Chapter 23
(One week later)
T he minute Dorian found out Sevyn had been kidnapped—and that a powerful family was holding her hostage because of Hassan’s past—she made up her mind: she would do anything to bring her cousin back.
No sleep, no peace, no hesitation. Sevyn wasn’t just her cousin—she was her sister, her lifeline.
And Dorian hadn’t slept a full night since she went missing.
She’d been lying to everyone, especially their family. Just yesterday, Aunt Trina called, her voice lined with worry. “I haven’t heard from Sevyn. She’s not answering my calls.”
Dorian had to lie through her teeth, forcing a smile over the phone. “She just needed a quick break, Auntie. Took a last-minute trip while she had some downtime from work.”
She couldn’t tell her that Sevyn was missing—possibly fighting for her life in some unknown hellhole. She didn’t have the strength to put that kind of fear in her mother’s voice.
No matter how hard she tried, Dorian couldn’t shake the rage that bubbled beneath her skin every time Hassan’s name came up.
As much as she tried to understand, she blamed him.
If it wasn’t for him and his dark-ass past, Sevyn would still be safe.
Still at home. Still building her clinic, smiling through long days of clients, dreaming out loud.
Now, she could be anywhere. In pain. In chains. Or worse.
Today wasn’t about reminiscing. She and Harper were heading back to their alma mater—not for homecoming festivities, not for old memories.
Today, they were on a mission. Hassan gave them the green light after a week of planning.
The campus would be flooded with people.
Distractions. Perfect cover. And Dorian was ready to return the favor to the man who snatched her cousin away.
Upstairs, Harper walked into Dorian’s bedroom carrying a plate of food. Her expression was gentle, but firm. “Here. You need to eat. You haven’t had shit in days,” she said, pushing the plate into Dorian’s hands.
Dorian stared at it like it was poison. Her stomach was in knots, her chest tight. She couldn’t eat. Could barely breathe without think ing about where Sevyn might be. If she was cold. If she was hurt. If she was still alive.
Harper sat on the edge of the bed, watching her. She was barely holding it together herself. But she knew Dorian was worse—because this wasn’t just her best friend. This was blood. And Harper knew damn well if it were Hassan in Sevyn’s place, she’d be falling apart the same way.
"I'm not hungry," Dorian muttered, eyes glued to the TV. “Dorian… eat,” Harper urged gently, placing the plate closer.
Tears streaked down Dorian’s face, silent and constant. Harper blinked back her own, stunned every time she saw them fall. She had never seen Dorian cry—hell, she’d never even seen her sulk—but Sevyn was the only person who could break her walls like that.
“Harp,” Dorian whispered, her voice cracking, “I’m scared.”
Harper didn’t hesitate. She climbed into the bed, wrapping an arm around her. “I know,” she said softly. “Me too. But I still got faith in Hassan to bring her home.”
Dorian rolled her eyes at the sound of his name. “The same nigga who got her in this mess in the first place.”
Harper didn’t argue. She just nodded.
“I know you mad at him—hell, I am too. But I also know he would never intentionally hurt Sevyn. I’ve known that man my whole life, and I’ve never seen him cry.
Never seen his hands shake or his voice break.
But before we even knew what happened to Sevyn, that man was already crumbling.
She walked out his house shattered... and it tore him to pieces.
Now she’s out there somewhere, maybe hurting, maybe worse—and he blames himself.
You don’t have to forgive him, Dori. But don’t act like he doesn’t love her more than anyone. ”
Dorian picked up a piece of bacon and slowly chewed, still scowling. “Nobody loves Sevyn more than me. We’re twins—just born in different wombs, different rooms.”
Harper smiled at that. “True. But Hassan’s a close second.” Dorian glanced at her sideways but didn’t argue.
“I ain’t never seen him act like this. Not for anyone.
You keep punching him while he’s already broken, and it ain’t helping.
He’s not some monster that dragged her into this shit just to ruin her.
He loves her. And I swear on my daddy’s grave, he’s gonna burn every motherfucker behind this to the ground. ”
Dorian’s brow furrowed. “Wait—your daddy dead?”
Harper didn’t flinch. “Yeah. I killed that nigga.”
Dorian snapped her neck toward her. “What?!”
Harper’s tone stayed even, calm. “I couldn’t heal with him walking around. So I erased him. For good.”
Dorian stared, stunned. She’d known Harper’s father was no good, but this? She never imagined that sweet, soft-spoken Harper had that kind of darkness in her.
“Damn. I guess craziness run in y’all blood,” Dorian muttered.
Harper chuckled. “Nah. Not crazy. Just love and loyalty. Hassan loves Sevyn. And he’s loyal to the people who love her—including you.”
Dorian stayed silent.
“I saw the pain in his eyes when you were hitting him. And he took it. All of it. No fight back. That’s how much guilt he carries.
I’m not saying let it go. We’re all mad.
Sevyn’s my sister too. And yeah, this shit happened because of his past. But it’s a past he never asked for.
One he’s been trying to outrun since he was a kid. ”
Dorian didn’t say a word—but something in her eyes softened. She was still pissed. Still afraid. But Harper’s words… they were getting through.
“Why are people after him?” Dorian asked, eyes narrowed as she sat up straighter. “Besides him being ‘Ice’ in the streets and all? What the hell did he actually do?”
That question had been gnawing at her since the night Sevyn went missing. The anger. The fear. The confusion. It all came from not knowing the why.
Harper sighed and placed the plate of untouched breakfast between them—eggs, pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit. They both picked at it, chewing slowly like the food might fill the hollow inside them.
“Hassan watched his parents get murdered,” Harper said finally. “He was just six. It happened right in front of him. In their living room.”
Dorian’s eyes widened, fork pausing mid-air.
Harper took a breath and kept going. She told her everything— about the foster homes, the rage, the trauma, the murders, and Hassan’s bipolar disorder. The hallucinations. The spiral. The killing that followed.
By the end, Dorian felt her anger begin to shift.
It didn’t disappear—her cousin was still gone—but it cracked.
She didn’t see a villain anymore. She saw a broken little boy who never had a chance.
“If anybody’s to blame,” Harper whispered, her voice trembling, “it’s me.
I pushed Hassan into therapy. I blindsided him.
I convinced Sevyn to take him as a client.
If I hadn’t—if I just left it all alone—they never would’ve met. She’d still be with us.”
The tears came fast and heavy. Harper folded into herself, her shoulders shaking. Dorian reached over, rubbed her back, fighting her own emotions. Everyone was breaking down. The whole circle was unraveling.
“No,” Dorian said gently. “You didn’t do this. You just wanted to help him heal. And Sevyn? She was the best person for that job. She’s not just a therapist. She’s her.”
Harper sniffled as Dorian gave her a soft squeeze.
“Hassan needs Sevyn,” Dorian continued. “But Sevyn needs him, too. Braxton was never it for her, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself. Her father pushed her into that relationship trying to force the hood nigga outta her system.”
Dorian chuckled through her tears. “I remember the night she came home from a date with Braxton, said it was like eating dinner with a robot. We both liked a little danger—Sevyn just tried to pretend she outgrew it.”
Harper smiled.
“She kept lying to herself. Played happy. Until she caught that bitch-ass cheating on her with the little mermaid.”
They both laughed, even if it only lasted a second.
“But that night we dragged her out to the club… and she saw Hassan? Something shifted. I watched her body still. She ain’t even know I was watching, but I saw it. It was like she was looking at her first love. A dangerous, street-certified love, but real as hell.”
“At Roman’s party,” Harper added, “I saw them at the bar. I’ve never seen her look so calm around a man. She looked safe. Like she could finally exhale.”
“When she told me they fucked,” Dorian said with a teasing smirk, “her eyes were glowing. That girl was thinking long term—white dress, brownstone house, babies with blue eyes.”
Harper giggled, then sighed.
“Her father wanted her to stay away from men like Hassan,” Dorian said, “but Hassan’s exactly who she needed. He didn’t just want her—he saw her. The real her. The parts she even hides from herself.”
There was silence between them for a moment. Heavy, understanding silence.
“Maybe you did bring them together,” Dorian said. “Or maybe it was fate. Either way, Sevyn was meant to help him. And I think he was meant to heal her, too—in ways that therapy never could. So no… this ain’t your fault.”
Harper nodded, wiping her face as Dorian did the same.
They were still broken. But now, they weren’t blaming themselves for it.
???
Dorian and Harper stepped onto the vibrant campus of the University of Memphis, surrounded by the electric buzz of homecoming.
Laughter echoed across the quad, music blasted from speak ers, and students in matching hoodies posed for pictures near balloon arches and food trucks.
If they weren’t here on a mission, they would’ve joined in.
They would’ve taken selfies, grabbed lemonades, and danced like they used to.