Shadows of Revenge

12. Building Trust and Suspicion

As the laughter faded and Nam and Kate left the restaurant, Becky found herself alone with Freen. The air between them felt different now, heavier, as if the unspoken tension had finally made itself known. Freen seemed calm on the outside, but Becky noticed the slight stiffness in her posture, the way her eyes avoided direct contact.

They walked toward the car in silence, and as they settled inside, Becky's mind was racing. Questions, so many questions, but she wasn't sure where to start. She glanced at Freen, who was staring straight ahead, her hands gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. Becky swallowed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What was your relationship with Sarah?"

Freen's head jerked slightly at the question, but she didn't look at Becky. Instead, she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, her eyes fixed on the road. "Why does that matter now?" she asked, her voice flat.

Becky frowned. "It matters because you lied about it. Back there, in the restaurant. Nam and Kate might not know, but I'm not blind. You're not just someone who's mourning a friend. There's more to this, to you... to Sarah."

Freen's jaw clenched. Becky could see the tension in the lines of her face, but she pressed on.

"You didn't just lose someone you knew, did you? Sarah was more than that to you. So why lie about it? Why hide it?"

Freen exhaled sharply, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. She took a moment before responding, her voice lower, almost like she was speaking more to herself than to Becky. "I didn't lie. I just... I don't bring her up because I've mourned enough. I'm trying to move on."

"Move on?" Becky repeated, her tone incredulous. "You still don't know who killed her, Freen. How can you move on from that? You were there, right? When it happened. You loved her, didn't you?"

Freen finally glanced at Becky, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you think, Becky? What do you think it feels like to watch someone you love die and not be able to do a damn thing about it?"

The weight of her words hung in the air. Becky opened her mouth to respond but found herself at a loss. She had her own guilt to carry from that night, but she wasn't ready to face it yet. Not in front of Freen. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I don't know what it's like," Becky admitted, her eyes dropping to her hands. "But I can tell you're still carrying that night with you. You say you've mourned, but the way you talk about Sarah... I don't think you've let go."

Freen's lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't want to let go of her. But at the same time, I can't live in the past anymore. I've spent too long digging, searching for who killed her, for answers that never come. And in the meantime, my life is passing me by. I'm done with that."

Becky's chest tightened at the rawness in Freen's voice. There was so much more to Freen than she had realized. She wasn't just the hardened, guarded person she presented to the world. Beneath that exterior was someone grieving deeply, someone afraid to open up again. And Becky understood that more than she wanted to admit.

"What about John?" Becky asked after a pause, trying to steer the conversation away from the emotional precipice it was teetering on. "You were investigating him too, right? Sarah's death and John's disappearance—there's a connection."

Freen exhaled slowly, her gaze focused on the road ahead. "I don't know. Maybe. But it's a dead end. Everyone who could know anything is either gone or too afraid to talk. And the ones who aren't... well, they're part of a world you don't want to get involved with."

Becky's brow furrowed. "I'm already involved, Freen. Whether you like it or not."

Freen let out a bitter laugh. "You don't get it, Becky. This isn't just some case you can solve by asking the right questions. These people, they don't care about justice or closure. They care about power. And if you keep digging, you'll end up like Sarah."

Becky's stomach churned at the thought, but something in her refused to back down. "I can't just walk away from this."

"Why not?" Freen snapped, her voice rising. "What are you even trying to prove? That you can figure out what happened? That you can save me? You're not some hero, Becky. You're just like the rest of us—stuck in a mess you can't clean up."

Becky flinched at the sharpness of Freen's words. "I'm not trying to be a hero. I'm trying to understand. I'm trying to understand you, Freen. I—" She cut herself off, her throat tightening. She wanted to say more, to admit how she was starting to feel for Freen, but the guilt was too much. How could she tell her now, knowing what she'd been hiding?

Freen shook her head, her voice softer now, almost resigned. "You want to know about me and Sarah? Fine. We were in love. I've never loved anyone the way I loved her. She was everything to me. And then she was gone. Murdered. Right in front of me. I couldn't protect her. I couldn't save her. And now, every time I look at you..." She trailed off, her gaze flicking to Becky briefly, pain etched into her features.

Becky's heart skipped a beat. "What? What do you see when you look at me?"

Freen's hands tightened on the wheel again, and she shook her head. "I see her. I see the same determination, the same fire in your eyes that she had. And it scares the hell out of me, Becky. Because I know how this ends. I know what happens when you get too close."

Becky stared at her, the weight of Freen's confession settling in her chest like a stone. She didn't know what to say, how to comfort her. All she knew was that the more she learned about Freen and Sarah, the more complicated her feelings became. She wasn't just falling for Freen—she was falling into a web of grief, guilt, and secrets that she didn't know how to untangle.

"I'm not Sarah, Freen," Becky said softly, her voice trembling slightly. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Freen's lips twitched into a sad smile, but her eyes held a mix of fear and longing. "I don't know if I can believe that, Becky. Not after everything."

They drove in silence after that, the tension thick in the air. Becky's mind was racing, her guilt over that night battling with the growing feelings she had for Freen. And Freen... she was clearly torn between wanting to protect herself from more pain and the undeniable connection she was starting to feel with Becky.

Neither of them knew where this was headed, but one thing was certain—their lives were more entangled now than ever before.

........