𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮, 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠

𝟎𝟏𝟓

Chapter 15
Bonus Chapter
One Year Later

Kehlani sat on the cold, hard bench of her cell, the rough concrete walls closing in around her. The dim light flickered above, casting long shadows that seemed to dance in tune with her turbulent thoughts.

In her hands, she clutched a crinkled photograph, its edges worn and frayed from being handled too many times. The image was of Gina, her smile radiant and full of life, a stark contrast to the dreary surroundings Kehlani found herself in.

Kehlani traced Gina's features with her thumb, the memory of her touch hauntingly vivid, yet painfully out of reach. The reality of Gina's absence gnawed at her, a relentless ache that no amount of tears could soothe.

She had held onto hope for so long—hope that Gina would walk through those prison doors, hope that she would hear her voice, feel her warmth. But now, sitting in the suffocating silence of her cell, Kehlani had to face the bitter truth that had been looming over her for months.

Gina was gone.

The finality of it settled deep in her bones, a cold, heavy weight that made it hard to breathe. She had lost Gina—not just to the world outside these walls, but to something far more permanent. There would be no letters, no visits, no whispers of love through the glass partition. Gina had vanished from her life, leaving behind only memories and a single photograph, now crumpled in her hands.

Kehlani felt the tears well up, but she fought them back, her jaw tightening with the effort. She had cried too much already, and tears wouldn't bring Gina back. She knew that now, knew it in a way that made her heart feel like it was shattering all over again.

For a long time, she sat there, staring at the picture, lost in the past. The dreams they had shared, the plans they had made—they all seemed so distant now, like echoes of another life. A life where they were together, where the world made sense. But that life was gone, just like Gina.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Kehlani finally let the photograph slip from her fingers, watching as it fluttered to the ground. She closed her eyes, trying to hold on to the image of Gina in her mind, but even that was starting to fade, just like everything else.

It was time to let go. Time to accept that Gina wasn't coming back. And as that realization settled into her soul, Kehlani felt a part of herself break away, drifting into the void where Gina had once been.

"Get up! You have a visitor." A guard barked at her, his loud and unnecessarily aggressive as he unlocked her cell sliding the door to the side. Immediately being chained up and taken to the visitor's room.

The visitor's room was nothing much glamorous to look at. The plain white with light tan stains on some parts. The floor, a boring blueish-green color waxed to perfection. There was one raggedy vending machine that was half empty. It was Kehlani's first time being in there. Her eyes wandered around taking in the bland room till they landed on a familiar figure. Niko.

He turned around at the sound of chains being dragged against the floor. Kehlani nearly broke down into tears when she saw Niko feeling happy and sad all at once. She held her composure and masked her feelings with a weak smile.

A very empathic smile formed on Niko's lips seeing his friend for the first time in a year still in disbelief that Kehlani was in prison for a murder charge and an accessory to murder. The guard uncuffed Kehlani allowing her to move freely.

"Long time no see," Niko said. The last time they saw each other was during Kehlani's trial. Kehlani softly chuckled. Immediately pulling him into a tight hug.