Ray let out a sharp breath, his body shaking with barely contained fury.
"And Helga," he spat, eyes burning. "Your so-called friend. The one you called sister. Do you even know what she went through?"
Es felt her throat tighten, but she couldn’t look away.
"The news of your death—" Ray’s voice broke, his jaw clenching. "It destroyed her. She cried until she had no more tears left. And then she beca silent. Completely silent. She wouldn’t even talk to her own husband or her child."
He took a shuddering breath before stepping closer, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
"And Aaron?" His voice dropped, raw and hollow. "He worked like a maniac. He buried himself in the company, not stopping, not resting, not living. Because coming ho—" Ray laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "Coming ho ant facing the reality that you weren’t there anymore."
Es’s lips trembled, but she had no words.
"Do you know what it was like for them? They couldn’t even look at their own child without breaking down. Because every ti they did, they thought of you."
Ray’s voice was thick with pain now, his entire body trembling.
"The godmother who loved their child more than anything—the one who was supposed to be there, but wasn’t."
The silence that followed was suffocating. The weight of his words crashed over Es like a tidal wave, leaving her breathless, drowning in guilt.
Ray took a step back, running a hand over his face, exhausted, broken.
"You weren’t the only one who suffered, Es." His voice was quiet now, but it cut deeper than anything else. "You left a world behind that couldn’t survive without you."
Ray’s chest heaved with exhaustion, his voice hoarse from all the words that had been trapped inside him for years. His hands shook as he ran them through his hair, his frustration evident in the way his eyes burned into Es’s.
"How, Es?" His voice cracked. "How could you say that? That your being alive or not doesn’t matter?!"
Es stiffened, but Ray wasn’t finished. He turned slightly, as if trying to compose himself, then t her gaze again.
"What did you say to that woman?" His voice was quieter now, but no less sharp. "That even if you die, it wouldn’t matter? That our children would grow up just fine?"
Es bit her lip, her hands curling into fists, but Ray stepped closer, his eyes wild with disbelief.
"Do you even know what it was like when you were missing? When we thought you were dead? Do you even know what your children went through?"
Es’s breath hitched.
"They still rember you, Es. They still call you ’Mama.’" His voice trembled. "Whenever they see your pictures, they smile, they giggle, like you’re still here. And when they cry? Do you know what they ask for?"*
Es remained frozen, unable to breathe as Ray’s words struck her like sharp knives.
"They ask to hear your voice."
Silence.
Then, in a choked whisper, he continued, "Do you know what we had to do? We had to take old call recordings—our call recordings. We had to cut them up, edit them, just to make it sound like you were talking to them. So they could hear their Mama’s voice. So they could sleep."
Es’s knees nearly buckled.
"They need you, Es." Ray’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of his words was crushing. "But no. You stand here and tell that nothing matters. That no one would care if you died. That your life is aningless."
His breath ca out in harsh, ragged pants as he took a step back, his hands shaking.
Kai, who had been silent all this ti, suddenly moved forward, sensing the storm that was about to break.
"Brother, wait—" Kai’s voice was cautious, trying to stop what was about to co. But Ray wasn’t done.
His next words were laced with sothing deeper—anger, grief, but most of all, betrayal.
"You know, right? What it’s like to grow up without parents?"
Es’s eyes widened.
"Love?" Ray scoffed bitterly. "Do you really not know what it feels like? To be alone? To have no one?"
Kai flinched. He knew what Ray was doing. He knew his brother was in too much pain, that he was lashing out because of it. Even he was hurting. But to bring up Es’s parents like this—
"Ray, stop," Kai tried again, a rare desperation in his voice.
But Es didn’t react with anger.
She didn’t snap back. She didn’t yell. She didn’t fight.
Instead, she stood there—completely silent.
As if soone had just slapped the reality into her face.
Her eyes, wide and stunned, slowly filled with sothing unspoken.
A thought—one so sharp and piercing that it left her breathless.
She, who had been raised without parents—
How could she even think about putting her children through the sa pain?
The alley was swallowed in silence, thick and suffocating. Only Es’s voice echoed against the cold brick walls, her words drifting like a ghost in the dim, flickering light.
"But... but what can I do?"
Her voice trembled—not with fear, not with sadness, but with sothing hollow, sothing resigned. Her arms hung limply at her sides, her breath curling in the damp night air. She lifted her gaze to Ray, her eyes void of emotion.
"I knew you guys could take care of them." Her words felt distant, as if she was speaking of soone else, soone far removed from herself. "You could give them all the love they need."
Ray’s breath was heavy, sharp, his fists clenched at his sides. Kai, usually the calr one, stood frozen, his brows furrowed in sothing dangerously close to disbelief. The weight of her words pressed against them like the walls of the alley—closing in, suffocating.
Es let out a breath, a hollow chuckle escaping her lips. She wasn’t sure if she was laughing or breaking.
"See, I never wanted to tell you this. But if I don’t say it now... I might never get the chance."
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