Bonita opened the door to her room, stepped inside with Star, and closed it behind them. The moment the latch clicked, she broke down again.
"Star, please… forgive me. I hated you. I framed you. I slandered you on purpose. Please, from the bottom of my heart—I'm sorry. I want my mom back," Bonita sobbed, her voice cracking under the weight of guilt.
Star stood frozen, stunned. Confused. Lost.
"Your mom? What happened to her?" she asked gently.
"No… no, she's fine. Just… not with me," Bonita murmured, then sat down heavily on the bed. The truth spilled out of her like a flood—about the plan to kill Star, why Tiffanie abandoned her, and how she recently learned that her real father was Kefas.
"I think… maybe all of this crashed down on me because I hated you. Because I never asked for forgiveness. Please, Star. I beg you. In the name of God…" Bonita's voice shook with emotion, tears rolling freely down her cheeks.
Star's heart softened. She reached for Bonita's hand.
"Boni… I said it before, and I'll say it again. I forgave you a long time ago. Please don't cry. If your mom is meant to return to your life, she will. But you've got to let go of the guilt."
"She's all I have," Bonita whispered. "I don't have a brother, I don't have a sister. Just Mandume… and he's not even really my brother. Our lives are built on lies."
"No," Star said, squeezing her hand. "You do have a brother and a sister. Mendu will always be your brother—maybe not by blood, but by heart. And I will be your sister… if you'll accept me. Family isn't always about blood, Boni. Sometimes it's about love. Trust. Loyalty. Not betrayal. Not secrets. And certainly not hate."
Bonita wept harder.
"My mom… it's like she's possessed. Star, I swear, she was never like this."
"Just like you once thought I was in your way—and dared to kill me…" Star said, but Bonita cut in quickly.
"No, please! Don't remind me. I gave up that hatred. Please forgive me!"
"I have," Star said softly. "But your mother… maybe she has her reasons for the way she's been. Hiding truths, acting cold. We never truly know what storms people walk through."
"I'm not used to this, Star. It feels like a horror movie I can't wake up from. My dad left, now mom's acting like a stranger, and Kefas… it's too much to digest."
"I get it," Star said, nodding. "I just found out after 20 years that the man I called 'Dad' isn't my real father. But the care he gave me, the bond we shared—even when he turned wolf—it taught me something: family is who chooses you. He chose me. And that's why I still consider him my dad."
Bonita stared at her, deeply moved.
"You're so calm. So… wise. I don't know why I hated you. I just told you all these horrible things, and here you are—preaching love."
"This life is too short to hold grudges," Star said simply.
Bonita had no words. She nodded, then threw her arms around Star.
"Don't worry. Things will get better. And your father… he'll come back," Star whispered.
"I'm sorry I dumped all this on you," Bonita said.
"It's okay. Maybe now, you can go talk to Tiffanie?"
Bonita paused. "No… I don't need to anymore. You're right here."
Star blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I was going to apologize to the wrong person. Tiffanie was the only one I was open with, but now… you're on that list too. Please, Star—be my friend. Share everything with me. Do what best friends do."
Star smiled—but inside, her suspicions deepened. Still, she played it smart.
"Yeah… best friends."
But deep down, she thought, You won't find what you're looking for, Boni. I'll save Mandume's father, no matter what. But becoming your friend… might just be my biggest mistake.
Bonita sensed a strange shift in Star's energy but brushed it off.
"It's fine. I don't want to force anything."
"No, it's fine," Star said with a brighter tone. "Best friends, right? Now, forget everything that's happened these past days. Forgive yourself. Live a little."
She hugged Bonita again.
"I feel so loved," Bonita sniffled. "That's, like, five hugs from you today."
"Hugs bring hearts closer," Star said. "It's how you feel what someone else is carrying. That's why I hugged you earlier in the kitchen. Even during arguments, a hug can do magic."
"You're a genius," Bonita said, giggling as she poked Star.
"I know, right?" Star laughed too.
In that moment, they became friends—or at least, something that looked like it.
Bonita walked to her dresser and picked up a framed portrait.
"This is my dad," she said, showing it to Star. "Sometimes I just want to pull him out of the frame and beg him to come back. I thought I needed Mom more, but… I can't handle the way she's acting now."
"He looks like Mandume. Same poliosis," Star observed.
"Yeah, Mendu's hair is something else. I wish I had hair like his," Bonita said, smiling briefly before her expression fell again.
"What is it now?" Star asked.
"I just… don't know how he'll react if he finds out I'm not his sister."
"You're not responsible for that, Boni. Your mother is. Just be yourself. Don't change around him. He's your brother in all the ways that matter."
"Still… I feel like I'm betraying him. He's smart. He always suspects things. What if he figures it out?"
"Then be normal. Pretend nothing's changed. Just stay calm. Everything will work out."
Bonita took a deep breath. "Okay. I believe you."
They both laughed softly—two girls wrapped in secrets, standing in the wreckage of their truths.