Jesse sat beside MK, a smile on her face.
"Wow, MK, you really know how to scare someone," she teased. The older women had stepped out, taking a short break.
"Yeah, yeah—as if I wanted to get shot," MK replied, rolling her eyes. Then her expression shifted. She looked at Jesse, her voice lowering.
"Jesse… is she okay?"
"Yeah, she's alive," Jesse said—but her tone betrayed her. She was hiding something.
"Jesse, I know she doesn't want to be with me, but…" The emotions came rushing back, memories of heartbreak flooding her chest. "I still love her," MK whispered.
"MK, she loves you too," Jesse said gently.
MK didn't react. She knew Jesse was trying to comfort her.
"She does," Jesse continued. "And she didn't break up with you because she didn't love you. She did it to save your life."
That made MK look at her.
"To save my life?" MK asked, suddenly alert.
"Yes," Jesse said, then went on to explain everything from Shriya's point of view.
MK couldn't stop the tear that slipped down her cheek.
"I misunderstood her again," MK murmured. "I knew she wouldn't hurt me—not willingly, at least." Relief washed over her. "I have to see her. I need to apologize."
"Wait, MK. You can't," Jesse said quickly. "You just woke up. Your body isn't strong enough."
"I can—see," MK insisted, trying to move.
The next moment, she was on the floor.
After the nurse returned MK to bed and left, Jesse finally decided to tell her the truth.
She hadn't wanted to—not until MK recovered—but she knew hiding it would only make things worse.
"MK… the truth is, Shriya is in prison."
"Prison? Why? How?" MK asked, panic creeping into her voice.
"When Silas shot you, she shot back. She killed him," Jesse explained. "I know you don't know much about his family, but they're very influential. They pushed for the harshest punishment."
"Wha—what? No… no, I can't—" MK couldn't finish the sentence. The machine beside her erupted in frantic beeping.
"Help!" Jesse shouted, pressing the call button.
The doctor rushed in and injected MK with medication Jesse didn't recognize. Slowly, MK's breathing steadied. Within minutes, she fell asleep.
"What triggered her?" the doctor asked.
Jesse, overwhelmed with guilt, couldn't answer.
"Her body is still very weak," the doctor explained. "Strong emotional triggers could send her into shock."
MK's mother, Ruth, and Scarlet had returned after hearing the commotion.
"What happened?" Ruth asked Jesse.
"I told her about Shriya," Jesse said, her voice heavy with regret.
"You couldn't wait until she got better?" Ruth snapped.
"She's stable now," Scarlet intervened calmly. "Let's all take a breath."
Ruth hesitated, then sighed. Over the past week, she had grown fond of Scarlet. Though quiet, she had been a steady presence while caring for MK.
"I'm sorry, Auntie," Jesse began.
"It's okay, Jesse," Ruth said softly. "I was scared. I overreacted." Jesse had spent so much time in their home that she was family now, not just a guest.
---
Miles away, in a cold concrete cell, Shriya sat on a thin mattress, her back against the wall.
Prison smelled like metal and despair.
She'd imagined death before—but not this. Not cages. Not time stretching endlessly forward.
She didn't belong here.
Her entire life had been built on control, precision, strategy. She knew how to manipulate shadows, how to disappear before consequences could find her.
Yet here she was.
Stripped of power. Stripped of certainty.
The worst part wasn't the noise or the hostility. It was not knowing.
Was MK alive?
That question gnawed at her relentlessly. The last thing she remembered was MK collapsing, blood soaking through her shirt. The sound of the gunshot still echoed in her ears.
She'd tried asking guards. Other inmates. Anyone.
No answers.
The not knowing was torture.
Sometimes trouble came looking for her. Prison tested everyone, and strength was currency. Shriya defended herself when she had to, earned enemies when she refused to bend, and a few wary allies when they realized she wasn't weak.
At night, she lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
"I just need to survive," she whispered to herself.And in the darkness, memories of MK kept her company.