15/02/2025
*Shadowed Justice* Story by Tate
(27681634598)
*Chapter 4: A Shoulder to Lean On*
The hospital smelled of antiseptic and exhaustion. Tari sat stiffly in the waiting area, her arms wrapped around herself as if that alone could hold her together.
Claire was inside, hooked up to machines, her tiny chest rising and falling in that slow, fragile way that always left Tari terrified. The doctors had said she was stable, for now, but that word meant nothing to her anymore. Stable could change in an instant. Stable had failed her before.
She rubbed her temples, exhaustion weighing her down like bricks. This wasn’t the first time she sat in a hospital waiting room with her heart clenched in fear. It wasn’t even the tenth. And yet, it never got easier.
A part of her still expected to be alone in these moments. She was used to it. Used to the endless cycle of emergency calls, rushing to hospitals, fighting back tears because she had no choice but to be strong.
But tonight… Kudzi was here.
She risked a glance at him. He hadn’t left her side since they arrived. He sat beside her, elbows on his knees, watching her the way someone watches a person standing too close to the edge of a cliff. Like he was ready to catch her if she fell.
She exhaled shakily, staring at the floor.
Tari: (Softly.) “You didn’t have to stay.”
Kudzi: (Calmly.) “And yet, I’m here.”
Something in his voice made her throat tighten.
A nurse walked past, and for a split second, she thought about her mother. How she used to sit in hospital corridors just like this, holding her tiny hand, whispering that everything would be okay.
But her mother was gone now.
And Tari had learned the hard way that sometimes, things weren’t okay.
Kudzi shifted slightly beside her.
Kudzi: “Can I ask you something?”
She didn’t answer, but he continued anyway.
Kudzi: “How long have you been doing this alone?”
She let out a humorless chuckle, rubbing her temples.
Tari: “Feels like forever.”
She shouldn’t have said that. She was supposed to act like she had everything under control. But for some reason, with Kudzi, the words just spilled out.
Kudzi: (Gently.) “Where’s her father?”
That question.
The one she had heard a hundred times. The one that always made her stomach turn.
She went still.
Tari: (Flatly.) “Gone.”
She expected more questions. Expected him to ask what happened, why he left, if he even cared. But Kudzi just nodded, accepting her answer without pushing.
And for some reason, that made her want to say more.
She inhaled sharply, staring at the blinking light above them, as if looking at Kudzi would make her lose her nerve.
Tari: (Softly.) “He left before she was even born. Said he wasn’t ready to be a father. And I wasn’t going to beg him to stay.”
She turned to Kudzi, almost daring him to judge her.
But there was no judgment in his eyes. Just quiet understanding.
Kudzi: “His loss.”
Tari blinked, caught off guard. That was it? No pity? No ‘I’m sorry you went through that’?
Just two words;his loss.
Her throat ached.
She had spent years carrying this story like a wound, expecting people to either pity her or blame her for not fighting harder for the father of her child. But Kudzi didn’t react like them. He simply saw her for what she was, a woman who had done what she had to do.
She let out a small, bitter laugh, shaking her head.
Tari: “I thought I could do it all on my own. That I had to. But…” (Her voice breaks.) “I’m tired.”
She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. The words escaped before she could stop them.
Kudzi leaned back, studying her, his voice quiet but firm.
Kudzi: “You’re strong, Tari.”
She let out a broken laugh.
Tari: (Whispers.) “I don’t feel strong.”
She clenched her fists, trying to hold back the emotion rising in her chest. But Kudzi had this way of seeing past her defenses, past the brave face she wore like armor. And suddenly, the weight of it all became unbearable.
Tears burned at the back of her eyes.
Tari: (Whispers.) “I don’t know if I can keep doing this.”
Kudzi turned fully to face her, his expression unreadable.
Kudzi: “You don’t have to do it alone.”
She looked at him then, really looked at him.
His words were dangerous.
Because she had spent years convincing herself that she did have to do it alone. That she couldn’t afford to need anyone.
But here was Kudzi, sitting beside her, offering something she hadn’t let herself believe in for a long time, support.
The tears spilled before she could stop them. She quickly looked away, ashamed. She belived nobody could understand her pain without being judged.
Kudzi didn’t hesitate. He reached over, his fingers lightly brushing hers. He did it with so much sincerity and concern.
Not demanding. Not forcing. Just… there.
And somehow, that simple touch did what words never could.
It made her believe, even if just for a moment, that maybe, just maybe, she didn’t have to carry the world alone anymore.
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Chapter 5: The Past Always Haunts Us; Tari finally opens up about the heartbreak that made her so guarded.
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*Shadowed Justice*
Story by Tate
(27681643598)
*Chapter 5: The Past Always Haunts Us*
The hospital had settled into an eerie quiet, the kind that only came in the dead of night. The occasional beeping of machines and the distant murmur of nurses filled the silence, but in the waiting room, it was just Tari and Kudzi.
Claire was resting now. The doctor had assured Tari that she was stable and would be discharged in the morning. But Tari didn’t feel relieved. She felt drained, like a balloon that had slowly lost all its air.
Kudzi was still beside her, not saying much. Just there. And for some reason, that made it harder to ignore the emotions swirling inside her.
She sighed, rubbing her temples.
Tari: (Softly.) “You really don’t give up, do you?”
Kudzi: (Shrugs.) “Nope.”
A small, tired smile ghosted across her lips. He had been patient with her. Too patient. And a part of her knew, if she wanted him to stop caring, she had to push him away.
But another part of her… didn’t want him to stop.
She exhaled sharply, staring at her lap.
Tari: (Quietly.) “I wasn’t always like this.”
Kudzi: (Gently.) “Like what?”
She hesitated before answering.
Tari: “Closed off. Distrusting. Exhausted.”
Kudzi didn’t speak, just waited. And for the first time in years, Tari found herself wanting to talk. Really talk.
She laced her fingers together, as if holding on to something invisible.
Tari: “I loved him, you know? Claire's ’s father.”
Kudzi’s jaw tensed slightly, but he didn’t interrupt.
Tari: “We were young. In love. Or at least, I thought we were. He made me believe in forever.” (She lets out a bitter chuckle.) “Until forever ended.”
She took a shaky breath, her mind pulling her back to the night everything changed.
---------------------------------
Five Years Ago
She had been glowing, excited, heart racing with nervous anticipation. She was pregnant. She was going to tell Brian, the man she had loved for two years; the father of her child.
But Brian’s reaction wasn’t what she expected.
Brian: (Staring at her, voice cold.) “You’re keeping it?”
Tari had blinked, her heart sinking.
Tari: (Swallowing hard.) “Of course I am. Brian, this is our baby.”
His expression hardened, and that was when she knew, before he even spoke.
Brian: (Flatly.) “I can’t do this.”
Tari: (Voice cracking.) “What do you mean?”
Brian: (Avoiding her gaze.) “I’m not ready for this, Tari. I have my whole life ahead of me. I can’t be a father.”
The air had left her lungs.
Tari: (Whispers.) “You have a choice?”
Brian’s jaw clenched.
Brian: “You do too.”
Her stomach twisted.
Tari: (Voice shaking.) “You’re asking me to…”
She couldn’t even say it.
Brian didn’t either. He just stood there, silent. And that silence had been louder than any words he could’ve spoken.
Tari had walked away that night, her heart shattered, her future rewritten in an instant.
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Present Day
Tari let out a shaky breath, gripping the armrest of the chair like it was the only thing keeping her grounded.
Tari: “He left. Just like that. Like I was nothing. Like she was nothing.”
Kudzi’s hands curled into fists.
Kudzi: (Low voice.) “He’s a coward.”
Tari swallowed hard.
Tari: “I had to become strong. I had to figure everything out alone. And after that, I promised myself, I’d never depend on anyone again.”
She looked up at Kudzi then, eyes glistening.
Tari: “Because when you need people, they leave.”
A thick silence stretched between them.
Kudzi’s gaze softened, and when he spoke, his voice was steady.
Kudzi: “Not everyone leaves, Tari.”
She wanted to believe him.
But she didn’t know how.
She turned away, blinking back the tears threatening to fall.
Tari: (Whispers.) “You say that now.”
Kudzi studied her for a long moment, then did something that caught her completely off guard.
He reached out, gently tucking a stray curly braid behind her ear.
Kudzi: (Softly.) “I don’t say things I don’t mean.”
Tari’s breath hitched. Her heart betrayed her, beating a little too fast.
This was dangerous. He was dangerous. Not in the way that hurt, but in the way that made her want to believe.
And that was something she wasn’t sure she was ready for.
She looked away.
Tari: (Quietly.) “Claire needs me. That’s all that matters.”
Kudzi: (Nods.) “I know. But who takes care of you?”
Her throat tightened.
She had no answer.
Because for the longest time… the answer had been no one.
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What’s Next?
Chapter 6: A Confession Left Unsaid; Kudzi wants to tell Tari how he feels, but she pulls away.
Chapter 7: Lines Blurred, A moment of vulnerability leads to something unexpected between them.
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