Mia had always loved coming home, even just for a weekend visit. Their family residence in the heart of Bangkok was warm and lively, always filled with the smells of her mother's cooking and the familiar laughter of her brothers and relatives. But that night, something felt different. Something weighty lingered in the air, though she couldn't pinpoint it.
She sat at the dining table with her family, her parents conversing about their day, her younger sister moaning about school, and her cousin Tee sitting across from her, uncharacteristically quiet. Tee was her closest cousin—more like a brother than anything else. They had grown up together, shared secrets, argued like siblings, and made up just as swiftly.
Mia had always believed that Tee was a wonderful guy.
But the instant his phone rang, her world transformed.
She wasn't even paying much attention at first. The sound of clinking plates and casual banter filled the room, but then she saw it.
The number on Tee's phone screen
Mia's breath caught in her throat. She had seen that number before. Not just once or twice, but several times in the past.
It was Tyler.
Her body tightened, her grasp tightening around her spoon as she saw Tee's reaction. His expression flickered—just for a second—before he hastily jumped up and excused himself from the table.
Mia's heartbeat pounded in her ears as she watched him stroll out of the dining room, phone held to his ear. Without a second thought, she laid her utensils down, scarcely catching her mother's puzzled expression, and followed him.
She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was instinct, maybe it was suspicion, or maybe she already knew deep down that she was about to hear something she didn't want to hear.
She strolled into the hallway and silently followed Tee to the backyard, where he sat against the garden railing, phone still glued to his ear. Mia held her breath and kept herself hidden behind the doorway, listening.
"Don't let anyone find out what we did."
Tyler's voice was sharp, almost demanding. Mia's stomach twisted.
"I already told you, I'm feeling guilty about it." Tee's voice was soft, trembling even. "I don't know how the guy—Arthur—will deal with this when he finds out…"
Mia felt her whole body freeze.
The world around her disappeared. The crickets in the yard, the distant laughing from the dining room, the humid night air—none of it existed anymore.
Arthur.
They were discussing Arthur.
Her thoughts raced, piecing together the possibilities. Tee and Tyler had done something to Arthur, something horrible enough that Tee felt guilty. Something dangerous enough that Tyler was urging him to be silent.
Mia didn't even realize she had moved until the phone ended and Tee turned, only to see her standing there, tears spilling in her wide, bewildered eyes.
"M-Mia? His voice cracked with panic.
She took a step forward, rage, uncertainty, and betrayal all churning in her chest. "Tell me I didn't just hear what I think I did."
Tee paled. "Mia, I—"
"Tell me you didn't help Tyler frame Arthur." Her voice trembled on the last word.
Tee's quiet was enough of a response.
Mia felt like the ground under her had been ripped away.
"Oh my God," she gasped, her hands shaking. "You… You knew. You were part of it."
Tee took a desperate stride toward her. "Mia, please, I didn't mean it to go this far. Tyler told me it was only a harmless plan—just to screw with Arthur and Nick a little. I didn't know things would get this bad." I had no idea he was connected to you.
Mia let out a strangled laugh, one laced with disbelief and anguish. "Harmless? Harmless?! You shattered someone's life! You helped Tyler wreck Arthur and Nick's romance! Do you even grasp what you've done?! "
Tee flinched. "I do! I swear, I do! That's why I feel guilty, Mia! I I want to mend it, but if anyone finds out, I may be arrested! "
Mia's chest ached. She couldn't resist the tears that slipped down her face.
She had spent months defending Tee whenever Pim had unpleasant things to say about him. She had always assumed he was different from the rest of their rich relatives. But now…
Now he was the reason Arthur had endured.
Now he was the reason Nick had spiraled.
Now he was part of the reason everything had come apart.
"How could you? she whispered.
Tee swallowed hard, remorse clear in his eyes. "I was stupid, Mia. I let Tyler manipulate me. He told me Arthur he wanted to prank Arthur, I trusted him at first… but then I understood the truth too late. Arthur isn't a bad guy. He never was."
Mia turned away, attempting to breathe past the smothering weight in her chest.
"You have to tell them the truth," she continued, her voice shaking. "You owe it to Arthur and Nick."
Tee grasped her wrist desperately. "No, please, Mia! If you tell them, I'll be finished. Pim will never forgive me. I don't even know what Arthur will do." His voice broke. "I'll lose everything."
Mia snatched her hand away. "Arthur lost everything because of you!
Tee flinched as if she had punched him.
She took a long breath, attempting to stabilize herself, but it wasn't easy. She felt like she was suffocating. Her relative had been part of the conspiracy that devastated Arthur's life, and she had been blind to it.
She was broken
That was the only term to describe what she felt.
Torn between her allegiance to her family and her loyalty to her friends
Her heart wrenched as she gazed at Tee—the cousin she had loved like a brother all her life. The boy who had once held her hand when she cried, who had shielded her from school bullies, who had spent summers with her sneaking into movies they were too young to watch.
But suddenly, this was the truth.
This was who he had become.
Mia wiped at her tears frantically. "You don't get to beg for my silence, Tee. You don't deserve that."
He looked at her with utter desperation. "Please… I'll do anything, Mia, anything but that."
Mia looked away, swallowing back a sob. "I need time," she choked out. "I need time to figure out what to do. I don't know whether I can look at you right now."
Tee's countenance crumpled, but he didn't stop her as she walked away.
Mia's heart beat as she stepped back into the house. The warmth and laughter from earlier felt remote now, like a bitter illusion.
She made her way to her childhood bedroom and shut the door behind her, pushing her back against it as the sobbing finally erupted.
She felt nauseous.
She felt guilty.
She felt stuck.
Because no matter what she did, someone she loved would get injured.
And she didn't know how to live with that.