desertion

188

LYDIA

The words on the autopsy report blurred as I stared at them, my grip tightening around the folder.

Cause of Death: Natural Causes.

That was it. All of this-the accusations, the stress, the fractured trust-had been for nothing. The department had been wrong.

Officer Darden sighed beside me, rubbing a hand over his face. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

Mason scoffed from where he stood next to me, arms crossed tightly over his chest. "Yeah, no kidding."

I swallowed, my throat dry. There was only one thing left to do now-apologize to the 118. And somehow, that felt heavier than the mistake itself.

As we made our way to the firehouse, I could already feel the tension brewing, thick and suffocating.

********

Walking in, I immediately spotted them. Bobby, Buck, Chimney, Athena, and-of course-my dad. They stood near the trucks, deep in conversation, but the moment they saw us, the room fell into an eerie silence.

And because fate had a cruel sense of humor, Miles, Nathaniel, and Isabelle were there too. Again.

Officer Darden stepped forward, clearing his throat. "We got the autopsy report back," he said, voice steady but laced with something close to regret.

Nobody spoke.

"It was natural causes," he admitted. "The department was wrong. We owe you all an apology."

Bobby gave a slow nod, exchanging a look with Athena. "We understand," he said, though his voice carried the weight of everything that had happened.

For a second, I thought that might be it. That we could leave without another blow-up.

But then Miles scoffed.

I froze.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Miles muttered, crossing his arms. "You understand." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Mason tensed beside me, fists clenching at his sides. I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves.

I already knew what was coming, and honestly? I was too exhausted to stop it.

Miles turned his gaze on me, and the second our eyes met, I knew this wasn't going to end well.

"You know, Lydia, I used to think you were actually smart," he said, his tone cutting. "But here you are, standing with them. Again. Taking orders like some brainwashed little cop-in-training."

I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Miles, don't-" Nathaniel started, but Miles ignored him.

"What happened to you, Lydia?" he pressed, stepping closer. "You used to actually care about doing the right thing. Now? You're just their little pet. A puppet."

I forced myself to keep my expression blank, even as the words cut deeper than I wanted to admit.

Mason, however, had enough.

"Watch your damn mouth," Mason snapped, stepping into Miles' space.

Miles smirked. "Oh, look. Here comes the attack dog."

Mason shoved him, hard. "I said shut the hell up."

Miles stumbled but quickly regained his footing, shoving Mason right back. "Or what? You gonna hit me? Go ahead, Mason. Prove me right."

"Miles, stop it," Isabelle pleaded, but he was locked in now, focused.

"You wanna know what's really pathetic?" Miles spat, voice sharp as a blade. "This little thing between you two. This sad excuse of a relationship."

I felt my stomach drop.

Miles laughed bitterly. "Mason's just a rebound, isn't he, Lydia? A temporary fix because you can't stand being alone. You need someone, don't you?"

Mason's jaw clenched so hard I thought his teeth might crack.

"You don't know a damn thing about us," Mason growled.

"Oh, but I do," Miles shot back, eyes flashing. "I know how you work, Lydia. You cling to people. You suck them dry, and when you're done? You throw them away. Just like you did with me."

Mason lunged.

Officer Darden was fast, stepping in and gripping Mason's arm before he could throw a punch. "Enough," he barked. "He's not worth it, kid."

Miles smirked, clearly satisfied.

I exhaled shakily, my whole body numb. But before we could leave, Miles turned back to me.

"I'm not done," he snapped, stepping closer.

I didn't react, just kept my expression neutral. "What else do you want to say, Miles?"

"You really wanna know?" he laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Fine. I want to know how the hell you can stand there, pretending like none of this affects you. Pretending like you don't ruin everything you touch."

I felt Mason stiffen beside me, but I spoke before he could. "I'm not pretending anything," I said evenly. "You're the only one still dragging this out."

Miles' expression darkened. "Dragging this out? You ruined me, Lydia. And now you're gonna ruin Mason too."

Mason stepped between us, his chest almost colliding with Miles'. "Back the hell off."

Miles didn't back off. Instead, he grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my skin as he glared down at me. "Say it," he demanded. "Say that you don't use people. Say that Mason isn't just another mistake waiting to happen."

Before I could respond, Mason shoved him back-hard.

"Don't touch her," Mason snapped, his voice low and dangerous.

Miles stumbled but didn't let up. "Wow, Mason. That protective instinct kicking in, huh? What, you think she actually gives a damn about you? You're just another name on her list of people she'll throw away when she gets bored."

Mason lunged again, but this time, Officer Darden was quicker. He yanked Mason back, holding him in place. "I said enough." He turned to Miles, his expression sharp. "Walk away. Now."

Miles glared at him for a long moment before finally scoffing. "Whatever," he muttered, shoving past Mason. "Not worth my time anyway."

Officer Darden shot Mason a warning look before leading him down the stairs and out of the station.

The room was eerily silent.

And then, all at once, everyone's eyes were on me.

I stood there awkwardly, my arms wrapped tightly around myself.

Then, without a word, I sighed and hurried after Mason.

********

Mason didn't look at me.

Didn't say a word.

His hands were clenched at his sides, his breathing uneven.

I knew he was frustrated-with Miles, with himself, maybe even with me. And I didn't blame him.

But I couldn't handle another argument. Not right now.

So instead, I buried myself in the file in my hands, flipping through pages I'd already read a hundred times.

And as much as I wanted to pretend otherwise, I felt sick to my stomach.

Because Miles' words were still echoing in my head.

And the worst part?

A part of me wondered if he was right.