"Hey," Malcolm says gently.
Alex's gaze sweeps over me quickly. "You're out."
Finn closes the door behind me. "She came over."
There's a beat where no one says why.
I swallow hard and force my face into something neutral. "Hi. Sorry. I just—needed a minute."
Finn gestures toward the couch. "Sit. You want water? Tea? Anything?"
"I'm fine," I say automatically.
Malcolm's eyes narrow slightly—not unkind, just perceptive. "You're not fine."
My breath catches. "I'm—"
"Vee," Malcolm says, still gentle, "we can tell something's wrong."
The words should be simple. Comforting.
Instead they hit the crack in me like a hammer.
My throat tightens so fast I can't breathe properly. The pressure that's been building all day surges up at once, and before I can stop it, tears spill down my cheeks.
I clamp a hand over my mouth, mortified.
Finn is there immediately, guiding me down onto the couch, sitting close without crowding. "Hey, hey. It's alright."
I try to pull myself together. I wipe my face with my sleeve like a child and take a shaky breath.
But once it starts, it doesn't stop.
"It was the zoo," I choke out, the words tumbling over each other. "They—Chase came. He—he's an investigator. And he brought the footage."
Malcolm sits forward. Alex's posture sharpens.
"Footage," Finn repeats, voice careful.
I nod rapidly, tears still sliding. "They made us watch it. In the living room. Everyone was there and Marie—she—" My voice breaks. "She climbed over. She climbed over the railing and threw herself in."
Silence slams down.
Malcolm's face hardens, shock and anger flickering across his features. Finn's eyes widen, his mouth parting slightly. Alex's jaw clenches.
I wipe my face again, breathing hard. "And Ragon—he—he dragged me. He punished me for it. Like I did it."
My chest hurts. My voice shakes.
"He grabbed me like I was—like I was nothing. Like I was dangerous. Like I deserved it."
My words keep spewing out. I tell them everything through broken sighs and sobs. The punishment. The way Ragon looked at me like I was nothing as he ruined my nest. The fact that I don't want another nest now. That a part of me died that night.
Finn's hand slides to my shoulder, steady.
"And today," I whisper, "he saw it. He saw the video. He looked at me like he was horrified—like he finally understood."
My laugh comes out wrong, cracked and wet. "And then Marie went into heat right there. Right after. Like the universe was punishing me for thinking I might get one second of justice."
