Chapter 25
ELENA
G rayson's voice was calm, but there was something tentative in it when he said, "I think that's perfect too."
He glanced at Mom, then added, "I'd love for Meredith to meet you once she's discharged… but I'm not sure how you'll feel after the treatment."
My stomach twisted.
"Treatment?" Mom asked, her brow furrowing.
Grayson nodded, his hands folded in front of him like he was trying to stay composed. The silver threading through his dark hair caught the harsh hospital lighting, making him look both distinguished and vulnerable at the same time.
"It's already paid for. Experimental, but promising. The least I could do, considering Elena saved my sister. Our sister."
That word— our —hit me like a punch to the chest.
I wouldn't have thought it could carry so much weight, and yet it did.
Grayson stood before me, offering salvation when I'd all but lost hope.
"We've already contacted the best doctors," Grayson said, his voice steady but gentle as he turned to me. "If your mom agrees, we can transfer her to Ironstone tonight. The specialists are waiting, and Leo's made all the arrangements. Everything's taken care of."
My mouth opened, but no sound came out. The words stuck in my throat, trapped behind the lump that had formed there. This man, my brother, was offering the one thing I couldn't provide. A chance for my mother.
I hadn't even had to ask.
I looked at Mom. Her thin face was gaunt from months of illness, her once vibrant eyes dulled by pain medications and resignation. But something flickered there now—a spark I hadn't seen in weeks.
Her lips trembled. "You would do that? For us?"
"Of course," Grayson said simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "You're family."
And then I broke.
The sob tore out of me before I could stop it, ripping through my carefully constructed walls. Months of fear and anger and desperation crashed over me like a tidal wave. I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to hold back the flood, but it was too late.
"Thank you," I choked, stepping into Grayson's arms like I'd done it a hundred times before.
He held me tight, warm and solid, his cologne smelling faintly of sandalwood and something distinctly masculine. His arms wrapped around me with a familiarity that felt impossible—we were strangers, yet somehow not.
"We've got a lot of catching up to do," he whispered against my hair.
I felt Jackson's eyes on us from across the room. Ivy stood beside my mother's bed, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Grayson pulled back gently, his hands resting on my shoulders. "I'll give you some space. I want to get back to Meredith, but we'll be back soon—unless the transfer happens first. Jackson will keep you updated."
He gave Mom a soft smile, nodded at Ivy, and then he was gone, leaving behind a vacuum of emotion that threatened to pull me under.
Ivy, my mom, and me all exchanged stunned looks, and then, the three of us just... cried.
Ivy's arms wrapped around Mom from one side, mine from the other. We held her like we could keep her here longer if we just didn't let go. The beeping of the monitors provided a steady rhythm to our tears, a mechanical heartbeat counting precious seconds.
"I can't believe this is happening," Mom whispered, her voice thin but tinged with wonder. "After all these years..."
I stroked her hair, unable to form words. What could I say? There were no words for this moment.
We stayed like that until Mom's eyelids started to droop, the emotional exhaustion taking its toll on her weakened body.
Jackson stepped in quietly from where he'd been standing guard by the door, his voice low. "They're prepping for the transfer tonight. Ironstone's ready."
I nodded, numb and grateful and terrified all at once. The world had tilted on its axis, and I was still struggling to find my footing.
"You should get some air," Mom murmured, patting my hand. "I'm just going to rest until they come."
I kissed her forehead, inhaling the familiar scent of her—hospital antiseptic couldn't quite mask the honey lotion she'd used for as long as I could remember. "I'll be back soon."
We needed food. Air. Something normal to anchor us in this surreal new reality.
So we went to a little diner down the street, the kind with cracked vinyl booths and the smell of burnt coffee. The normalcy of it was jarring after everything that had happened. People eating, laughing, living their ordinary lives while mine had been completely upended.
Outside, the rain doused the town, refreshing it. Washing away so much pain and heartache.
I stirred my soup without tasting it, watching the vegetables swirl in the broth. My mind was a tangle of questions and emotions I couldn't begin to sort through.
"Did Brent get caught up in all this?" I asked Jackson finally, one old thought pushing through. I needed to close that loop. The PI had been my first step into this world, and I suddenly needed to know he hadn't become collateral damage.
Jackson leaned back, arms crossed over his broad chest. The movement pulled his shirt tight across his shoulders, highlighting the strength there. "We looked for him. Took a while, but he's safe. He was scared shitless, thought he'd end up in a ditch. But he's going home."
Ivy snorted, stirring her coffee with more force than necessary. "Can't blame him. This whole thing's been a damn mafia soap opera." She looked up at me, her eyes serious despite her flippant tone. "You okay with all this, Lena? It's a lot to process."
I stared down at my soup, watching the steam rise. "I don't know what I am right now. Everything I thought I knew..." I trailed off, unable to articulate the seismic shift happening inside me.
We all went quiet after that. The silence wasn't awkward—it was heavy. Like we were all carrying something we didn't know how to put down. The clatter of dishes and murmur of conversation around us felt distant, as if we existed in our own bubble of aftermath.
After lunch, when the rain had stopped, Ivy said she wanted to walk around town, see some old faces. I wanted to go somewhere quiet instead.
"You sure?" she asked. "I can stick around if you need me."
I shook my head. "I think I just need to be alone for a bit. But go. Have fun."
She hesitated, eyes searching mine, but I gave her a small smile. "I'll call when it's time to head to the hospital."
She squeezed my hand before leaving, the gesture saying everything words couldn't.
Jackson waited until Ivy was gone before asking, "Is there anywhere quiet around here you like?"
I looked at him, surprised by the gentleness in his voice. His dark eyes were soft, the hardness that usually defined him momentarily absent.
"Yeah," I said. "Will you join me for a drive?"
We ended up at the pond.
The one Mom used to bring me to when I cried about my father not showing up. The water was still, reflecting the cloudy sky like a mirror. The trees whispered secrets to each other as a light breeze rustled their leaves. It felt like memory—bittersweet and precious.
I sat on the weathered bench, Jackson beside me, our shoulders not quite touching.
"I used to come here and make wishes," I said, breaking the silence. "I'd throw rocks and wish my dad would come home. That he'd keep his promises."
Jackson remained quiet, giving me space to unravel the tangled threads of my past.
I told him everything.
About the visits. The checks. The lies.
About how I didn't know what to feel. About how I'd thought they could have even been villains, that they'd hurt my father for his money.
"I was so angry and upset," I whispered, watching a dragonfly skim across the water's surface. "I thought they had everything while we had nothing. I didn't want to be mad at them, but I also didn't even know if they knew about me."
Jackson's hand found mine, his palm warm against mine. "And now?"
"Now I don't know what to think. They're strangers who are somehow family. They're offering to save my mom when I couldn't. How am I supposed to feel about that?"
He stared out across the pond, not having any answers for me.
"Can we even be family?" I asked, voice cracking. "After everything?"
Jackson didn't hesitate to respond. "I think you can. I think this could be something good for you." His thumb traced circles on the back of my hand. "Family isn't just blood, Elena. It's choice. And they're choosing you."
I stared at the water, then whispered, "Do you think the treatment will work?"
My voice was small. Childlike. I hated how scared I sounded, how vulnerable. But Jackson had seen me at my worst already. He'd seen me broken and desperate. He'd seen me pull the trigger. There was no point in pretending now.
He didn't lie. "I don't know. But I know Grayson and Leo wouldn't settle for anything less than the best. Not now. Not for family."
Family.
That word again.
I didn't know how to feel about it. But I was grateful. And relieved. And exhausted down to my bones.
"It's been insane," I said, watching a leaf float lazily across the pond's surface. "Ever since I found out about them… it's been one wild ride. I came here looking for help, justice, or... something. And now everything's upside down."
Jackson gave a soft laugh. "Life loves throwing curveballs. Things you never see coming." His voice dropped lower. "People you never expected to matter."
When I looked at him, he was already watching me, his dark eyes intense in a way that made my breath catch. There was something in his gaze, something tender and uncertain that matched the chaos in my own heart.
My heart thudded against my ribs.
"Where do we go from here?" I asked. "You and me. Is this… something?" I gestured vaguely between us, unable to name the electricity that had been building since that first day in the office. "Because I'm starting to feel things I'll have to crush if I want to survive this."
He clasped his hands together, like he was grounding himself.
"I've lost a lot," he said carefully. "Been burned. Literally and figuratively." His eyes held shadows I couldn't begin to understand. "But I'd like to see where this goes. If you're willing."
His voice was steady. Hopeful. The vulnerability in it made my chest ache.
And for the first time in a long time, I let myself hope too.
"I'd like that," I whispered, and when his fingers intertwined with mine, it felt like the beginning of something I hadn't known I was looking for.