Chapter 27: 26.

Tiana's POV:

Our little getaway had been refreshing, but reality always had a way of pulling me back in. As I stood in front of the mirror, finishing up my makeup, I couldn’t help but smile at the memories of the trip. It hadn’t started perfectly, but it turned into something I would treasure forever.

The clock read 6:30 a.m., and I was already running through my mental checklist for the day. Papers to sign, students to address, teachers to support—it was going to be a busy one. I slipped on my heels, grabbed my bag, and headed to the kitchen, where the comforting smell of breakfast greeted me.

Ashantii stood at the counter, her laptop open as her fingers danced across the keys. She looked focused, but there was a certain calmness about her that grounded me. On the table, she had already set up breakfast—a plate of eggs, toast, and fruit, with a steaming mug of coffee waiting for me.

“Aw, babe, thank you,” I said, walking over to kiss her cheek.

She leaned into me with a smile. “You’ve got a big day ahead. I figured you could use a little extra love this morning.”

I laughed softly, the sound mixing with the hum of the kitchen. “You spoil me.”

“Always.”

As I made my way to the door, I called out, “I love you!”

“I love you more, my love!” she replied, giggling as I stepped outside.

---

The drive to work was uneventful, but the moment I walked into the school, everything shifted. Something was wrong.

The hallways, usually filled with the lively chatter of students and teachers, were eerily quiet. As I approached the main office, the air grew heavier, weighed down by an unshakable tension.

I stepped inside to find several of my staff members in tears. My receptionist, Ferida, was hunched over her desk, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed uncontrollably.

“Ferida?” I said gently, walking toward her. “What’s wrong?”

She looked up at me, her face pale and tear-streaked. “Ms. Jones is dead,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The words didn’t register at first. “What?” I asked, my chest tightening.

“She… she was murdered,” Ferida choked out, her eyes filling with fresh tears.

“Murdered?” My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to process what she was saying.

James, one of the teachers, stepped in when Ferida couldn’t continue. His expression was grim. “Her landlord found her a few days ago. She hadn’t been seen for a while, so he checked her apartment. That’s when he found her. They said it wasn’t natural causes—it was murder.”

The room spun for a moment as the weight of his words settled over me. Murder. Ms. Jones had been one of the most dedicated teachers I had ever worked with. She was kind, compassionate, and always had a smile for her students.

“Who would do something like that?” I whispered, my voice barely holding steady.

“I hope they catch the monster who did this,” Ferida said between sobs.

I nodded numbly, my mind racing.

But then, a memory surfaced.

I was Ms. Jones’s last call.

The thought sent a chill through me. I remembered speaking to her just a few days ago and just dropping the call.I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had missed something.What if she was asking me for help and I just shut her down?

And then, unbidden, a name crept into my mind.

Ashantii.

No. It couldn’t be.

She was unpredictable, sure. Emotional. Impulsive. But not a killer. She wasn’t capable of something like this.

Was she?

I shook the thought away, horrified with myself for even considering it. But the seed of doubt had been planted, and I couldn’t ignore the uneasy feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.

“Let’s focus on supporting each other,” I said, forcing myself to sound steady as I addressed my staff. “And I’ll do everything I can to make sure Ms. Jones gets the justice she deserves.”

But even as I spoke those words, my mind was elsewhere—back home, with Ashantii, and the nagging suspicion that I didn’t know everything I thought I did.