The skinny guy also matched forward and attacked first. Valerie swiftly dodged his punch, grabbed his hand, and delivered an uppercut, hitting him once in the jaw and again in the nose.
Holding his arm firmly, she swung him down to the floor; the impact made him lose consciousness. The fight played out too quickly.
Valerie swept her hair back. “Who’s next? Don’t be a coward and come at me bastards.”
The remaining two scoffed, released Rhea, and drew their knives. Valerie smirked, gesturing for them to come with her fingers.
They both charged towards her at once, swinging their daggers at her.
Rhea couldn’t believe how fast Valerie was. And what was with the smirk on her face? It was as if Valerie was enjoying the dangerous fight.
Valerie twisted and broke one of the guy’s arms, his scream piercing the air. She bowed, dodging the second who tried to slash her from behind, kneeing the one in her grip several times until blood spilled from his lips. When he weakened in her hold, she smashed his head on the road.
The last one was disoriented; a few heavy kicks from Valerie did the job, and he collapsed to the floor.
Rhea was stunned; this would be the first time she’d seen Valerie fight. Damn, she was strong.
Valerie picked up Rhea’s phone and walked over to give it to her.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
“Huh?… No… no, I’m not hurt,” Rhea breathed.
“What are you doing here? This street is dangerous, especially at night,” Valerie scolded.
“I… I just came to see you?” Rhea stuttered. “I… I needed to talk to you.”
“You could have called! Do you have any idea what these guys would have done if I hadn’t come sooner?” Valerie questioned.
“Sorry,” Rhea muttered, averting her gaze to the floor.
Valerie sighed, taking Rhea by the hand, then grabbing the bag she had dropped. “Let’s get out of here first,” she said, leading her.
“Where are we going?”
“To my nana. I came to visit her… and perhaps after all of this, I’ll find Thane and fucking kill him for tracking me down and making you come find me here, especially at this time of day,” she muttered, walking down the street with her.
__
Washington
Nica’s gaze was fixed on the meal before her, but she remained frozen, overwhelmed by the fact that Vincent was sitting right across from her, chatting with Old Evan. The sound of her heart pounding in her chest made her feel dizzy.
She discreetly pressed her hand against her stomach. Would he consider it if she told him?
She had thought of doing this several times, but now that he was here, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
“This night was a mistake,” his earlier words echoed in her mind.
“Nica?” Vincent called, snapping her out of her trance.
“Huh?”
Vincent glanced down at her untouched meal. “You aren’t eating.”
“Oh… I…” She quickly picked up her spoon and began to eat slowly.
“You need to thank her for watching over me. She’s such a darling,” Old Evan said.
“Thanks, Nica, for taking care of this old man, even with his grumpy personality,” Vincent added, earning a playful hit from Old Evan.
“Punk,” the older man glared. “Do your parents know you’re back?”
Vincent took a sip of his tea. “No… I want to surprise them. Also, I came back for Klaus; he’s going through a lot right now. I’ve got exams, and I missed my family… so many things pulled me back home.” He turned to Old Evan. “I missed you too, old man.”
“Don’t tell me you plan to spend the night here again,” Old Evan said, raising an eyebrow.
“Can you not act so grumpy for once? What if I want to stay here? Will you kick me out?” Vincent shot back, blinking innocently.
“Let me boil some water for your skin; it needs to burn,” Old Evan said with a smirk.
“What?”
“I’m leaving,” Nica interjected, standing abruptly. They both turned to her. “I have a class…”
“It’s the weekend,” Vincent replied.
“It… it’s a private lesson… for the exam,” Nica lied, hurrying to the door.
Vincent’s lips twitched. “Is she alright?” he asked Old Evan, who was watching her leave. “What? No reply?”
Old Evan shut the door behind him, and Vincent sighed.
“Tsk, always so grumpy.”
–
New York
As Klaus and Morticia returned to the hospital, they spotted Katie first. Klaus’s mood shifted; he took Morticia’s hand and began leading her away.
“Klaus, I’m sorry,” Katie called out, causing him to halt.
During his childhood, Katie had been kind to him, just like Ava. But now, he barely recognized the woman who had betrayed his mother.
“Keep your distance. You don’t want to hear what I really want to say to you,” he warned, continuing to guide Morticia away.
Klaus noticed a doctor emerging from his mother’s ward and quickened his pace. “How’s she?” he asked, still holding Morticia tightly.
“She’s awake,” the doctor announced, and both Klaus and Morticia’s eyes widened.
They entered the room to find Josephine sitting up in bed, with Ava by her side.
“Mom,” he muttered, rushing to her side. “How are you feeling? Does anything hurt? Have you eaten?”
Josephine, taken aback by his barrage of questions, remained quiet. Was Klaus genuinely worried about her?
“She’s fine, Klaus. The doctor said she needs four to five days to rest before she can travel back,” Ava interjected, and Klaus nodded slightly.
“Sorry I yelled at you,” he said to Ava, who looked stunned. Her eyes flicked toward Morticia, whose gaze was fixed on Josephine.
What had her daughter done to Klaus?
The thought of Klaus and Morticia, was inexplicable
Klaus held Josephine’s hand tightly, and she noticed the fear lingering in his eyes.
“Are you not mad at me?” Josephine asked, her heart swelling at Klaus’s concern.
“Not at you, but at myself,” he mumbled.
She reached out to touch his hair gently. “I’m so sorry, Klaus. I didn’t want to be a burden, and I… I hate myself for not telling you.”
Klaus swallowed, averting his gaze to her hand. “How long?”
Josephine’s heart skipped a beat. She exchanged a worried look with Ava, who held her breath, the tension thick in the air.
“I found out about the illness last year,” she admitted.
“Last year?” Klaus frowned. “Was it the day you…?”
“The day I said the words I regret so much. Yes, that was when I found out,” Josephine’s voice trembled with emotion.
Klaus recalled the brown file she had held that day before their argument. Damn it.
“I thought pushing you away was the best thing, but I now realize how terrible that was,” she sniffed.
Klaus fought to control his emotions. The past didn’t matter anymore; he just wanted her to be okay.
“I worked in a factory when I was young and inhaled some chemicals that affected my brain. I had no idea. The doctor told me it caused the tumor, and it’s beyond what I can treat,” she explained and Klaus’s face turned paled.
No cure.
No, there had to be one.
He would find it-he’d search the whole world if he had to. He just needed time.
“How long do we have left?” Klaus asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Josephine stiffened while Ava struggled to keep her composure, suppressing the urge to cry.
“I… have a barely a month left,” she replied, and Klaus’s heart sank in shock.
Morticia’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
“What…?”