Brax opened the door to the Braxton house. He yanked his tie lose and stumbled to the kitchen.
He rested his hands on the sink and hung his head.
Marco appeared at the door. He sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand, and stumbled in. His eyes were red raw.
Brax threw a glance over his shoulder, noticing him. He took a deep breath and swept his arm across the counter, sending plates, bowls and glasses crashing to the floor.
He let out a wounded roar.
"Did you know?" Marco mumbled from behind him.
Brax did a double take. He turned around with a thundering look on his face. His cheeks were wet.
"What?"
Marco's jaw tensed. He emphasised every word, his body trembling. "Did you know?"
Brax shook his head. "Are you kidding me?" He said, remaining calm.
Marco's face remained stern. His glare fixed.
Brax scoffed. He grabbed the edges of the table and thrust it onto its side with a crash. His face burned with anger. "Mate, do you think that if I had Casey would be on trial right now?! Don't you think I would've killed him the first chance I got!"
Marco strode towards him. "You shoulda known." He spat. "You shoulda done something. This is your fault."
Brax stepped to him. He pointed to the door. "Get the hell out before you say something you'll regret."
Marco shoved him. "I'm not the one with regrets, Brax. You brought me into the boys when I was twelve years old and you told you'd kill me if I didn't protect her. But back then, before I even set foot in Mangrove River, it was your job not mine." His voice shook. "And you failed her."
Brax grabbed him and thrust him against the wall. He raised a trembling fist.
Marco fidgeted in his grasp. "Go on. Do it."
Brax's face burned bright red, sweat ran down his face. His whole body shook uncontrollably. After a moment, he released his grip.
Marco slumped against the wall.
Brax took a step back. He crouched and buried his head in his hands.
Marco wiped his face and moved past Brax, towards the door. "I'm done, Brax. With the boys, with all of it.... I'm done."
Brax glanced up.
But he was gone.
Ada sat on the fence at the top of the cliff, looking out at the waves that rippled through the water below. The sun was setting. The wind blew her hair away from her face.
The sound of footsteps made her glance up.
Kyle stood by the side of her. His tie was pulled loose and his hands rested in his pockets. "I've been looking for you for hours."
"Is it over?"
"For today, the prosecution rested early."
Ada looked away, back towards the ocean.
Kyle perched on the fence next to her.
The wind rattled past them.
She took a deep breath of the sea air. "It's weird isn't it? You look out there, the ocean looks the same, you wouldn't know anything's changed."
"No one knew?" He asked softly.
"Nah."
"How did you deal with this on your own for so long?"
