༄ "GOOD morning."

Sam smiled back at Minho. "Morning." And moved even closer to him, feeling the heat coming off his bare chest.

Last night, he'd been careful and respectful and literally everything, which she might've dropped a few tears at when they cleaned up in the shower, also because he'd freaking cleaned the sheets, made her that shower, washed her hair and body in that shower, said good night by kissing her a million times and saying I love you, gave her clothes she was comfortable in, and cuddled her to sleep.

Honestly, that had been better than the actual moment before all of that.

His arms tightened around her. "You okay?"

She nodded. "I am. Are you?"

"Better than ever," he confirmed, smiling so brightly his eyes squinted and the dimples appeared. Sam smiled at just that.

"So, today..." She let go of a breath. "Your talk with Dad, maybe?"

Funny how when she spoke about her father, it was Dad but when it was about her mother, it was my mother.

"If possible, yes." Minho nodded. "Thanks, Sammy."

She nodded back at him, her smile fading a small bit at her next question, "But if you have to talk to him...?" A pause in which neither of them spoke. "Have things been getting worse? Are you really oka—"

"I've only got something important to tell him. And thank him for his help," the boy told her. "Don't worry. I'm okay."

"Okay." Her heartbeat calmed again.

❤︎︎

The same night Minho spoke to Sahil, her parents were yelling.

After a good five minutes, Sam walked downstairs to hear what it was even about, and listened in the hallway just when they seemed to calm down a bit.

"Honey, please just listen—"

"I told you I didn't do it! Sahil, how could you believe him over me? I'd truly never do that. I may not always be that nice, but I'm not that cruel either."

"I'd love to believe you. But Edith, Sam spoke to me a few times and I'm concerned. Minho mentioned your behavior a few times too and we can't go through dinner without having arguments. We've talked about this before and all of these acts are affecting even Jeff."

A frustrated sigh. "Samira and I don't always get along, I know. I will admit that. But please don't believe a boy who's own parents couldn't even afford to love him, over your wife."

Her breathing hitched in her throat. A boy who's own parents couldn't even afford to love him.

She never went in detail about Minho's parents.

He said he didn't see them much. That they weren't home much.

But nothing else.

How often did he really see his parents?

"Honey, this is what I mean. You cannot base someone else off things like that. And I know you're my wife, but after everything, I can't just ignore both Sam and Minho's calls."

"Sahil—"

"Every time I try to talk to you, you're suddenly busy. The last time we kissed, was I don't even know how long ago. We're not... in a healthy relationship, Edith. We haven't been since Sam started elementary school."

"You're right." Another sigh. "It's her fault. Look, I'll go talk—"

"Her fault?"

Sam bit her lip, swallowing that hurt away.

"This is what I mean. You're favoriting Jeff over Sam without shame. You're blaming her for things. You're constantly starting arguments and apparently, you've told her you only love her because you have to, and not because you like her. Sam told me you blamed her for the club fire, and a lot more. That's she's a mistake? A failure? Edith, come on. I love my kids equally. I love them more than anything in this world,

"and if things keep going like this, I will choose them. I can't know if what Minho said is true. It's too unbelievable and horrible to be true, but if I find out that it is true..."

A long pause. Sam's breathing got taken away, and she bit her lip even harder from anxiety.

"...I will also go for a divorce immediately. I don't even care. I wouldn't even care about any circumstances. I'd vote for a divorce no matter how healthy our relationship was before, or how much I loved you, because trying to drive your daughter and her boyfriend into death is too insane for words."

Slowly, Sam's mouth fell open. Her father's words repeated in her mind a few times.

Then,
Minho? Do you know who was in that car?
I don't.

Did you see the car?
I didn't.

She could see when he was lying.

Hey, random, but do you think I could speak to your dad again soon?

He had to tell him something important.

Tears filled her eyes at this shock. Her mother might've been cruel but she wasn't that cruel. She wasn't the one horning at them. She wouldn't send Sam, her daughter, into death.

"Don't believe that boy over me, Sahil. I've got nothing to do with it!"

I didn't see the car, Sam. It disappeared straight after we fell.

"Then tell me where you were that night," he urged, tone full of emotion but still unreadable. "That's all I need to know. Tell me where you were."

The silence was too long.

"Edith—"

Sobs started coming and Sam closed her eyes at the sound.

"Edith, tell me the truth. I don't want to see your tears of sorrow. I need an explanation."

"I'm sorry—" a hiccup "—I have no idea what got through my mind and I swear if I could go back in time, I would, and I didn't mean for it to happen or—"

"You were horning until it drove Minho crazy and risked my child's life because of it!"

Sam got shivers everywhere. This was something different. Her own mother tried to kill her. Maybe she didn't have that intention, but she did do it. And then she blamed Minho for it.

A tear fell down her cheek as she buried her head in her hands, controlling a cry from coming out. Her ears apart from the real world; she could no longer hear what her parents were saying.

You were horning until it drove Minho crazy and risked my daughter's life because of it!

Don't believe that boy over me, Sahil. I've got nothing to do with it!

Her breathing staggered. But if I find out that it is true... I will also go for a divorce immediately.

When the door opened, she felt even crazier.

"Samira—"
"Sam—"

A hand on her shoulder, which she shook off. Her chest filled with pain, and didn't allow oxygen through.

"Please don't cry—"
"You weren't meant to hear that—"

"I'm fine," she murmured, and rushed up the stairs, where she stormed into Jeff's room and hugged her brother tighter than she'd done in years.

"What's this fo— Samir, you alright?"

Her sobs turned louder by the second. Shaking her head, she hiccuped through her words.
"M-Minho saw the car and recognized it was... was— it was Mom, and Dad says he's going for a divorce if that statement is true and she just confirmed it is but I don't want him to divorce her just because of the crash because he'll get hurt and I should've agreed with Thomas when he said the rain was dangerous because this would've never happened and Dad wouldn't have to through this pain and he said their relationship hadn't been healthy since I joined elementary school, which was the first time Mom and I—"

"Breathe." He stopped her before she suffocated in her own words. Carefully, Jeff sat his sister down on his bed and grabbed both of her hands.

He was so calm she was nearly jealous, but too upset to notice.

"Sam, calm down, please," he whispered. "We'll worry about all that... drama later. Try to calm down."

"Jeff—"

"Shh. Not now." He gave her a soft smile before getting off the bed and grabbing a small bottle that stood on his desk. That, he put in a glass of water next to his bed. "Here. Try this."

Her hands were shaking so heavily that she nearly dropped the glass. "W-what is it?"

"Something calming I made with herbs. Doctor crap, remember?" He smiled. "Come on. Drink up. I promise it's not poisoned."

Carefully, she took a few sips. Minutes later, she already felt her body relax. She breathed at a normal pace, and slowly, her thoughts organized.

"You're gonna be a master doctor," she murmured after finishing the whole glass. "Thank you, Jeff."

"Anything," he said, just like Minho often did. "Now tell me everything, please. From beginning to start."