Chapter 856

“Keira, what are you doing here?” Demi looked stunned to see me, but there was a flicker of excitement in her expression. Her hair was cropped short, and the prison uniform she wore was a stark contrast to the vibrant girl I used to know. But her eyes—bright and determined—were different. Stronger.

Seeing her like this stirred a strange mix of relief and sadness in me. She had avenged herself, yes, but at a cost so high it could never be undone.

“I came to see you. What, am I not welcome?” I teased lightly, trying to keep the mood up.

“Yeah, and what are you even doing here? This isn’t good for the baby,” she said, catching me off guard.

She knew?

“It’s fine. My baby will be proud to have such a brave friend,” I said softly. Then, after a pause, “I’ve spoken to a lawyer. I’m going to fight for the lightest sentence I can get you.”

Demi shook her head. “Keira, it’s okay. I’m doing fine here. In here, everyone’s equal—no ranks, no games. It’s not like the outside world, where people are divided into winners and losers.”

Her calm acceptance surprised me. I’d worried she’d spiral, but she seemed to be holding herself together better than I expected.

“Even so,” I said firmly, “you have to fight to get out. We’ve got big plans waiting for us, and you’ll always be the best Demi to me.”

She wasn’t fighting because she thought her old life was gone forever. But with me? She didn’t have to worry about being judged.

Demi froze, her eyes glistening. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here standing, breathing, living.”

“Then stay strong,” I said, my voice steady. “I’ll always have your back.”

I didn’t know why life seemed to rip the people I loved away from me—some left for good, and others were dragged into the chaos. But no matter how cursed I felt, I wasn’t giving up. I would hold on to the people who mattered.

Demi nodded, her resolve clear. “Alright. I promise.”

“That’s the Demi I know,” I said with a smile.

Chapter 856

Her expression shifted suddenly, hesitation creeping in. “Keira, have you seen Tanya?”

Tanya—who had caused so much pain—was here too. She’d sent word asking to see me, but I hadn’t gone yet.

“Not yet. Why?” I asked, knowing Demi wouldn’t bring her up without a reason.

“Can you meet her?” Demi’s request caught me off guard.

“Sure. Do you want me to tell her something?”

Demi hesitated for a moment. “There’s a girl. Tanya has her. She’s being held somewhere, do, but she hasn’t been sent away yet. I don’t know where she is. Can you find out? If you can, you bring her to me?”

A girl? Who was she to Demi?

I didn’t press her for details. Instead, I just held her gaze, waiting.

Demi seemed to understand and added, “That girl came to Lindale looking for me. I couldn’t contact her back then, and she ended up at a bar where Tanya tricked her. After that, she disappeared.”

Lindale. The city where Demi had been hiding from her debts.

“Keira, please. You have to ask Tanya,” Demi said, her voice breaking slightly.

“Alright. I’ll talk to her and see what I can find out,” I promised.

When I left Demi, I went straight to see Tanya. Her condition was worlds apart from Demi’s. Tanya looked completely wrecked—defeated, broken.