Chapter 53 CIRCLE OF STRENGTH
A soft knock awakens me.
I reach for him automatically, but the bed is cold and empty.
“Ms. Lana, your car is ready,” Hannah’s voice drifts through the door.
What car?
A crash of thunder rattles the windows, and I bolt upright.
My gaze snags on the music box flipped open on the nightstand. But it’s the object beside it that stops my heart.
Silver. Engraved. Heavier than it looks.
His lighter.
Dread curdles low in my stomach when I spot the small white card beneath it.
My Zemer,
Pivotal moments demarcate my life—some joyful, some heart-wrenching.
But they all have one thing in common.
You.
Never blame yourself for what happened to my family.
You’re the best thing that has happened to me.
Thrive. Be happy.
And know this.
I will always love you.
Yours forever,
Kian
P.S. My lighter is yours. Keep it with you always. A car will take you to Arcana & Bloom. It will all make sense.
Panic grips me. I grab my phone and call him.
“The number you’ve dialed has been disconnected—”
Tears pool under my eyes.
He signed the note as Kian, the man I knew still lived inside him all along.
I was right. Last night was a goodbye.
No. I refuse to accept this.
I snatch his lighter, throw on sweatpants and a sweater, and rush out the door.
“Where is he?”
Hannah meets me at the bottom of the stairs, the wrinkles on her forehead extra deep today.
“He didn’t tell me. They left early this morning. He left strict instructions to wake you only now.”
I’m running toward the basement door before she finishes. The tunnels to the dungeons—he said they connect to The Antihero Syndicate’s meeting place.
The door is sealed shut.
“No, you don’t get to do this,” I seethe and pull out my phone, this time to text Ren.
Lana
Where is he? You tell him if he thinks I’ll obey him and give up on us, he doesn’t know me. At all.
Seconds pass, and just when I think Ren won’t respond, a text comes through.
Ren
I’m not supposed to answer. If you won’t do this for yourself, do it for him. Please.
Lana
I’m doing it for him! For us. Where is he?
Ren doesn’t text back.
Ten minutes later, John drives me to Arcana & Bloom.
Rain beads my hair as I barrel through the doors, floral-scented heat enveloping me.
“Lana,” Aria says, her brown eyes shining with sympathy as she pulls me close. “I got here as fast as I could.”
“What’s going on? No one would tell me anything.” I thrust the note at her. “Why am I here?”
“Elias thought it’d be best if…”
Her voice fades when I see them.
Maxwell and Rex sit at the corner table, their faces grim, two suitcases beside them.
My suitcases.
“No.” My steps falter. A packet of papers and a pen rest on the table.
I don’t need to read them to know what they are.
Divorce papers.
Scarlett appears at my side and guides me forward. “Elias called us this morning. He thought it’d be easier if you were somewhere else, safe, surrounded by—”
“My family and friends.” The words scrape out from my throat.
The bastard thought he could break my heart strategically. That he could cushion the blow if I were in my favorite café in the city with people I cared about.
“No,” I bite out, fury sparking at the base of my spine. “I’m not leaving him. I’m not going back to New York. This is my home now. I’m staying.”
Maxwell stands. “Elias made the right call. He’s going after The Association. I don’t know the details, but if he fails, the punishment is extirpation. They’ll go after his entire family—that includes you. This is the safest decision. The smart—”
“It’s my choice!” I scream. My brothers freeze, jaws slack. “I’m smart, capable. Just because I’m a woman, your little sister, doesn’t mean I don’t get to decide how to live my life.”
“But your choice could kill the rest of us!” Maxwell slams both his hands on the table, a vein ticcing on his forehead. “Extirpation. If you stayed married, that’d include us. I don’t care about myself. But the kids. Belle, Olivia, your sisters. I can’t—”
The floor swirls, and I sway on my feet.
His words echo in my skull. Amid my grief and fury, I’ve forgotten the price if this goes south.
Aria squeezes my hand and eases me into a seat.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, heat prickling my eyes. “I just reacted. I didn’t think.”
Little Levi. The twins. My siblings. Their spouses. Dad.
I can’t be selfish.
“I don’t blame you,” Rex murmurs, clasping my hand. “I’d do the same thing. Probably worse.”
Scarlett slides into the booth next to me and tucks a hot drink into my hand. Aria sits across the table, her usually bright eyes solemn.
“If Olivia left you with the twins and disappeared, would you let her go?” I ask Rex.
He hesitates.
A lump constricts my throat. I turn to Maxwell. “If Belle vanished to protect you, would you just sit at home and be at peace with it?”
Then I ask Aria, “If Blake left you to face danger alone, would you be okay with his decision?”
She shakes her head, her eyes misting. “No. I wouldn’t.”
I take the papers, the words blurring in front of me.
Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.
Drafts prepared by his counsel, pre-filed, just needing my signature. He’s thought of everything.
My fingers shake as I flip to the end and see his name scrawled in blue ink—a single period punctuating a love that’s impossible to describe in words.
Memories flicker—startling green eyes, teasing smiles, gentle hands patching up my dress.
No. I won’t abandon him to deal with The Association alone. I know he’s doing this because he thinks he won’t make it out alive. But my brothers are right. It’s not only my life at stake.
Pulling in a stiff inhale, I grab the fountain pen and scrawl my name next to his.
The girls gasp.
I set the pen down and look at the people I love—my family, my friends—grim determination steeling my nerves.
I will never leave them behind.
Just like I will never leave Elias.
“No longer married,” I murmur. “You should be protected. But…”
I rise, strength blasting through my veins. Mom was right. The bravery was inside me all along.
“I’m not leaving.”
Admiration shines in Maxwell’s eyes, and a small smile crests Rex’s lips.
“Lana,” Aria whispers, voice shaking. “Ride or die badass.”
“She likes the scary stories too,” Scarlett mutters, blinking through tears. “But I know yours will have a happy ending.”
I chug down the drink she gave me, heat spreading through my chest.
Righteousness replaces fear. Purpose replaces pain.
I slam down the mug. “Now—what are we going to do about this?”