05/03/2025
Shadowed Justice
Story by Tate (27681634598)
Chapter 6: A Past That Won’t Stay Buried
The universe had a twisted sense of humor.
Just when Tari thought she was starting to breathe again, to feel again—he came back.
Brian.
It started with a text.
Brian: “Tari. We need to talk.”
She stared at the screen, her fingers frozen over the keyboard.
After five years of silence, of nothing but ghosts and wounds he left behind, he suddenly needed to talk?
She should have ignored him. Deleted the message. Blocked the number.
But she didn’t.
Because deep down, there was a part of her that still wanted answers.
And that part terrified her.
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Later That Day (A Meeting with Ghosts)
She agreed to meet him at a small café in town, a place far enough from home that it wouldn’t feel like an invasion.
Kudzi had asked where she was going, but she brushed it off. She couldn’t tell him, not yet. Not until she knew what this was.
Now, sitting at the corner table, she watched as Brian walked in, looking almost exactly the same as he had five years ago.
Except now… she wasn’t the same girl.
He sat down across from her, eyes searching hers.
Brian: (Softly.) “You look good.”
She didn’t answer.
Because she wasn’t here for pleasantries.
Tari: (Flatly.) “Say what you need to say.”
Brian sighed, rubbing his hands together like he was gathering courage.
Brian: “I was a coward.”
She blinked, not expecting him to admit it so easily.
Brian: (Looking away.) “I should have stayed. I should have been there for you… for her.”
Her fingers tightened around her cup.
Tari: (Sharply.) “You don’t get to say that now.”
He flinched but nodded.
Brian: “I know. But I want to fix it.”
She laughed. A bitter, humorless sound.
Tari: “Fix it? Brian, there is no fixing this.”
He leaned forward, his voice desperate.
Brian: “I want to be in Claire’s life.”
The words slammed into her like a punch to the gut.
Tari: (Coldly.) “No.”
Brian’s jaw tightened.
Brian: “She’s my daughter too.”
That sent a wave of fury crashing through her.
She stood up abruptly, leaning over the table, her voice low and shaking.
Tari: “No. She stopped being your daughter the day you walked away.”
His expression darkened.
Brian: “Tari, I have rights.”
Her breath hitched.
He wouldn’t.
He couldn’t.
Could he?
She grabbed her bag, stepping away from the table.
Tari: (Whispers.) “Stay away from us.”
And then she walked out.
But as she stepped into the street, her hands were trembling.
Because she knew Brian.
And something in his eyes told her…
This wasn’t over.
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What’s Next?
Chapter 7: Cracks in the Wall; Tari is shaken, and Kudzi notices. When he finds out about Brian, tensions explode.
Chapter 8: A Battle for the Past – Brian isn’t backing down, and Tari is forced to prepare for a fight she never wanted.
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Shadowed Justice
Story by Tate(27681634598)
Chapter 7: Cracks in the Wall
Tari barely made it home before the panic set in.
Her hands trembled as she unlocked the door, her breath coming too fast, too shallow. She could still hear Brian’s voice in her head,cold, certain.
"I have rights."
Her stomach twisted violently.
What if he tried to take Claire from her?
The very idea made her want to scream.
"Mommy?"
Tari snapped back to the present, looking down to see Claire standing in the hallway, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
She forced a smile.
Tari: (Softly.) "Hey, baby. You okay?"
Claire nodded, then frowned.
Claire: "You’re shaking."
Tari looked down at her hands. She hadn’t even noticed.
Before she could say anything, there was a knock at the door.
A sharp, insistent knock.
Her breath hitched.
No.
No, it couldn't be.
She walked slowly, her heart hammering as she opened the door.
Kudzi stood there, brows furrowed, concern etched deep into his face.
Kudzi: (Gently.) "Tari. What’s wrong?"
For a second, she considered lying.
She considered forcing another empty smile and pretending everything was fine.
But then Kudzi stepped inside, reaching out and brushing a thumb against her cheek, only then did she realize she was crying.
His eyes darkened.
Kudzi: (Low voice.) "Who did this?"
She swallowed hard.
Tari: (Whispers.) "Brian."
The shift in Kudzi was instant. His entire body tensed, his jaw locking, his hands balling into fists at his sides.
Kudzi: (Dangerously calm.) "What did he do?"
She exhaled shakily.
Tari: "He wants to be in Claire’s life. He says he has rights."
For a moment, Kudzi didn’t move.
Then, suddenly, he turned, moving toward the door.
Tari’s eyes widened.
Tari: (Alarmed.) "Kudzi, no!"
He stopped, his back still to her, his fists trembling.
Kudzi: (Low, controlled anger.) "You think he can just walk back in after five years? After everything?"
Tari stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm.
Tari: (Whispers.) "I know. But fighting him like this won’t help."
Kudzi turned, looking at her, his eyes filled with barely restrained fury.
Kudzi: "What are you going to do?"
She didn’t know.
She didn’t have an answer.
And that scared her more than anything.
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Meanwhile – Brian’s Next Move
Brian sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.
Tari thought she could shut him out?
That she could keep his daughter away from him?
Not this time.
He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
A smooth voice answered on the other end.
Lawyer: "Mr. Chikafa, how can I help you?"
Brian’s lips curled into a smirk.
Brian: "I need to know my legal rights as a father."
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
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