181 Days of Madeline Jesty

Chapter 43: Snakelike Pupils

Secret? What secret? Was this related to the night we met? Or was it something else?

This made me go back and recall our dialogue that fateful Monday night. Then a memory of Mickey—with an hourglass over her head, whose sand lay still on the upper bulb appeared over her head—flashed like a movie being rewound, paused, and played: "By any chance, are you Jane?"

"I was minutes late because I had to escape, only to find out my meetup was already with somebody else," Jane cried. "I-I'm sorry you have to hear that this way. But, Mickey, this is unfair!"

Her voice echoed in my mind over and over. Rewind then play, rewind then play. And upon realizing that Jane admitted that she was indeed the woman Mickey was looking for that night—the Jane Vicente I had a valid reason to be indifferent to—I crumbled to the cold ground, my knees weakening from the thought that the night I shared with Mickey should have been Jane's.

I thought of this before, but when Mickey and I talked about her past and she mentioned that the Jane she chatted online with had a goofy way of chatting, I dismissed it. Their current conversation had me deduce that Jane just suddenly revealed this information out of desperation. I tied piece and piece together, forming this theory that she was the one who reported Steph and me the next day.

Tears began forming at the corner of my eyes. For a second, I was hopeless, reasoning that the agreement had now no meaning. Confused, even. But this self-pity only last a second after I heard Mickey's reply:

"I'm sorry, Jane. I guess . . . destiny has its own way of saying you're meant for someone else . . . and I . . . I was meant for Maddie."

I was meant for Maddie. I bit my lip, stunned.

"You fucking idiot!" Jane shouted and banged the door open.

I had to crawl toward the opposite side to not get caught and then walk in a quick pace. I didn't know what happened next or if Mickey ran after her. I just needed to get away from the scene as far as I could.

As I was turning right, I bumped into someone. Since I was treading fast, the collision shook me, to the point that I lost balance. The

"Oh, dear, are you okay?"

Sister Carla's voice straightened my posture. "P-pleasant afternoon, Sister Carla. I-I'm sorry, I didn't notice—"

"It's okay, dear. It's okay," she assured me. "I passed by Iola. She said she's waiting for you. Was that the reason you were in a hurry?"

"Y-yes," I responded, clutching the notebook on my chest.

"You have to go then."

"Have a pleasant afternoon, Sister." I bowed and said my pleasantries, but Sister Carla called my name once again, so I paused.

She gave a gentle smile. "Iola's a loving lady, but your heart what it wants. Just don't get her hopes up, okay?" Then she left.

Not getting what she meant but still keeping her advice, I rushed toward the place where Iola's car parked. Her arms were already crossed, but she loosened as soon as she saw me.

"What, were you lost or something?" she worriedly asked, her forehead creased. "I thought something already happened."

Well, something happened. "I just met someone along the way and had a little chat. Let's go?"

Iola nodded and opened the door for me while mumbling about being hungry. Her driver told us he could recommend a café nearby, to which Iola agreed.

My eyes were closed as I thought about the conversation Mickey and Jane had. The fact that Jane knew one of Mickey's secrets was gut-wrenching, but I knew I shouldn't feel this way. Not now. I could not afford to develop romantic feelings nor be attached to anyone.