a phoenix in the fire » fillie

chapter 26 ↝ doe-eyed pretty little thing

WHAT CAN YOU SAY WHEN YOUR DAUGHTER MIRACULOUSLY COMES BACK FROM THE DEAD?

"She looks into the camera like she's on The Office," Gaten whispered, looking at Finn. "Why are you dating her again?"

"We broke up, Gaten," Finn murmured.

It was a week after the first leak as M had proclaimed it. Now, it was a simple waiting game. Honestly, Finn was okay with the leaks. If it revealed who Millie truly was, he needed to know. Millie wasn't who she said she was, and it was becoming a problem.

She was sitting on a stool, dressed in all white. Sadie made a gesture for her to turn around. Millie sighed and shuffled around. Sadie peered through her camera again.

"What even happened?" Gaten questioned, raising his eyebrow uncertainly.

"She didn't tell me she was dating Romeo," Finn sullenly said. His shoulders drooped. Finn had thought about running away, but he wasn't Millie. He didn't run away from his problems like she did. Finn would never stoop to her level.

"And?" Gaten asked as if there was more to the story. There wasn't more to it. Millie was with Romeo romantically, and she didn't tell him. Never once did it seem to cross her mind.

"And?" Finn asked, confused.

"That's it? She just didn't tell you who she dated?" Gaten didn't understand it at all. How could such a tiny thing rule Finn and Millie's relationship? It shouldn't have.

"Yeah. She didn't tell me."

"Seriously?" Gaten asked. Disappointment oozed from that one single word like it was a blistering wound. It was a blistering wound. Millie thought she could keep hiding and placing a bandaid on something that needed stitches. Now, here they were, the wound was infected. It was so infected that medicine possibly couldn't save it.

"Yeah, seriously."

"You're going to let that girl get away? Have you seen Millie? She's amazing. She came back to you. She could've left you and never came back, but she did come back. Why would you push her away? She needs you, Finnster," Gaten made clear. He had to help Millie.

"No, she doesn't. She came back for her own agenda, not ours," Finn argued. It couldn't be true, for if it was, he had just thrown away the one good thing in his life.

"I can't make you see the truth, but she's suffering, Finn. She needs you. Look at her." Gaten subtly pointed at Millie. She was standing in front of the stool. She had tears in her eyes.

"She doesn't need me," Finn whispered.

"Aw, Millster," Sadie gushed. She hurriedly placed her camera in its bag, lunged forward, and pulled Millie into a hug. Millie froze for a second. Without hesitation, the tears fell.

"I'm so sorry," Millie sobbed. They held on tightly to each other. Sadie rubbed Millie's head and whispered soothingly to her. It was too quiet for the two boys to hear.

"She needs you," Gaten repeated.

"She needs me," Finn finally admitted, "and I ruined it. I ruined something good."

"No, Fin-" Finn's phone rang, and he checked it. Blanching, he glanced at Gaten. "What is it?" Gaten asked. "What is it?"

Silently, Finn handed him the phone. A picture of Gaten with Romeo was shown. They were sitting at a coffee table. A woman sat with them, but her back was to the camera. An accompanying text read, "Leak #2. No excuses, no more lies. Seems all of you are in desperate need of the truth. XOXO, M."