For a moment, I thought I had misheard him.
Not tonight.
The words felt unreal — like they didn't belong in the same world we had grown up in.
Lucian laughed once.
But there was no humor in it.
"You're joking."
Marcus Hale didn't smile.
"No."
The air between us tightened instantly.
Lucian stepped forward.
"No one's separating us."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the kind of intensity that made the nearby officers glance over.
Marcus remained completely still.
"I'm afraid that decision has already been made."
"By who?"
"People responsible for ensuring your safety."
Lucian's eyes flashed.
"My safety? Or your investigation?"
Silence answered that question.
And that silence made everything worse.
I stepped closer to Lucian.
"Maybe it's just for tonight," I said quickly, trying to calm the situation before it spiraled.
Lucian turned toward me slowly.
"You believe that?"
"I'm saying we don't know everything yet."
His stare sharpened.
"You always say that."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you trust them too easily."
That stung.
"I'm just trying to think clearly."
"And I'm trying to understand why everyone suddenly thinks I killed our parents."
"I don't think that!"
"But you told them I was under the car."
My chest tightened.
"Because you were saving the cat!"
Lucian shook his head slightly, frustration building fast now.
"You don't get it."
"Then explain it to me."
"They're building a story."
"That doesn't mean it's true."
"It doesn't matter if it's true."
Those words hit harder than anything he had said so far.
Because deep down…
I knew there was some truth in them.
Marcus watched the exchange quietly, not interrupting.
Lucian noticed that too.
"You're just standing there letting this happen," Lucian said to him.
"I'm following legal procedures."
"Legal procedures that separate two kids who just lost their parents?"
Marcus's expression remained controlled.
"This situation is more complex than you realize."
"Then explain it."
"That's not something I can do tonight."
Lucian exhaled sharply through his nose.
Of course it wasn't.
Nothing made sense tonight.
Nothing was being explained.
And the more the adults spoke in careful half-answers, the more it felt like the world was shifting under our feet.
Lucian turned back toward me again.
"You're really going with him."
It wasn't a question.
I hesitated.
And that hesitation was enough.
Something broke across Lucian's face — not anger exactly, but disappointment mixed with grief so raw it was hard to look at.
"I'm not choosing him," I said quickly.
"It looks like you are."
"What am I supposed to do? Fight everyone here?"
Lucian didn't answer.
But his eyes said yes.
I felt frustration rising now too.
"We just lost everything," I said. "Maybe we should think for a second instead of—"
"Instead of what?"
"Instead of making this worse."
Lucian stared at me like he didn't recognize me anymore.
"Worse?"
His voice lowered — dangerous now.
"They think I sabotaged the car."
"I know that's wrong."
"But you're still walking away."
"I'm not walking away from you."
"That's exactly what you're doing."
The words came out sharper than he intended.
But neither of us took them back.
The silence that followed felt heavier than anything before it.
Lucian looked at Marcus Hale again.
Then at the officers around us.
Then back at me.
And something inside him snapped.
"You think I did it, don't you?"
My breath caught.
"What? No."
"You hesitated."
"I didn't hesitate."
"You did."
"Lucian, stop."
His voice rose suddenly.
"You saw me under the car!"
"I know why you were there!"
"But you don't know what happened while I was under it!"
The accusation hit like a slap.
I stepped back slightly, stunned.
"You think I'd lie about that?"
"I think you don't want to believe something's wrong."
"That's not the same thing."
Lucian shook his head slowly.
Grief was twisting everything now — logic, memory, trust.
All of it breaking apart.
"I saved a cat," he said quietly. "And somehow I ended up being the suspect."
"You're not a suspect," I insisted.
Lucian looked past me toward the officers again.
Then back at me one last time.
"Watch how this ends."
Something cold settled in my chest.
"Lucian—"
But he was already stepping away.
An officer moved closer immediately, ready to guide him toward another vehicle waiting farther down the road.
Lucian didn't resist.
Not physically.
But as he walked past me, he said something under his breath.
Something only I could hear.
"You were supposed to believe me."
And just like that—
we were no longer standing on the same side.