Chapter 81: The Missing Piece
Josie
I could tell—without a doubt—that this was the question Kiel hadn’t expected. The way his mouth parted slightly, his shoulders tensed, and his eyes flicked to the floor told me more than words could. He was shocked. Almost like I’d just slapped him. Maybe I had, in my own way. But I wasn’t about to sweep this under the rug like everyone wanted me to.
Not anymore.
"What happened that day?" I asked again, voice lower, but my spine was straight and unyielding.
"I... Josie," he began, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "I told you already... I don’t remember."
That answer made something sharp coil in my stomach. My throat burned, and I blinked furiously against the sting behind my eyes. My jaw clenched.
"That’s not good enough," I snapped before I could stop myself. "You have to remember!"
The words came out louder than I meant, edged with too much pain, too much desperation. He looked at me like I’d punched him again. I wasn’t even sure if I was angry anymore—I was just... tired. Tired of the half-truths, tired of the pain. I closed my eyes for a moment and let the silence stretch between us, aching and brittle.
"I’m sorry," I said after a deep breath. "I didn’t mean to yell, but—" I looked at him again. "I need to know, Kiel. I need to understand what happened. Because I don’t. And it’s eating me alive."
He stared at me, guilt written across every inch of his face. Still, he shook his head, almost as if trying to physically push the memory out of his mind.
"I told you," he whispered, "I don’t remember."
I held his gaze, and after a second, I stood from my seat and stepped closer to him until we were eye-level. He didn’t flinch. His eyes just searched mine, looking for something—maybe forgiveness, maybe understanding. I didn’t know if I had either to give.