CHAPTER 113: WHEN SILENCE HURTS

Zaara’s POV

I kept my head down, eyes stinging, my chest tight as if invisible fingers were squeezing the air out of my lungs.

I tried to tell myself I was being ridiculous.

Of course he had to help Nomi. She was pregnant. She looked like she might collapse right there on the floor.

Technically, I didn’t say he shouldn’t help her.

But still...

Did Vincent just ignore me in front of everyone?

The question echoed inside my skull.

I pushed through the locker room doors and headed straight for the restroom. The overhead lights were blinding white. The kind that made every tear glisten.

I grabbed the sink, bracing myself, refusing to look up into the mirror.

I didn’t want to see how wrecked I looked.

I splashed cold water on my face, letting it drip down my cheeks and soak the collar of my jumpsuit.

This is stupid, Zaara. Stop it. You’re alive. You made it out of that tunnel. That’s what matters.

But no matter how many times I tried to shove the thoughts away...

They came crawling back.

He should’ve at least checked on me first.

A single second. A single look. Something to say I’m glad you’re okay, too.

Instead, it was like he hadn’t even seen me.

I squeezed my eyes shut as fresh tears threatened.

A few minutes later, I changed into a fresh grey jumpsuit.

I sat down on the locker room bench.

"I felt like a stranger just now."

I tried to be logical. To remind myself that Vincent had been through hell. That we all had.

But the image of him cradling Nomi, his voice, played over and over behind my eyes.

I pressed my palms over my ears, as if I could block out the memory.

It wasn’t that I wanted Nomi hurt. God, no. She was carrying Vincent’s child. She deserved his help.

But that moment...

The way he ran right past me.

Like I wasn’t even there.

Like maybe... he’d already made his choice.

A tight pain seized my chest.

I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the blur from my vision.

He promised me.

He promised we’d stay together.

So why did it feel like I was losing him piece by piece?

I dragged in a shuddering breath and wiped my eyes.

No. I wouldn’t fall apart like this.

I’d survived that tunnel. I’d survived the games. I’d survive this.

I stood up, forcing my shoulders back, ignoring how my legs trembled.

I caught my reflection in the metal locker door.

My eyes red-rimmed. Hair damp around my face.

"Pull it together, Zaara," I muttered. "There’s too much at stake."

Oh my God... what if everything Nomi said in the tunnel was right?

My chest clenched.

Technically, I knew it hadn’t been the real Nomi.

I knew it was just what the Aetherions wanted me to see. A projection. A manipulation.

But...

What if, for once... they were right?

I squeezed my arms tighter around myself.

What if Vincent really did love Nomi more?

What if he’d choose her...and the baby, over me?

My heart twisted painfully.

I felt so alone.

No Jojo. No Asha.

Oh God... I hope Luca makes it back, I thought desperately, picturing his grin, the way he always found a way to laugh, even in hell.

I blinked rapidly, swallowing down another rising wave of tears.

Then...

I heard it.

And then I heard it—

A faint, deep voice.

"Zaara."

My heart shot to my throat.

Oh my God. Vincent.

He came. He really came...

I spun around, my lips already parting in a trembling smile.

But as my gaze focused...

My smile faltered.

Theo.

Not Vincent.

He stood in the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck like he hadn’t meant to startle me.

"Theo?" I said, startled. "What are you doing here?"

He hesitated. His dark eyes didn’t quite meet mine. "I, uh... I just wanted to talk. To apologize."

My brows pinched. "Apologize?"

He gave a slow nod. "About the other day. When I said all that stuff about you. That you were only pretending to care. That you’d do anything to win."

He shifted on his feet, looking uncomfortable. "I shouldn’t have said that."

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. "Oh... it’s fine." I tried to smile. It barely held. "We’ve all said things we didn’t mean lately."

Theo looked at me for a long second. "Maybe. But... it still hurt. Not gonna lie."

My gaze dropped. "Yeah. And I’m sorry about what I said too. I was... spiraling. Scared. Angry."

He nodded again.

And for a moment, there was only silence between us.

Not tense. Not angry.

Just quiet.

Something about that silence made the air heavier.

And suddenly... I couldn’t stop myself.

I blurted out a question.

A very stupid question.

aara’s POV (continued)

I looked down at the floor, the tiles blurry through the tears I refused to let fall.

"Theo..." My voice barely made it out.

He turned back.

"Do you think..." I took a breath, forcing the words out before I could change my mind. "Do you think I’m a bad person?"

Theo blinked, clearly not expecting the question. "What? Zaara, no—"

"Do you think he’s going to leave me?" I interrupted, the truth cracking out of me. "Because I’m not the one having his baby?"

The room went still.

Then, stupidly, I let out a laugh.

It came out hollow. Ugly. Bitter.

I laughed until it sounded more like a sob.

"I mean... isn’t that what people do?" I said shakily, brushing a tear from my cheek. "They stay with the person who gives them something permanent. Something binding. A baby. A future. A reason to never look back."

Theo didn’t move at first. Just watched me.

His expression changed—softening, then hardening. Like he was weighing the truth he wanted to give me against the one I needed.

He stepped closer and sat down beside me on the bench, careful, like I might break.

"You want the truth?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, eyes fixed on the locker in front of me.

"I don’t think you’re a bad person, Zaara," he said slowly. "I think you’re a person who’s been through hell. And somehow, you’re still standing. Still fighting. Still loving. That’s not bad. That’s brave."

My throat tightened again.

"And Vincent?" Theo continued, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "Vincent’s the kind of guy who would drown himself in guilt before making a real choice. I don’t think he wants to hurt anyone. But that doesn’t mean he knows how not to."

I let out a shaky breath.

"I’m scared, Theo," I whispered. "What if Nomi’s baby ties him to her forever? What if... that’s enough to make him forget everything we had?"

Theo looked at me for a long second, then did something I didn’t expect.

He laughed. Not mockingly—just a soft, dry chuckle under his breath.

I frowned. "What’s funny?"

He glanced at me sideways. "You. Acting like Vincent could ever forget you."

I blinked.

He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "Zaara, you don’t see it, do you? You’ve haunted that guy since the second he looked at you. You’re in his blood. In his breath. Baby or no baby, he’s never getting over you."

I stared at him, stunned. My lips parted. "Then why..."

"Because," Theo said gently, "guys like Vincent think love has to be earned through punishment. Through pain. They think they have to suffer to deserve it. And you? You were the one thing that didn’t hurt him. That’s why he’s scared of losing you."

Tears welled up again before I could stop them. "Then why did he run to her?"

Theo tilted his head. "Because she was falling. And you... you were standing tall. Even if your heart was breaking, you still stood up. And maybe he thought you didn’t need him."

I turned my face away, but Theo reached out and gently nudged my shoulder with his.

"You deserve someone who doesn’t just choose you when it’s easy, Zaara. You deserve someone who runs to you first. Always."

I didn’t speak. Couldn’t. Not without shattering.

"Soooo, are we cool now?" Theo asked, tilting his head with a half-smile.

I turned toward him, and before I even realized it, a single tear slipped free and traced down my cheek.

"You’re crying," he said, voice softening.

"Really?" I tried to laugh it off, wiping the tear away quickly. "It’s... probably because I didn’t believe I’d actually feel relieved talking to you. I thought you already hated me."

Theo huffed out a breath, shaking his head. "Zaara, hate’s too heavy for me to carry these days. Especially for you."

My chest gave a painful squeeze.

He went on, his voice steady, sincere. "You’ve always been real, you know? Even when you’re messy. Even when you’re breaking. You don’t pretend to be something you’re not. People can trust that."

I blinked rapidly, trying to hold back another wave of tears.

I cleared my throat. "Theo...who’s teaching you how to be nice?" I teased weakly, a watery smile tugging at my lips.

He chuckled, shrugging one shoulder. "We don’t have enough time here anymore, Zaara. That’s the least I can do."

Then he stretched his arms open toward me. "C’mere, sunshine."

I hesitated for half a second—just long enough to remember how much I used to roll my eyes when he called me that.

Then I stepped into his hug.

He wrapped his arms around me, warm and solid. It wasn’t romantic. It was the kind of hug that kept a person from falling apart.

And right then, I needed it.

I buried my face against his chest, inhaling the familiar, sweat-salt scent of the tunnels still clinging to his clothes.

"You’re gonna be okay," he murmured against my hair. "Even if the world goes to shit, you’ll still be Zaara. That’s your superpower."

A tiny laugh broke out of me. "God, Theo. Stop being nice. It’s weird."

"Deal with it," he teased. "I’m multi-dimensional."

I managed a real smile. I pulled back slightly, wiping at my eyes, ready to thank him—

—and then I felt the air shift.

Theo’s arms loosened around me. His eyes darted past my shoulder.

I turned.

Standing in the doorway was Vincent.

He was frozen there, his entire body tensed, his eyes fixed on Theo’s arms still half-around me.