Kelly arrived at Nicole's house, worry written all over her face. Their aunt wasn't home—she had something important to attend to.
"How's Nicky, Jonathan?" Kenjie asked.
Jonathan let out a long sigh. "Her fever went down… but she keeps reliving the nightmare."
Kenjie nodded quietly.
Kelly crossed her arms. "So what will you do now, Jonathan?"
"You always choose violence," Jonathan muttered, shaking his head.
"I'm not joking," Kelly shot back. "Are you really going to let what happened to your sister pass just like that?"
Jonathan sighed deeply. "…Tomorrow. I'll talk to him."
"Kelly, don't give Joel the wrong impression," Kenjie said as he ruffled her hair.
She didn't respond, only tightened her fists.
"I can't forgive him if he did it on purpose. He doesn't even know how Nicole is coping with that nightmare!"
"Kelly, we don't know the full truth yet. Calm down," Kenjie said gently.
"How can I calm down? She's my cousin!"
"She's my cousin too," he reminded her. "I understand how you feel. But we also need to ask Melissa."
Melissa was still upstairs calming Nicole, so they waited.
Eventually, Melissa came downstairs, exhausted.
"Meli, how is she?" Kenjie asked.
"She's sleeping now… but she keeps having those nightmares." Melissa sat heavily beside them.
"Melissa, can you tell us what really happened?" Jonathan asked.
She nodded and told them everything she knew. They listened in absolute silence.
Jonathan sighed. "I see. And yes—I remember, tomorrow's the school magazine deadline. That's why he was so stressed."
"That's still no excuse to hurt Nicky," Kelly muttered.
"Meli, are you sure she didn't leave her tumbler on Joel's desk?" Kenjie asked.
Melissa shook her head. "Brother, if Nicky doesn't have her tumbler with her, it's always inside her bag."
Kenjie frowned. "Strange…"
"Brother?" Kelly pressed.
"Jonathan, what do you think?" Kenjie asked.
"I don't know," Jonathan answered. "But if this was a setup—just like what happened to Melissa before—there's only one person that comes to mind."
Dawn… Kelly thought immediately.
"We can't decide anything yet," Jonathan said.
"Who else could do something like that?" Kelly asked sharply.
"Kelly, we're not pointing fingers," Kenjie warned.
"Brother, who else would I blame? They already did this to Melissa before."
Jonathan sighed. "Kelly. Let me handle it."
She fell silent, though anger simmered in her eyes.
Suddenly, a scream echoed through the house.
They froze.
Then Jonathan sprinted upstairs, everyone else following close behind.
Nicole's sobs filled the hallway.
When they entered her room, she was twisting in her blankets—another nightmare.
She's having one again, Kelly thought miserably.
"Brother…" Nicole whimpered, reaching out blindly.
"Nicky, I'm here," Jonathan whispered as he hugged her tightly. "You're safe. You're safe. I've got you."
Kelly stepped back and quietly left the room, her heart aching.
She wandered into the storage room.
Not everything was thrown away after all…Her gaze landed on a small cabinet tucked into the corner.
My cousin cried inside this room once, she thought bitterly.
"Kelly."Kenjie gently pulled her arm. "Don't touch that."
"I'll stay here for a bit," she whispered.
"I know you're worried." He exhaled softly. "Fine—I'll stay with you too. Besides, my sisters are here."
"Thank you, brother," she murmured.
He smiled and ruffled her hair. "I'll help Melissa with dinner. Stay here."
She nodded.
Later, she returned to Nicole's room.
Jonathan was still sitting beside his sister, watching her with protective eyes.
Kelly tapped his shoulder. "What did Tita say?"
"She needs to see her psychiatrist. For her meds."
Kelly sighed deeply. "She was so happy after our dance competition. She looked so bright…"
"I know," Jonathan said. "She'll be okay. She's strong. I believe in her."
Kelly nodded. "She won't go to school tomorrow, right? Not until her psychiatrist allows?"
Jonathan nodded again. "Why does she have to go through this?" His hands tightened into fists.
Kelly rested a hand on his shoulder. "We can't show her we're shaken. It'll weigh on her."
"I know." Jonathan forced a small smile and ruffled her hair. "You really are soft-hearted when it comes to your cousins."
Kelly raised a brow. "Of course. I only ever had you guys on my side."
"Ah… before that whole mess happened with Kevin," Jonathan murmured.
Kelly didn't respond."Let's go. Let her rest."
"Yeah."
They went downstairs. Kenjie and Melissa were preparing food in the kitchen.
"Sorry for barging into your kitchen," Kenjie laughed.
"No problem," Jonathan replied. "Consider it payback for babysitting Kelly back then."
Kelly elbowed him. He only chuckled.
"Thanks for looking after my siblings, Jonathan," Kenjie said. "Don't worry—Kevin will take care of her eventually. But until then, she'll keep bothering you."
"Brother!" Kelly turned red. "Stop that!"
"Being defensive again, huh?" he teased.
Kelly rolled her eyes and tried to help in the kitchen.
"Nope. Go back to the living room," Jonathan said, pushing her lightly. "Just wash the dishes later."
"You're so mean. I just wanted to help."
Melissa peeked at her. "Ate, come here."
Kelly walked over—and saw Melissa preparing cookie dough.
"You still know how to do this, right?" Melissa asked.
Kelly nodded.
Melissa chuckled. "I remember when you baked cookies and cake for Kevin before. Did he like it?" Jonathan teased.
Kelly immediately flushed. She glared at him as the boys burst into laughter.
Such teasers… she thought, sulking.
She focused on baking with Melissa, but her gaze kept drifting upstairs.
"Sis," Melissa said gently, "I know you're worried. Let's bake extra cookies. I'm sure Nicole will love them."
Kelly sighed softly… and nodded.