The next day, I felt unbearably heavy.
I had spent the entire day before crying, my body wracked with sobs until exhaustion finally pulled me under. I hadn't eaten, hadn't spoken much, and yet, Steven, Uno, and Kaiser hadn't forced me to do anything. They simply stayed close, letting me grieve in silence.
Now, as I dragged myself out of bed and into the kitchen, the lingering ache in my chest felt just as suffocating as before.
Uno was the first person I saw, standing by the stove, preparing breakfast. The scent of eggs and coffee filled the air, but it did nothing to stir my appetite.
"Where's Kuya Steven?" I asked, my voice hoarse from all the crying.
Uno didn't turn from the stove as he replied, "Don't know. But he said he'll be back. He took Kaiser with him."
I let out a quiet sigh and walked to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. The cold plastic felt foreign in my hands, a stark contrast to the numbness lingering inside me.
After taking a small sip, I wandered into the living room and sank onto the couch. The TV was on, the screen flickering with colors and movement, but I wasn't really watching. I just stared, my mind elsewhere, lost in the weight of everything that had happened.
"By the way, Dos is on his way here!" Uno yelled from the kitchen.
Hearing Dos's name stirred something inside me—something tangled between guilt and unease.
I remembered the last time I saw him, the way my fist connected with his face after the gala. At the time, I thought he was just provoking me, being the same infuriating jerk he always was. But now… now I knew better.
He wasn't just taunting me. He knew. He had known all along how broken my marriage was.
And I hated that. I hated that he saw through me before I even admitted it to myself.
I got up and headed back to my room. The heaviness in my chest hadn't lessened, but I refused to let it consume me.
Stepping into the shower, I let the warm water wash over me, rinsing away the traces of exhaustion and dried tears. It didn't erase the ache inside me, but it made me feel a little less like the wreck I had been yesterday.
Afterward, I took my time fixing myself, making sure I looked better than I had earlier. Not for anyone else—but for me. I needed to feel like I still had some control, even if everything else was falling apart.
When I got back to the living room, Dos was already there, talking to Uno. Their conversation halted the moment I stepped in.
Both of them looked at me, but it was Dos's gaze that made me stop in my tracks.
It wasn't mocking like I expected. It wasn't filled with his usual arrogance or the sharp-edged teasing he always threw my way. Instead, his eyes held something else—something unreadable, something that made my stomach twist.
Pity? Regret? Understanding?
I wasn't sure, but whatever it was, I didn't like it.
I swallowed hard, refusing to let whatever was in Dos's eyes get to me. I lifted my chin slightly, schooling my expression into something neutral—something that didn't scream how shattered I felt inside.
"Look who finally decided to get up," Dos said, his voice carrying its usual edge, but there was something softer beneath it. Subtle, almost imperceptible.
I rolled my eyes, slipping back into old habits, into the familiar rhythm of our exchanges. "Did you come here just to be annoying, or is there an actual reason?"
Uno glanced between us, sensing the shift in the air but saying nothing. He simply returned to his seat, letting us fall into whatever conversation this was about to become.
Dos let out a short chuckle, but his gaze never left mine. "I came because Steven asked me to."
At the mention of Steven, I felt my chest tighten. "Why?"
Dos leaned back against the couch, arms crossed. "Maybe because he knows you need someone to slap some sense into you."
My jaw clenched. "I don't need—"
"You spent an entire day crying, locked away in your own misery. Do you think that's helping anything?"
His words were sharp, cutting straight through my defenses. I hated that he was right. I hated that he knew me well enough to call me out on it.
I crossed my arms, mirroring his posture. "So what? You're here to lecture me now?"
"No," he said simply. "I'm here to remind you who the hell you are."
There was no teasing in his voice this time. No mockery. Just a challenge—one I wasn't sure I had the strength to face yet.
--
We were gathered in Kaiser's study, the air thick with tension. Documents were spread across the desk, screens cast a cold glow against the dimly lit room, and the sound of Uno tapping his fingers against the table filled the silence as we pieced together everything we knew about Shadestone.
They operated globally, a ghost organization with no concrete trail leading to their true leaders. No one had ever found their main hideout, no one knew the full extent of their operations, and yet—they knew me. They wanted me gone.
That alone sent a chill through me.
I exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of the table. "So far, Calyx hasn't shared anything else with Kaiser," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "Which means we still don't know what I supposedly know that made me their target."
Across from me, Dos let out a scoff, leaning back in his chair like this whole thing was one giant inconvenience to him. "Typical," he said, shaking his head. "The guy finally decides to spill some truths, but not the ones that actually matter."
I shot him a glare. "You're acting like this is surprising."
"It's not," he admitted, smirking slightly. "But it is disappointing."
I pressed my lips together. As much as I hated to agree, Dos wasn't wrong. Calyx knew something. Something important. And yet, all he gave us were breadcrumbs.
"Whether he tells us or not, we can't sit around waiting for answers," I continued, dragging my focus back to the plan. "We have a location. That's enough to move forward."
Kaiser, who had been skimming through a folder, set it down and locked eyes with me. "Agreed. Their Melbourne base might not be their headquarters, but it's a lead. We get in, gather intel, and see if there's any mention of you."
"If we're lucky," Uno muttered, rubbing a hand down his face. "We don't even know what kind of security they have. If we go in blind, we're screwed."
Dos rolled his eyes. "Good thing we're not going in blind, then." He turned his laptop toward us, revealing a digital map of the facility. Multiple points were highlighted, and as he zoomed in, notes popped up, listing guard rotations and security vulnerabilities. "I've already mapped out everything. Entry points, exits, weak spots in their system. We won't have long, but we won't need long either."
I leaned in, scanning the layout carefully. The place wasn't massive, but that didn't make it any less dangerous. If Shadestone was operating here, even in a smaller capacity, there was no telling what—or who—was inside.
"We need to be prepared for anything," I said, my fingers tightening into fists. "We don't know how deep this goes or what they truly want from me."
Silence settled for a moment. Then, Dos let out a breath and met my gaze, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.
"Then I guess we better make sure you're ready for whatever's coming."
His words lingered, sinking into my bones.
This wasn't just another mission. It wasn't just about infiltration. This was personal.
And I wasn't planning on losing.