Chapter 21

Content Warning: Mention of suicide. Please skip ahead if needed.

I woke up the next day with a pounding headache and an overwhelming urge to take a sick day. My head felt heavy, and I could barely move without feeling completely drained. It was clear to me that I needed a break, so I mustered the courage to call Mr. Kennedy's office and inform him about my condition. He kindly granted me a day off, and I felt both relief and guilt.

As I settled onto the couch, guilt started to fade away, and I turned on the TV. I spent most of the morning there, nearly forgetting to eat, but I managed to make some toast in between episodes of my favorite show, Criminal Minds.

Curiosity led me to check my emails on my laptop, but it was filled with bill reminders and spam. My search for information about Callum Black and the "mystery girl" brought up a flood of articles, but none of them mentioned me. However, one article by Lina Sesay caught my eye. The author's name triggered a flood of memories - Lina was the girl who had saved my life years ago.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I clicked on Lina's name and found her author introduction page. It was impossible to believe this was all just a coincidence. Lina was the one person who had been there for me in my darkest times, and now I stumbled upon her through an article about Callum and me.

Before I could process this, a knock interrupted my thoughts, and I dreaded it was the brooding CEO, but to my surprise, it was Amy at the door. She quickly noticed my distress and shifted from anger to concern. She led me to the couch and wrapped us in a blanket, offering a sympathetic look as I tried to contain my tears.

She gently encouraged me to share, and I realized I needed someone to confide in more than ever.

"I never told you about my mother," I began quietly, avoiding eye contact. "I grew up in foster care and left as soon as I could, but I never gave you the details. When I was 10, I came home from school to find my mother dead from an overdose. It was a traumatic experience, and I curled up beside her, hoping for a heartbeat. But there was none. I must've fallen asleep or lost track of time because by morning, the police were there."

Amy's eyes filled with tears as I continued, "I was immediately put into foster care, with no other family. The man who got my mother pregnant was nonexistent, and I was passed around through several homes until I landed in what seemed like a stable one. But it wasn't..."

I paused, and Amy looked at me with concern. "The foster father used to take pictures of us kids and sell them," I revealed, prompting her to gasp. "I stayed there for a while until I couldn't take it anymore. I ran away and ended up at a school where I met Mari Sesay."

Amy scrunched her brows, "Your foster family didn't look for you?"

I sighed, "It's complicated. The foster father, Matt, found me two weeks later. He demanded I come back, but Lina's family, the Sesays, gave him an ultimatum. We came up with a compromise - I would stay with the Sesays, and we'd keep the real secret hidden. Matt agreed and arranged it so that I was legally adopted by his family."

As I continued, I revealed, "The Sesays helped me change my last name. When I turned 18, I left them, thinking it would be safer for them if I stayed out of their reach. As far as the government knew, I was legally Matt's child. But now, I've found Lina through an article, and she probably doesn't even know it's me. And her first impression of me after all these years is as a mistress."

Amy tried to comfort me, assuring me that people can change in five years, but then she dropped another bombshell - she had met Callum Black two weeks ago and had witnessed him violently assaulting someone. She had to keep quiet to protect her own secrets.

Frustration overwhelmed me, and I admitted, "I never should've gone to that dinner. Everything is unraveling now."

Amy reassured me, but her expression was clearly filled with anger and concern

"One more thing," I interjected, pulling away from our embrace and studying Amy's reaction with skepticism. "I need to tell you something else. I met Callum Black on the night Leo drove you home, just two weeks ago."

Amy furrowed her brow, clearly bewildered. "I walked in on him violently assaulting someone," I continued. "He stopped me from leaving, sat me down in a room, and made it clear that I had to keep quiet. He threatened to expose my true last name and the fact that I had lied to the government about my place of residence during my foster care days. He mentioned that his team was incredibly skilled at uncovering secrets, including my real name and my history in foster care. You can't imagine how badly I want to keep all of that buried. It's all hidden deep within me. So, I agreed to keep my mouth shut in exchange for his silence."

Amy's eyes narrowed with anger, and she declared, "I'm going to kill him."

As I heard those words, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that someone else was willing to stand up to Callum Black and his threats.