EZRA
I sat there, still picking at my food, even though my appetite had long disappeared. The moment Malachai and Elvis stepped out of the room, their voices escalated from hushed whispers to full-blown shouting. My heart clenched, my stomach twisting with unease. Malachai's voice carried through the walls, sharp with frustration.
"You just didn't have to bring up that conversation near Ezra! Now you made me act like I don't care. You know I care about her. She's family!"
Her? Family? My grip tightened on the spoon. Malachai had always been protective of me, always made me feel like I was the only one who mattered. But now… was there someone else? Someone important enough for him to yell at his own brother about?
Elvis scoffed. "Oh, so now you want to act righteous? Malachai, you've been hiding this for too long. I won't sit back and watch you lie to him."
"I'm not lying to him," Malachai growled. "I was going to tell him….."
"When?! When it was too late?" Elvis cut in, his voice dripping with anger. "You think he won't find out? And when he does, do you really think he'll trust you anymore?"
My chest tightened. What the hell were they talking about? Was Malachai hiding something from me? I barely realized my fingers had clenched into fists in my lap.
"Ezra doesn't need to know everything," Malachai bit out. "Not now."
"Not now?" Elvis echoed, laughing bitterly. "She's pregnant, Malachai! Does that mean nothing to you?"
My breath hitched. Pregnant? My mind reeled, the words hitting me like a slap. Who was pregnant? And why did Malachai sound so… guilty?
"Elvis, shut the fuck up!" Malachai barked. "You're making this sound like…."
"Like what?" Elvis shot back. "Like you abandoned her?"
The silence that followed was deafening. My pulse pounded in my ears, my hands trembling against my lap. Was that it? Malachai abandoned someone? Someone carrying a child? My vision blurred slightly as a sinking feeling settled in my gut.
"Enough," Malachai finally muttered. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about."
"Oh, I know exactly what I'm talking about," Elvis snapped. "You just don't want to admit it."
A loud smack echoed through the hallway, followed by a sharp inhale. I flinched at the sound.
Elvis had slapped Malachai.
"Don't hit me again," Malachai warned, his voice dangerously low. "I swear to God…."
"Or what?" Elvis taunted. "You'll kill me like you killed him?"
The air in the room turned suffocating. My head spun with too many questions, too many implications. Malachai had killed someone? And what did that have to do with this mysterious pregnant woman?
"Elvis," Malachai's voice dropped into something dark and dangerous, "you need to shut up before you say something you'll regret."
"Or before I say something you'll regret?" Elvis countered.
I barely realized I was gripping the sheets, my body trembling. The conversation was spiraling into something I wasn't sure I wanted to hear, but I couldn't ignore the way my heart ached. Malachai had secrets. And now, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to know them.