’ishah. If she won’t talk to us, maybe she’ll talk to you.”

I didn’t respond right away, my eyes fixed on the photo of Maxine. The woman I had loved. The woman I had trusted. The woman who now sat behind bars, accused of a crime that didn’t make sense.

I didn’t know if I was ready to face her, but one thing was clear: the truth wasn’t as simple as it had seemed. And Maxine might be the only one who could give me the answers I needed.

My heart raced as I closed the folder, the weight of its contents sinking into my chest.

Maxine. The woman who had shattered my world and yet somehow still held it together in the same breath.

The evidence suggested she wasn’t the killer, but her silence, her refusal to fight for herself left too many questions unanswered.

"Where is she now?" I asked Jana, my voice firm but shaky.

Jana hesitated for a while, but then she heaved a sigh. "Interrogation room." She said. "But A'ishah..." Her tone softened. "If you're going to do this, you need to be ready for whatever she says, or doesn’t say."

I nodded stiffly, my fingers gripping the folder as if it were the only thing grounding me. "I just need to talk to her.”

Jana led the way, her footsteps echoing through the corridor. With every step closer to the interrogation room, my mind filled with fragmented memories; moments of laughter, quiet mornings, and the last time I saw Maxine's face before everything fell apart.

The door to the room loomed ahead, guarded by an officer who gave me a hesitant nod before stepping aside. Jana stopped just short of the door, turning to face me.

"I'll be outside.” She said. "Take your time, but don’t let her shut you out. We need answers, A'ishah."

I didn’t respond, my focus locked on the door. With a deep breath, I pushed it open.

The room was dimly lit, the fluorescent light casting harsh shadows on the walls. Maxine sat at the metal table, her hands cuffed in front of her, her posture rigid but her gaze far away. She didn’t look up immediately, even as I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

For a moment, I just stood there, staring at her. She looked different. Tired, hollowed out, as if the weight of the world had been placed on her shoulders. Yet there was still an air of defiance about her, a quiet strength that refused to break.

I admit, it hurts to see her like this.

“Maxine.” My voice broke the silence, sharper than I intended.

Her head snapped up, her eyes meeting mine. For a split second, relief, pain, and guilt flickered across her face before she masked it with that familiar stoicism.

“A’ishah.” She said my name softly, like a prayer she didn’t deserve to utter.

I placed the folder on the table and slid into the chair across from her. The silence between us was suffocating, thick with unspoken words and unresolved emotions.

“You’re not making this easy for everyone.” I said finally, my tone biting. “Do you want to go to prison for something you didn’t do?”

Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t respond.

I leaned forward, my hands flat on the table. “The evidence doesn’t add up, Maxine. The gun, the trajectory, the fingerprints, none of it points to you as the shooter. So why the hell are you sitting here, letting everyone think you killed Nicole?”

She flinched at the mention of Nicole’s name, her gaze dropping to her hands. “I didn’t kill her.” She said quietly, almost to herself.

“Then tell me what happened.” I pressed, my voice softening despite myself. “Help me understand.”

Maxine hesitated, her fingers curling into fists. “You wouldn’t believe me.”

“Try me.” I challenged.

She looked up then, her eyes burning with a mix of anger and desperation. “You don't trust me.”

“Teach me how.”

“To dougie?”

“Fuck you!” I gritted my teeth. “I knew this was a wrong idea.”

“Then leave, A'ishah.” She scoffed. “Everyone believed I killed Nicole anyway.”

“Maxine, you have to—”

“You have no other suspect.” She cut me off. “I was the one seen with a gun. It's my gun that killed Nicole. I have gunpowder residue, I fired the gun once. This is enough to send me to prison, right?”

“Stop it!” I slammed my hands on the table, the sound echoing through the room. “Don’t you dare act like this is some open-and-shut case when we both know it’s not. I’m here because I want to help you. Pero kung hindi mo sasabihin sakin ang totoo, paano kita matutulungan?”

Her eyes narrowed, her mask cracking slightly, but she quickly looked away, her jaw clenching tightly. "You're here for Nicole, A'ishah. Not for me. You never were.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “What do you mean by that?”

“You're always present for everyone except for me. You take everyone's side and help them, but not me.” She chuckled humorlessly to herself.

“That's not—”

"You trust everyone but can’t bring yourself to trust me.”

A sharp pang shot through my chest at her words. "Maxine.” I said firmly, forcing her to look at me. "That’s not true, and you know it."

"Don’t I?" She snapped, her voice rising. "You’re here because it’s your job, because Nicole’s death needs answers. But when it’s about me, when it’s about us, you never fight for me. You leave. You always leave, A’ishah.”

Her words hit like a slap, each syllable slicing deeper than the last. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. How could I deny it? She wasn’t entirely wrong.

Maxine exhaled shakily, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You say you want to help, but you’re just another person who doesn’t believe in me. So why pretend?”

"Because I do believe in you!" I shot back, my voice trembling. "Gosh, Maxine! I’ve always believed in you. But you... you make it so damn hard when you shut me out like this."

She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Maybe because I know how this ends. You’ll walk away, just like you did before. Just like everyone else does.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, my heart sinking. "Fine.” I said, standing up abruptly. "If you want to throw your life away, go ahead. But don’t you dare say I didn’t try."

I turned to leave, my hand hovering over the doorknob, when her voice stopped me.

"A’ishah.” She said softly, almost too soft to hear. I turned back, hoping, praying that she’d say something, anything to let me in.

But all she said was, "Take care of yourself.”

I stood there for a moment, my heart breaking all over again, before I nodded and walked out the door.

This is so messed up. According to Jana, Maxine picked up the gun after it was fired, but according to Maxine, she fired the gun.

My head is aching. I didn't sign up for this!

“A'ishah?” I looked up to see Gwyneth leaning on the wall.

“Hey.” I greeted softly. “Where's Jana?”

“She had something important to do. She told me to stay here outside.” She glanced at the door before turning her eyes back to me. “Anong nangyari? Did she talk?”

I shook my head in disappointment. “She just… wanted to be sentenced to prison, I guess?”

“Do you believe she killed Nicole?”

I shrugged. “No one else was there. Silang dalawa lang ni Nicole ang naiwan doon. I reviewed the CCTV footage countless of times already, at wala namang ibang pumasok doon.”

“But the other evidence, A'ishah. They don't make any sense kahit gaano ko isipin.”

I leaned back against the cold wall, exhaustion creeping into my bones. Gwyneth was right, but it didn’t make this any easier. The evidence was all over the place, and Maxine wasn’t making this investigation any smoother. She’d rather rot in prison than give us the truth.

“I know.” I sighed heavily. “The evidence doesn’t add up, and yet, all the circumstantial proof points to her. CCTV footage shows no one else, the gun is hers, and now she’s admitting to firing it? Paano mo ide-defend yan?”

“She admitted she fired the gun.” Gwyneth echoed, her tone incredulous. “But that doesn’t mean she killed Nicole. What if…” Her voice trailed off as her gaze sharpened with a new thought. “What if someone else fired first, and Maxine… I don’t know… picked up the gun to protect herself? Maybe she panicked.”

“That still doesn’t explain who. Walang ibang taong nasa scene.” I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. “She’s not giving me anything. She’s pushing everyone away. Even me.”

“Classic Maxine.” Gwyneth said softly, sympathy lacing her tone. “She’s always been like that, hasn’t she? Keeps everything bottled up, takes the blame for everyone else.”

“Yeah.” I sighed in defeat. “I just wish she would talk to me. Make me understand what really happened that night.”

“I'm sure she will.” She smirked. “She's still your wife, A'ishah.”

“I filed a divorce.”

“You— what?!”

I flinched at the sudden raise of her volume. “Don't act so surprised, Gwyneth. You should've seen it coming.”

She turned her body, her eyes scrutinizing me. “A'ishah, sigurado ka ba sa ginagawa mo?”

Sigurado ba ako? Of course. After all that happened, of course I am.

I nodded my head. “After losing Nicole, I just can't stay married to Maxine.”

Gwyneth’s expression softened, but I could see the concern in her eyes. “A'ishah, I get it. Losing Nicole was huge, and this whole situation is a mess. But filing for divorce just like that? You don’t even want to try talking to her? Figure things out first?”

I clenched my jaw, biting back the wave of emotions that threatened to spill out. “I tried, Gwyneth. I really did. But she won’t talk to me. She’s shutting everyone out, including me. I can’t keep waiting for her to come to her senses when she’s not even trying. And with everything that's happened... I just can't be with her right now.”

“Is this because of Mara?”

Natigilan ako sa sinabi niya. No, of course not. It's not about Mara. It's about bringing justice to Nicole.

“No. Why would you even think that?”

“Kasi araw-araw siyang nanggugulo rito. The COP had to suspend her because she can't stay put. Gusto niyang masintensyahan na kaagad si Maxine.”

If anyone is in so much pain right now, it's probably Mara. So, I don't blame her for acting like that. Gusto niya lang mabigyan ng hustisya si Nicole.

“I wouldn't be surprised kung pati ikaw pine-pressure niya. I bet she talked to you, and told you to just put Maxine in prison.”

I shook my head, trying to clear the confusion swirling in my mind. "Mara doesn’t have that much power over me, Gwyneth. I just—" I stopped myself, realizing that I was avoiding the truth.

The truth is that part of me did care what Mara thought, and a part of me felt like I was losing everything. Nicole, Maxine, and now my own sense of stability. But that wasn’t something I wanted to admit out loud.

Before any of us could talk, rushing footsteps were heard, Cleo came running. “Gwyneth, gear up. We've got lead to Mamba.”

“Mamba?” I echoed.

Gwyneth looked at me. “The Cobra Organization isn't done yet. Mamba and Boa are still walking freely somewhere. I gotta go, A'ishah. Talk to you later!” She said in a hurry as she left running with Cleo.

Right. I totally forgot about that. The two final bosses of the Cobra Organization are still alive, and free.

It's not yet finished. Maxine's mission, the Cobra Organization, it's not yet completed.

And if anyone can complete this mission, it's none other than her. But how?

I leaned against the wall, rubbing my temples as I tried to focus. Maxine's betrayal. Nicole's death. Everything had been so intertwined, and I couldn't get a grip on what was real anymore.

And now, the Cobra Organization. Mamba and Boa are still out there, and it's like this never-ending nightmare that I can’t wake up from.

~~~

Thank you for reading! 💛