Amber Valley. 11:28 pm.
Lucas and Ashley lay tangled together, bodies close, movements slow and deliberate—each claiming space, each yielding in turn. Eventually, they stilled, settling beside one another, breath syncing in the quiet.
Her chest rose and fell as she turned toward him. "That was… amazing." Ashley whispered.
He smiled to himself. "I wish… this could be every time."
She turned to face him. "Then why don't we?" she asked. "What's stopping us?"
He stared at the ceiling. "I don't know." he replied. "Life's messy."
She rested her head against his chest. "I love you, Lucas." she whispered.
In the quiet room, his heart hammered beneath her ear. "I love you too, baby." he said, almost a vow in the shadows.
She lifted her head slightly, a blush creeping across her face. "Baby…?" she teased softly.
He leaned closer, smirk sharp in the dim light. "You heard me."
Laughter faded into silence as they lay entwined beneath the blanket. The room seemed to pulse with the quiet gravity of their love.
Palmborough. 12:20 am.
26 Benny St.
Antonio darted through his apartment, stuffing essentials into bags. Down in the basement, he grabbed the leftover cash he had stashed. Upstairs, he packed his clothes with the precision of someone not planning to return.
By the time he was done, the apartment looked half-empty. He carried the bags outside, loaded them into his car, shut the trunk, and slid into the driver's seat. The engine roared to life as he drove off, heading for Katherine.
CRYSTAL AVENUE. 12:38 am.
Katherine lay awake, staring at the dresser mirror, thoughts churning. Her cellphone vibrated on the nightstand. She rose carefully, heart racing, and slipped into the bathroom before answering.
She answered…
"Toni?" She Whispered.
His voice came through the line, low and urgent. "Kathy… I'm pulling up. Make sure you've got everything. No dawdling—we don't have time."
"But…"
"No but's, Kathy," he interrupted. "I'll meet you in fifteen minutes."
"Toni!" she whispered, fury undercut by panic. Silence followed—the call ended.
Katherine returned to the room, slipping on a coat and scooping Mila from her cot. The baby stirred, but she soothed her gently, guiding her back to sleep with quiet tenderness.
Bag in one hand, baby in the other, she cast a lingering glance at Stephen—fast asleep, oblivious. A single tear slipped down her cheek. She brushed it away and pressed a soft kiss to the door frame before leaving.
She moved silently to Akirá's room, careful not to wake him. Mila went on her back, Akirá in the baby carrier up front.
Bag secured, she edged toward the staircase. A hooter blared—her cue. She hurried down, only to freeze. Tokyo stood in the kitchen, eyes fixed on her.
Tokyo cleared her throat, her voice sharp. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, eyes locked on Katherine.
Fear clenched her chest. "Uh… I… uh…" she stammered, every second stretching into an eternity.
"Don't even try to finish," Tokyo said, eyes piercing Katherine. "I already know what's going on. I always knew there was something wrong with you… I just didn't care back then."
"Please, Tokyo… it's not what it looks like." Katherine pleaded, her voice trembling.
A harsh laugh escaped her. "Then what is it? Because it looks exactly like what it is." Tokyo said.
"Tokyo… I need time for myself." she murmured. "Me and your father… we fought, and I—"
"I don't care." Tokyo snapped. "Go ahead… but the kids stay."
"I am their mother, I can't just leave them h—"
Tokyo's words hit like bullets. "I don't care. Take Mila if you want… but Akirá stays. And I know the truth—Mila isn't Stephen's."
"Stop, Tokyo." she pleaded.
"Or what?" Tokyo asked calmly. "I could scream right now—wake Stephen up."
She tilted her head. "And what do you think he'll say when he sees you like this?"
"Tokyo…" Katherine began, but a faint hooter echoed from outside, slicing through the tension like a knife.
"It's best you go." Tokyo said, her steps deliberate as she closed the distance.
"Please, Tokyo." she pleaded, her voice grew weaker.
"Don't 'please' me." Tokyo said, yanking Akirá from the carrier. "Just go… and never come back."
"Tokyo, Pl—"
Tokyo clicked her tongue softly. "You better leave—before I change my mind."
Her voice dropped.
"Because I won't hesitate to scream."
Katherine stayed silent, moving like a shadow as she left the mansion, her footsteps echoing on the driveway. Outside, a car waited. Tokyo had opened the main gate.
"Come on, Kathy. We don't have much time." Antonio said, hopping out to meet her.
He helped her load the bag into the trunk, then lifted Mila into his arms, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.
"My little girl." he murmured, strapping her securely into the babyseat.
Antonio returned to the driver's seat, but Katherine's eyes lingered on the mansion—a fleeting glance, heavy with conflict.
"Kathy. Get in." he urged.
She got in. Antonio didn't waste a second. The engine roared to life, tires biting the asphalt, and they drove off. The decision was made— and in full effect.
South border. 1:29 am.
23 Miles. Vinniger Lane.
The outskirts of San El Zorro stretched out endlessly—miles from the city, only a few more from the border. A lone car cut through the darkness, rolling down a straight, barely lit road. Sand and low hills sprawled across the land like sleeping giants.
Moonlight washed the world in a dim, almost-morning glow.
The car kept a steady pace. Headlights carved a narrow path through the void, dashboard lights bathing the interior in a muted blue. Antonio drove with sharp focus, eyes constantly scanning the horizon, the mirrors, the silence.
Beside him, Katherine sat quietly, fingers adjusting the radio until rhythm and blues hummed through the speakers—soft, almost comforting. Mila slept soundly in the backseat, strapped in, unaware of the miles being put between her and everything she knew.
Still, Katherine couldn't settle.
Her thoughts churned. Slowly, she turned her head toward Antonio, studying his face—searching for something, anything—trying to read a mind that refused to give itself away.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Katherine hesitated.
Antonio kept his gaze on the road. "Don't worry." he added "We're almost outside the border."
The words should've eased her—but instead, her stomach tightened.
She puffed through her nose. "That isn't the case right now." she replied.
Her voice wavered, "I-I… I can't help it. Everything just feels… wrong."
Antonio didn't answer right away.
Antonio glanced at her slightly.
"I thought we talked about this already." he said lowly.
Katherine swallowed. "We talked… but that doesn't mean it stopped hurting."
"And I thought." she replied quickly, "we said we wouldn't hide stuff from each other." She glanced at the rearview mirror as she spoke.
She lingered on Mila's reflection in the rearview mirror—her small chest rising, lips parted in sleep. A tiny tear slipped down Katherine's cheek.
"This is our daughter, Toni… for goodness' sake." she said, her voice barely holding.
"Let's grow stronger. Better. For the sake of our daughter."
"You think I don't know that?" he asked, his voice rough.
Mila stirred in her sleep, a soft whine escaping her before settling again. The sound alone was enough to quiet them—like the road itself was listening.
Katherine lowered her voice. "You think Stephen knows by now?"
Antonio didn't answer immediately. His grip tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles whitening under the dashboard glow.
"Don't start, Kathy." he said at last. "That life is over. We have to move on."
Her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror again—Mila's tiny chest rising and falling. "If he knows—"
"If he knows." Antonio cut in, "then fuck him." A beat. "And if he doesn't—then still fuck him."
The music drifted through the car, slow and intimate, setting a midnight hush. Then the rhythm thinned—softened—until it faded completely, replaced by the low, velvet smoothness of a radio host's voice.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Gavin Celeste." he said warmly, "and a salute to all the night crawlers still tuned in. We've been reading your messages—every single one—and we just want to say we're grateful. Truly."
A second voice cut in.
"My man Gavin's been reading those messages for the past hour—left the studio to me."
Both hosts laughed.
"What?" Gavin replied. "I love every one of them. That includes you too, Jerry."
"Oh? Piss off, mate." Jerry shot back, chuckling.
Gavin cleared his throat theatrically. "Alright, people—welcome to the after hours. Where the dark turns to day for those who take it there. Keep those messages coming while we feed you more R&B to set the mood—whether you're studying, sipping your morning coffee… or one of those couples still awake." a soft giggle slipped into his voice.
"Stay tuned. You're listening to nine point five."
The signal dipped, and a commercial rolled in—its distant hum filling the car.
Antonio lifted the cup to his lips, took a slow sip, then glanced at her—steady, certain.
"I love you, Kathy." he said quietly. "And that's all that matters."
"I know." she said, eyes fixed on the road ahead. "I love you too… but…"
Far ahead, another car appeared on the road. Its headlights cut through the darkness, creeping closer with each passing second, reflecting faintly on the sand and hills.
At first, it was nothing—just another vehicle on an empty road.
"But… but what?" he asked, each word clipped, heavy with concern.
"Never mind. It doesn't matter." she said, voice soft but firm.
"We just… have to do everything right this time, Toni." Her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, catching Mila's peaceful face.
"Our daughter isn't going to grow up like us."
A small, determined smile touched her lips. "She's going to go to the best school… eat the best meals… receive the best gifts. We have to give her the best life she can ever have."
Katherine reached back gently, brushing a soft hand across Mila's cheek. The baby stirred slightly but didn't wake, the quiet warmth between mother and daughter filling the car.
"And she will get it." he said quietly, voice steady but full of weight. "I promise."
The car on the opposite lane drew closer, headlights stabbing into Antonio's windshield, illuminating everything inside—Katherine's anxious face, Mila sleeping in the back.
Then, without warning, the car swerved sharply, sliding into Antonio's lane.
"What the fuck?" he barked, slamming the horn.
Katherine 's hands gripped the edge of the seat, heart hammering.
The car bore down on them, headlights cutting through the darkness like knives. The distance between the two vehicles shrank until it felt like a mere breath separated them. Antonio swerved hard into the opposite lane, trying to avoid the oncoming car.
But the other car reacted faster—turning sharply, smashing into the side of Antonio's vehicle with a deafening crunch. Metal screamed against metal. The world spun violently as Antonio's car tumbled once, rolling before coming to a shuddering halt.
The other car skidded off the road, flipping end over end like a toy tossed aside, leaving shards of metal scattered across the asphalt and sand.
Inside Antonio's car, silence fell… except for the sharp, piercing cries of Mila. She screamed with all the volume a small child could muster, tiny fists pounding against her straps, tears streaming down her face like a river unleashed. The collision had jolted her awake, panic and shock flooding every inch of her small body.
Antonio slumped over the wheel, unconscious. Katherine lay next to him, motionless. The rhythm and blues from the radio drifted softly through the wreckage, a cruel reminder of the night before.
Mila's cries echoed across the empty desert, bouncing off the hills, carrying far into the early hours. The cars were broken, twisted. The road was silent. The city miles away.
And in the vast, empty darkness, only her wails remained—loud, urgent, and unstoppable.