Her promise

A purpose

Grief did not arrive silently.

It did not settle quietly inside her. Instead, it crashed into her life, screaming every day, every hour and every minute in her head, turning memories into knives stabbing through her heart and mind.

Mornings were the worst.

They would all start the same and those first few seconds she could not remember instantly what happened were the biggest ache because, the next moment, the merciful reality would kick every part of her being with its fist of cruelty.

Samantha was gone. Forever. The apartment across town was empty. Her phone would never light up with her sister's name on it. Never again.

Selena stood by the kitchen window, holding onto the coffee cup, watching Chicago wake up. It moved as if nothing happened. Cars honked. People hurried. Life continued.

But, she did not know how to do the same. Will she ever be able?

Steven came in first, barefoot, wrapped in one of Selena's robes.

"I have decided."

Selena turned around and looked at him with a questionable look in her eyes.

"That grief looks better with good lightning. We need more lamps."

His voice raspy with sleep.

Selena huffed softly. It was not a laugh, but it was something to begin with.

Judith came in moments later. Hair in a messy bun, face bare, directing her sharp and observant eyes towards Selena.

"You did not sleep."

Selena shrugged. She knew that wasn't a question.

"I rested."

Judith took a deep breath before speaking to her.

"That is not the same thing."

Nothing was the same anymore.

They gathered around the kitchen table, cups between them. Steven scrolled through his phone while Judith watched Selena carefully, waiting for her to speak because she knew her best. There was much more left to say.

"I keep thinking about her."

Selena finally said.

"About what she was doing. Why was she so scared?

Steven looked up, placing the phone on the kitchen table.

"You mean...the name."

"Yes."

Judith leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Roberto Moretti."

That name felt even heavier now, and it felt more real.

"I can't just sit here and grieve forever without answers. I just knew she was onto something and someone didn't want her to finish."

Steven sighed dramatically.

"You are going to get us all murdered, aren't you?"

Judith shot a glance at him.

"Be serious."

Steven rolled his eyes.

"I am serious, and I am also just gorgeous."

Selena looked at the two of them. These two had seen her at her worst long before this. High school heartbreaks. Family fights. Late nights fueled by depression and cheap wine. They were her constants.

"I want to go to New York."

Silence.

Judith's eyes widened and then narrowed, thinking. Steven's jaw dropped.

"New York? As in New York, New York?"

"Yes."

Judith tilted her head.

"Why New York?"

Selena hesitated for a moment.

"Because that is where his American headquarters are. Roberto Moretti owns an international advertising company. Major offices in Milan and New York."

Steven worked his magic across the mobile screen.

"Confirmed. Offices in Manhattan. Very sleek, very expensive."

Selena nodded.

"I was thinking maybe I could apply for a position there. Investigative journalism background. Corporate communications. Internal media."

Judith couldn't hide the surprise on her face and in her voice.

You want to work for the man you think might be connected to your sister's death."

"Yes."

Steven smiled slowly, nodding in approval.

"Oh, I love a morally questionable career movement."

Selena hesitated for a moment.

"I was planning to go alone."

"No."

Judith's commanding voice sliced the thick air in the room. Steven nodded.

"Absolutely not."

Selena frowned, getting up from the chair.

"Guys-"

"You are not."

Judith cut her off, emphasizing every word.

"Running off to New York all alone, emotionally unstable, chasing a powerful CEO with a questionable past."

Steven nodded again, supporting Judith's words.

"Besides, if anyone is going to charm their way in, it would be me."

Selena sighed heavily, still not approving their idea.

"You are a writer."

"Yes."

Steven agreed.

"A brilliant one. Brand storytelling. Creative direction. Campaign development. Please, I was born for advertising."

Judith smirked.

"And I am strategy, analytics, crisis communication. Every company needs someone who knows how to spin chaos into profit."

Selena starred at them, trying to suppress the tears that were threatening to come out.

"You'd leave Chicago because of me?"

She asked them quietly.

Steven's expression softened.

"We left worse places than this."

Judith nodded, looking at her with tenderness.

"We didn't survive the system just to let you face something like this all alone."

That was the thing about Steven and Judith. They had grown up together. Same foster homes, same instability. By the time Selena met them in high school, they were already unit. She hadn't replaced the bond, she just folded into it.

"You don't have to."

Selena whispered.

"But we want to and we will."

Steven replied, placing his hand on hers, giving her a reassuring smile.

Judith leaned forward with a spark in her eyes.

"So let's talk logistics."

They spent the next hours researching. He was easy to find if you knew where to look for. Business articles, interviews, industry awards. An image of intelligence, restraint and power.

Selena studied his photos longer than she meant to. Dark hair, controlled expression, eyes that gave nothing. But, it was weird. All the things she thought she would feel when she saw his face for the first time, like anger and hate, never happened. Instead, something twisted in her stomach and her first thought was how devilishly handsome he was.

"He doesn't look like a killer."

She murmured, trying to understand what was happening.

"Neither do most of them."

Judith replied coldly.

"Steven pointed at the screen.

"But, I have to admit that he is one of the best looking specimens of our species."

Selena swallowed the dumpling, furrowing her brows.

"Steven, please. Stop with your horny comments. Yes, he is hot as hell, but remember why we are here. Now let's go to the positions."

Steven rolled his eyes, but he pointed his finger at Selena.

"Selena—investigative journalist turned corporate communications specialist, internal reporting, executive support."

Judith nodded.

"Me—data analysis, PR strategy, crisis management."

Steven grinned.

"And me—creative director, content development, branding. I will flirt with capitalism until it loves me."

Selena smiled. For the first time since Samantha's death, the fog in her mind shifted. This wasn't revenge. Not yet.

It was proximity and proximity that led to truth.

As evening fell, Selena returned to the window. Somewhere out there, answers waited.

And for the first time since the rain-soaked night shattered her world into a million pieces, she felt something new alongside the grief.

A purpose.