Yuko wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her voice shaking but determined. "Let’s go. Now. We need to explain everything to Haruna before this gets any worse." Her fingers clenched into fists at her sides, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps.
"If we don’t fix this right now, she’ll never listen to me again. She’ll—" Her voice cracked, and she swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay composed.
Then, without warning, her hand shot out and grabbed mine, pulling me forward with a desperation that surprised us both. The second her skin touched mine, her entire body stiffened. Her eyes widened in horror, as if she’d just realized what she’d done.
"What the hell are you looking at?!" she snapped, jerking her hand back like she’d been electrocuted. Her face flushed, her thoughts a chaotic storm: [Why the fuck did I just grab his hand? Why don’t I feel disgust? Why does it feel like I wanted to? What is wrong with me?!]
She turned away sharply, her strides quick and uneven, as if she could outrun the confusion in her own mind. "Does Aunt Julie know?" she demanded, her voice tight with dread. "Does she know Hannah’s your fake girlfriend? Because if she does, we’re screwed."
I shook my head. "No. She doesn’t know the truth."
Yuko’s breath hitched, her voice rising in panic. "Oh, fantastic. Just perfect. She’s going to kill me when she finds out. She’s going to think I betrayed Hannah, that I—" She cut herself off, her fingers digging into her palms hard enough to leave crescent-shaped marks. "We have to fix this. Now."
I stepped closer, my voice low and steady. "We will. I’ve got this."
Yuko didn’t respond. She just stormed toward the elevator, jabbing the button repeatedly, as if she could force the doors to open faster. The ride up was agonizing, the silence between us thick with unspoken dread. When the doors finally slid open, she practically sprinted to her apartment, her fingers flying over the electronic keypad to unlock the door.
The second we stepped inside, the scene inside hit us like a wrecking ball.
Julie was holding Hannah tightly, her arms wrapped around her like a shield. Haruna stood nearby, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking with sobs.
The moment Julie saw us, her expression twisted into something between fury and heartbreak, and her acting started. "Hannah," she said, her voice trembling with controlled rage, "let’s get out of here. Now."
Hannah didn’t speak. She just let herself be guided toward the door, her eyes empty, her silence deafening.
Julie’s gaze locked onto me, her voice dripping with venom. "Jack." My name sounded like a curse on her lips. "I didn’t expect you to be this kind of person." Her eyes burned with disgust. "Stay away from me. Stay away from Hannah. From now on, you are nothing to us."
Yuko’s breath hitched, her voice breaking as she stepped forward. "Aunt Julie, please—just listen—"
"Listen to what?!" Julie’s voice cracked like a whip, her fury cutting Yuko off mid-sentence. "More lies?! More excuses?!" Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "I trusted you! I thought you were better than this!"
Yuko flinched like she’d been struck, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Aunt Julie, it’s not what you think—"
"Oh, spare me!" Julie’s voice rose, her words sharp enough to draw blood.
Yuko’s entire body trembled, her voice barely a whisper. "Aunt Julie, please—just let me explain—"
"I don’t want to hear it!" Julie’s voice was a roar now, her fury filling the room. "I don’t care what you have to say! You’ve hurt Hannah! And for what?! For him?!" She spat the last word like it was poison.
Yuko’s knees nearly buckled. "No—it’s not—"
"Enough!" Julie’s voice was final, her expression hardening into something cold and unyielding. She turned to Hannah, her grip tightening. "We’re leaving. Now."
Hannah still didn’t speak. She just let herself be pulled toward the door, her eyes hollow, her face pale.
Julie’s final words were thrown at me like a blade. "You are not welcome in our house, Jack. If I find out you’ve tried to contact us—if I even hear your name near my family—I’ll call the cops. And I will make sure you regret it."
The door slammed shut behind them, the sound echoing through the apartment like a gunshot.
Silence.
Yuko stood frozen, her body trembling violently, tears streaming down her face in silent, devastating waves. The weight of Julie’s words had crushed her, stealing the air from her lungs, leaving her gasping like she was drowning.
"No..." Yuko’s voice was a shattered whisper, her body trembling as if the world itself had just crumbled beneath her feet. "No, no, no—" The word dissolved into a sob, her hands clenching into tight fists at her sides, as though she could somehow fight the reality pressing down on her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her tears spilling over, her entire being consumed by the weight of Julie’s words, the finality of that slammed door.
I exhaled slowly, my mind racing—not just with the fallout, but with something else. Something unexpected.
Julie’s performance had been flawless. The fury in her voice, the way her hands had trembled with genuine rage, the way she’d pulled Hannah away like she was shielding her from a monster—it hadn’t felt like an act.
Not even for a second. And Hannah? She’d been just as convincing, her hollow eyes, her silence, the way she’d let herself be led away without a word. It was almost too real.
Too real.
Haruna stood there, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen from crying, her expression a storm of hurt and fury. She didn’t hesitate. She stormed toward me, her small hands gripping the front of my shirt, yanking me back and forth with surprising strength.
"How can you do this to Hannah?!" she screamed, her voice raw with pain. "How can you lie to her like this?! Tell me why! Tell me why you’d hurt her like this!"
I didn’t resist. I just let her shake me, her fury palpable, her tears splashing onto my shirt.
Then she whirled on Yuko, her voice breaking. "And you!" she spat, her words laced with venom. "How can you be with him, knowing Hannah is his girlfriend?! What kind of person are you?! You’re a slut!"
Something inside me snapped.
I grabbed Haruna’s wrists, not hard enough to hurt her, but enough to make her stop. My voice was low, dangerous. "Haruna. That’s enough. Don’t talk to your sister like that."
Yuko’s breath hitched, her voice trembling as she stepped forward. "Haruna, listen to me—it’s not what you think—"