Chapter 25 #5
“Auntie, Uncle,” Dorian said, stepping in, “this is the man Sevyn’s in love with. The one who saved her from Braxton.”
Trina reached out and took Hassan’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Hassan. Thank you… for saving my daughter.” Her voice trembled through her sad smile.
Hassan gave a small nod, his expression respectful but guarded. “I’d do it again a thousand times.”
Steven still hadn’t said a word, sizing him up like a man measuring a threat.
But Hassan didn’t flinch. He wasn’t here for approval. He was here for Sevyn.
Dorian then introduced Roman and Von to her own parents. Roman and Sean shook hands, and surprisingly, hit it off right away.
A rare spark of ease amid the storm. But the tension still lingered in the air—waiting… praying… for a doctor to come out with news that would either save or shatter them all.
“Aye, Hassan, right?” Steven finally spoke, and the entire waiting area seemed to still.
Hassan nodded, giving him his full attention.
“Mind if we talk… privately?” Steven asked, stepping away from his wife.
Hassan followed without hesitation.
They moved to the corner of the waiting room, tension settling between them like dust. The rest of the family sat quietly, glancing over now and then, waiting on more than just a doctor’s update.
“You handle that nigga Braxton?” Steven asked first, voice low and direct.
Hassan looked him in the eye. “Yeah.”
“Good.” Steven nodded once. “Now… what you got with my daughter?”
Before Hassan could respond, Steven held up a hand.
“And don’t sugar me up with lies. I know you don’t do shit legal. I know you don’t call the cops when you got problems—you handle them. ”
Hassan let out a short, humorless chuckle. “One thing I don’t do, Mr. Love, is lie. I’m honest. Brutally.”
Steven watched him closely, saying nothing, so Hassan continued. “On paper, I own a casino. Off the record… I’m Ice. I protect the people I love by any means necessary. And I do it cold. I do it slow.”
He said it like a statement of fact. Like a man who accepted exactly who he was.
Steven didn’t blink. Just nodded. Respecting the honesty, even if he didn’t like what he heard.
“Is my daughter one of those people you love?”
A small smile tugged at Hassan’s lips. But it didn’t reach his eyes. “Your daughter is my heart. She’s the reason I even know what love feel like.”
Steven was silent, caught off guard by the rawness in his voice. “Normally,” he started, “I’d tell my daughter to stay far away from men like you. Even though she never listens when I do.”
He paused—but Hassan stepped in, tone even, heart heavy.
“Not to cut you off, Mr. Love, but… I’m not the man your daughter deserves.”
Steven’s eyes narrowed, but he let him speak.
“I hurt her once. And I promised myself if I ever got the chance to save her… I’d let her go. Let her live a life without the shadows I bring.” Hassan’s voice dipped, quiet now. “Hurting her damn near killed me. And I won’t risk doing it again.”
He slid his hands into his pockets, jaw clenched.
“So you don’t gotta give me the ‘if you hurt my daughter, I’ll kill you’ talk. You won’t have to worry about me hurting her again… because once she’s safe, I’m gone.”
The finality in his voice stung worse than any blade.
On the drive to the hospital, he’d made up his mind. No matter how much he loved her, no matter how much she loved him back—he was a threat to her peace. And peace was the one thing she deserved more than anything.
Even if it meant he had to walk away from his.
Steven studied Hassan for a long moment, the quiet between them laced with something unspoken—something familiar.
He recognized the fear in Hassan’s eyes. The kind that came from loving a woman so deeply, it scared the hell out of you. He’d seen it before—in the mirror, decades ago.
Back when he first met Trina, Steven wasn’t the polished, respectable businessman he was now.
He was reckless. In the streets. Drowning in demons and surrounded by danger.
Trina had been the light in his chaos, the first thing in his life that felt like peace.
And just like H assan now, he tried to protect her by walking away.
Tried. And when he actually did… it broke her. Worse than anything the streets could’ve done to her, he broke her.
Now, looking at Hassan, he saw the same storm behind the eyes. The same torment of loving someone so fiercely, you’d rather disappear than see them hurt. But he also saw something else—what it did to a man when that love was ripped away.
“Look,” Steven finally said, voice calm but firm, “you a grown-ass man. You make your own decisions. I appreciate you considering my daughter’s heart, I really do. But I’m gonna be straight with you…”
He looked Hassan dead in the eye.
“You walk away from her now, that’s gonna hurt her more than anything Braxton ever did.”
Hassan’s brows pulled slightly. He wasn’t expecting that.
“I know my daughter,” Steven went on. “She her mother’s child, through and through. And I been where you at. I tried walking away from Trina too—thought I was protecting her. Thought she’d be safer, better off without me in her life.”
He paused, jaw tightening.
“But all I did was stab her in the heart myself. I didn’t save her—I destroyed her. And when I realized that, when I saw what I did to the woman who loved me unconditionally… I knew I had to be man enough to stay. To love her right, even if the world around us was wrong.”
Hassan stayed quiet, every word weighing heavy.
“You talk about Sevyn like she’s the only thing keeping you breathing. Like she your anchor. Your peace.” Steven softened just a little. “And I believe she is. I can see it. So don’t throw that away just because you afraid. Don’t break her heart just to protect your own guilt.”
He gave Hassan one final look, then turned and walked away, leaving him frozen in thought.
A beat later, the doctor appeared down the hall. The family rushed forward, swarming him for answers. Hassan stayed back a second longer, his chest heavy, his pulse pounding.
Because Steven was right. And he knew it.
“Family of Sevyn Love,” the doctor called out. Everyone jumped.
“How is she? How is my baby?” Trina rushed forward, her voice shaking as Steven held her waist to steady her.
“She’s stable… but it was close,” the doctor—Dr. Mills, according to his badge—began, his voice calm, but grim.
The entire waiting room froze. Hassan felt his heart pounding so loud it echoed in his ears.
“She suffered a severe concussion, likely from blunt force trauma. There were also traces of multiple sedatives in her system—enough to keep her unconscious for days.”
Gasps broke out around him.
Dorian slapped a hand over her mouth. Harper’s eyes flooded with tears. Roman dropped his head, jaw clenched.
“We pumped her stomach, administered counteragents. She’s breathing on her own now.”
Relief flooded the room—but then Dr. Mills paused. “But—”
Everyone held their breath.
“But what?” Hassan snapped, his voice low and sharp, cutting through the silence.
Dr. Mills hesitated, eyes scanning their faces. “There’s something else.”
“What, nigga?! Spit the shit out!” Steven barked, rage breaking through his calm. Trina grabbed his arm, trying to soothe him. The street was rising in him, and the doctor flinched at the shift in energy.
Dr. Mills cleared his throat. “Her bloodwork confirmed… early signs of pregnancy.”
Silence. Shocked, still, thick silence. “Oh my God…” Dorian whispered.
Hassan didn’t move. His entire body locked up at the news. His mind went blank, heart still, chest tight. But deep in his soul, he already knew. He felt it.
That was his baby.
Braxton hadn’t had Sevyn long enough to plant that kind of seed. And even thinking about that nigga touching her made Hassan want to drag his corpse out the dirt just to kill him again.
But this? This shifted everything. He was going to be a father. With her. Sevyn was alive. She was safe. And she was carrying his child.
And suddenly, walking away wasn’t an option anymore.
Harper looked over at Hassan. He hadn’t moved.
His eyes were locked on nothing—lost somewhere deep in his mind.
She knew he was stunned, maybe still processing the news.
She hoped he was happy, at least a little.
A baby was on the way. A new life, a new beginning.
Especially now—just hours after losing one. Madea.
“We don’t know how far along yet,” Dr. Mills continued, voice softer now. “But with the trauma and the drugs, we’ll need to monitor her closely for complications.”
Everyone nodded, but the shock still clung to the room like fog.
No one spoke .
Dr. Mills cleared his throat, straightening his clipboard. “Because of the nature of her injuries… by protocol, I’m required to inform the authorities.”
The tension in the air snapped. Hassan stepped forward slowly, hands in his jacket. Everyone watched. Without saying a word, he pulled out a thick envelope and held it out.
Dr. Mills hesitated. Then took it. He opened it—froze. His breath hitched at the sight of the thick stack of cash. High, crisp bills tucked neatly inside. Probably more than he made in a few months, even with that six-figure salary.
“You understand this puts me and my staff at risk—” he started, trying to hold his ground, even as his fingers gripped the envelope tighter.
“You keep your mouth shut. You keep your license. Nobody saw anything,” Hassan said coolly, voice low and final.
A long pause. Dr. Mills swallowed. Then gave a tight nod.
“The chart will reflect a car accident. Nothing more. The nurses will be informed.”
He slipped the envelope into the inside of his white coat like it belonged there. Hassan nodded once, slow and deliberate.
The room went quiet again. No one could believe what they’d just witnessed.
“She’ll wake up soon,” Dr. Mills added, already walking away. “We usually only allow three at a time, but… I can make the exception.”
Then he disappeared down the hall, leaving the family stunned, breathless, and filled with more emotions than they knew what to do with.
Dorian rushed down the hallway, heart pounding, eager to see Sevyn with her parents and Sevyn’s parents trailing closely behind. Steven paused before stepping into the room, turning back to glance at Hassan. One look—that’s all it took. And somehow, Hassan understood exactly what it meant.
Don’t you dare leave my daughter. Not now. Not when she’s carrying your child.
Harper stayed behind with Roman and Von, surrounding Hassan like a shield, sensing the storm of thoughts spinning in his head.
“She’s pregnant,” Hassan said softly, almost to himself, still trying to believe it.
“Yeah… congrats, bruh.” Roman said, slinging an arm around his shoulder.
“She is. So please, Hassan…” Harper's voice cracked with urgency. “I know you were thinking about dipping on her. Don’t.”
Hassan nodded, a slow, grounding motion. Leaving had been on his mind—he’d convinced himself it was to protect her. But now, knowi ng she was carrying his child, he couldn’t imagine walking away. Not from Sevyn. Not from their baby. The very thought ripped him apart.
He loved her too damn much. And now, God had given him the one thing he could never turn his back on.
Family.
A faint smile crept onto his face, one of the first since Sevyn disappeared. No matter how dark things had gotten, that baby inside her had been created in love. And Hassan was going to cherish them both for the rest of his life.
“I’m not leaving her,” he said, voice firm now.
Harper narrowed her eyes. “Are you staying for her—or the baby? Don’t play with her heart, Hassan. She don’t need half-ass love.”
He chuckled, the sound low but genuine. “Both. I couldn’t leave her even if I tried. I can’t breathe without that woman.”
They all smiled, relief washing over them—until Harper’s mouth moved faster than her thoughts.
“Good, ’cause I really didn’t wanna bury you and Madea on the same day.”
The moment the words slipped out, her eyes widened. “Shit.” Hassan’s smile vanished. His tone dropped. “What?”
Harper cursed under her breath. “I was gonna wait until we knew Sevyn was okay, but... the hospice called me when I took Celine back to campus.” Her voice faltered. “Madea’s gone, y’all.”
Silence.
Von didn’t hesitate, pulling Harper into his arms as the tears finally broke free. Hassan stood there frozen, jaw clenched, heart shattering in slow motion. He knew this day would come—but he didn’t expect it to be today. Not like this.
He hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye.
But… she saw him. She saw the changes. The healing. The love. She died knowing her grandson wasn’t just surviving anymore—he was finally living.
And he’d given her what she always prayed for.
A family.
Dorian stepped out of the hospital room, tears in her eyes but a smile tugging at her lips. “She’s up,” she said, voice shaky with joy. “And she’s asking for you.”
The second the words left her mouth, Hassan moved like the floor was on fire beneath him. He didn’t speak. Didn’t blink. Just ran.
He didn’t care who was watching—nothing else existed but Sevyn. She was the fire that broke the Ice .
The one who shattered every wall he spent his life building. The only one who ever looked past the rage, the violence, the pain—and still chose him.
Sevyn didn’t just heal him. She loved him. And for a man like Hassan, who spent his life unseen in the shadows of trauma, being loved… meant being seen.
And Sevyn? She saw everything he was. And everything he was always meant to be.