Chapter 182: What the Actual Fuck Did I Just Hear?
Ash’s POV
"Ash..." His voice broke completely. "Oh my God." His hands dropped from the man’s collar, letting him slide down the wall. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to...fuck."
But the man only laughed, spitting blood onto the ground before running away into the shadows.
Dominic was already in front of me, shaking, trying to cup my face with bloody hands. "I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to push you. I swear. Are you okay? Fuck!"
I pressed my hand to my head, stepping back when he tried to touch me. "Just...leave me alone." My voice shook, but I couldn’t stop it.
He looked wrecked, his hands kept shaking like he didn’t know what to do. "Ash, please. I didn’t mean to.."
Blood dripped into the collar of my shirt as I staggered toward the restroom beside the church.
He followed. "Ash, please. I lost it, I didn’t mean to..."
I gripped the sink, splashing cold water to wipe the cut. My reflection blurred with tears. "You can’t keep doing this, Dom." My voice cracked, but I forced it steady. "Today’s Liam’s funeral. And you’re out here throwing punches like that’s going to bring him back."
His face twisted, as he dragged his hands in his face. "You don’t understand. He killed Liam. I need him to suffer, I need him to..."
"No," I snapped. "What you need is to stop. To think. To breathe, and calm tf down. You want revenge? Fine. But this...this blind anger, it’s going to destroy you. It’s already hurting me."
"I’m sorry. I swear, I didn’t mean to push you. But you let him escape, Ash!"
I spun on him. "I let him escape? Do you think beating him to death would bring Liam back? You should’ve held him, till we question him and know the reason he came. Instead, you lost control. Again."
"You don’t get it!" Dominic’s voice cracked.
"I can’t let him just walk free. I can’t, Ash. I’m not that strong."
I swallowed hard. "I didn’t say you should let him walk freely. I just...be smarter, be strategic. Don’t let grief make you his weapon. That’s not what Liam would’ve wanted."
"You think I can just stand there and plan? Be strategic? What the hell, Ash?!"
My hands shook as I grabbed the edge of the sink. "Yes, Dom. Because if you keep handling shit like this, the cycle never ends. You kill him, then they come after you. Then me. Then everyone else. And for what? Another grave?"
He shook his head. "I don’t care. I just want him to pay. I need him to pay."
"This is ridiculous!" I shook my head.
The room went silent except for the drip of the faucet.
A shaky called voice behind us.
"Dom?"
We both froze, turning toward the stalls. The door slowly creaked opened.
Ian stood there, hand over his mouth, eyes wide with disbelief.
"What the fuck," he whispered, staring between the two of us. "What the actual fuck did I just hear?"
Ian’s face was pale. He stepped closer, slowly, until he was right in front of us. "I’m going to ask you again. What the fuck did I just hear?" He repeated it slowly.
His eyes darted between me and Dominic, searching for answers. "Tell me the truth. Right now."
"Ian!" I started, and he cut me off.
"Don’t ’Ian’ me." His voice rose. "You said he killed Liam. You said it like you meant it. Like you know." He turned to Dominic, stabbing a finger at his chest. "I want to hear the truth form you. You knew all this time that it was Murder?!"
I nudged Doninic’s elbow to talk. Instead he still stayed silent as his jaw clenched.
Ian let out a humorless laugh, dragging his hands over his face, then clutching his head like he couldn’t hold himself together.
He staggered back, gripping the edge of the sink for balance. "Oh my God. Oh my fucking God. This isn’t...this isn’t just a fight anymore. This is murder. This is...." His voice cracked.
"Ian, please calm down..." I reached for him.
"Calm down?" He snapped his head toward me. "You’ve both been standing here, whispering, keeping this from me, from everyone, while I’ve been..." His breath hitched. "While I’ve been trying to figure out how to breathe without Liam."
Dominic finally decided that open his mouth, at last. Thank Goodness. "I didn’t want to tell you like this."
"Then how, Dom?" His fists slammed against the sink, rattling it. "Were you gonna keep lying forever? Let us keep burying him in our hearts without knowing the truth?" His chest heaved as he shook his head.
Ian should just calm tf down.
Why does everyone here not calm down to listen?
For a moment, none of us moved. The hum of the flickering light above filled the silence.
At last, they’re both calm.
Then Ian’s voice dropped, quieter. "We have to tell the others." He swallowed hard, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was saying. "This is serious. This isn’t just our grief anymore....this is evidence. This is..." He dragged his hands through his hair. "God, Liam doesn’t deserve this."
His rage melted into something softer, broken. His hands slipped from his head, falling to his sides. "I need to know the truth."
He looked at me then, his eyes was wet, lips kept trembling. He wasn’t angry anymore.
"I just need to know the truth."
Even Dominic couldn’t look him in the eye.
Dominic’s voice shook. "Ian... it’s not just Liam."
Ian’s head snapped up. "What the hell does that mean?"
"They’re not just here for him. They’re here for us. For me. For Ash." His jaw flexed. "They won’t stop until they’ve taken every single one of us."
Ian blinked, looking all confused. "Why? Why would they come after you?"
Dominic’s jaw clenched. "Because of what happened last summer."
Ian’s head jerked up. "What happened last summer?" His brows furrowed, like he was digging through his memory, trying to connect the dots. "What the hell are you talking ab..."
"The girl," Dominic cut him off. "On the highway. The one we hit. The one we covered up."
The color drained from Ian’s face. His eyes went wide as the memory slammed into him. His lips parted.
"Oh my God..." he whispered. His hands flew to his head, clutching his hair again. "Oh my fucking God. That’s what got Liam killed?"
Dominic and I just nodded.
Ian’s whole body shook as his eyes darted between us. "Dom, we all had hands in it," he choked out. "We covered it. We buried it. We swore to never speak of it again... and now it’s back, it’s..." He broke off. "It’s haunting us."
Dominic’s chest rose and fell hard, his fists started trembling at his sides. "Now they want every single one of us."
The room felt heavier, like the walls themselves were pressing in. Ian’s breathing was shaky.
But before the silence could swallow us whole, I found my voice. My throat burned as I whispered, "There’s something else."
Both of them turned to me instantly, widening their eyes.
Dominic’s eyes narrowed, with fear flickering in them. "What’s that?"