Chapter 31
Hadley
The house was too quiet the next morning. Not the peaceful kind where you could hear birds outside or the hum of the fridge like a distant comfort. No, this was suffocating quiet, the kind that pressed in on my ears, making every creak of the floorboards under my feet echo like an accusation.
I hadn't slept much, my mind replaying Sydney's tears, Cal's soft "drop it," the way the band's loyalty had snapped into place like a lock I could never pick.
My back ached from the pregnancy, hips protesting every shift, the baby pressing low at thirty weeks now, like a constant reminder that time was running out for me to fix this mess, or escape it.
I stayed upstairs most of the morning, curtains half-drawn, phone face down on the nightstand.
I didn't check for texts from Cal. Part of me hoped he'd reached out; the bigger part dreaded the silence more.
Zariah had taken Eli out for breakfast and errands, giving me "space," but it felt more like abandonment.
I pushed myself up slowly, wincing as a Braxton Hicks contraction tightened my belly.
"Easy, little one," I murmured, rubbing circles over the bump.
"Mommy's not ready for you yet. Not like this. "
Downstairs, the living room still carried faint traces of yesterday's disaster, wilted flowers drooping in vases, a stray gift bag tipped over in the corner like forgotten evidence.
I stared at them too long, my throat tightening, before heading to the kitchen for water. Anything to keep my hands busy.
The front door opened without warning. I stiffened, glass halfway to my lips.
Kei stepped inside, keys dangling loosely from his fingers, his expression cautious, like he was testing the air for landmines. "Zariah said you were home alone," he said softly, closing the door behind him.
I didn't answer. Just set the glass down harder than necessary and turned away, staring at the sink.
He followed anyway, his footsteps hesitant. "Hadley... we need to talk."
I laughed, a brittle, humorless sound that scraped my throat. "Do we? Really?"
"Yes." His voice was firm, but there was an undercurrent of something raw, like regret mixed with frustration.
I took a slow breath, gripping the counter's edge until my knuckles whitened. "You picked her side, Kei."
His shoulders tensed visibly. "That's not what happened."
"It is exactly what happened." My voice rose, cracking on the edges. "You walked in, saw her crying, and immediately told me I was being insensitive. Like I was the one who started it."
He dragged a hand over his face, exhaling heavily. "I was trying to calm the situation down. Things escalated so fast...."
"You told me to be careful with the trauma." The words tasted bitter. "Like I was the problem."
"You brought it up..."
"I defended myself!" I snapped, whipping around to face him. My pulse hammered in my temples, the betrayal burning fresh. "She cornered me, Kei. Attacked my past, my ability to be a mom, called me an incubator. And you stood there, protecting her. You, of all people."
His jaw tightened, eyes flickering with guilt. "You don't understand what Mexico did to us. To her. It's not just a story, it's scars. Deep ones."
"And you don't understand what my entire life did to me," I shot back, voice trembling.
"Foster homes, abandonment, raising Eli alone since I was seventeen.
But I don't use it as a weapon. You were supposed to be safe, Kei.
The one person here who didn't make me feel like I had to claw my way into acceptance. "
His expression cracked then, real pain flashing across his features, making him look younger, more vulnerable. He stepped closer, but I held my ground. "That wasn't fair," he said quietly, his voice thick.
"It was honest." Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them back. "I trusted you."
Silence stretched between us, thick and charged, the air humming with unspoken things. He looked at me like he was memorizing my face, his breathing uneven.
"I never meant to betray you," he whispered finally, his voice rough around the edges.
"You did." The words hung there, heavy. "You made me think I had a friend who wasn't tangled in Cal's history. And yesterday... you proved you're just like the rest."
"That's not true." Frustration edged into his tone now, sharp and sudden. He paced a step, then another, like he couldn't contain it.
"It is," I said, my voice shaking but steady. "I don't want to be your friend anymore."
The words hit him like a physical blow. His posture stiffened, eyes widening slightly. "You don't mean that."
"I do." My chest ached saying it, but the hurt from yesterday fueled me. "I'm serious. I don't want you here. No more texts. No more leaning on you. You'll always choose the band, the trauma, over me."
Frustration flared brighter in his eyes, turning to something deeper, more desperate. "You think this is just about loyalty to the band?" he asked, his voice rising.
"What else would it be?" I challenged, my own anger mirroring his.
He dragged both hands through his hair, stopping his pacing abruptly, turning back to me with emotions crackling just under his skin, regret, anger, something raw and unguarded. "You want honesty?" he said, voice rough and breaking. "Fine. I didn't plan to fall for you."
The words sucked the air from the room. My stomach dropped, a cold wave crashing over me.
"What?" I whispered, barely audible.
"I didn't plan it," he repeated, louder, frustration spilling through every syllable like a dam breaking. "I didn't want it. You were Cal's wife. Pregnant. Off-limits in every way imaginable."
My pulse roared in my ears, drowning out everything else. "Kei..."
"You came into this house broken but fighting," he continued, his words tumbling faster now, like he couldn't stop them. "You listened when I talked about my sister, about responsibility, about what Mexico really did to us. You saw me as more than the guy who cleans up Cal's messes."
My throat tightened painfully, a mix of shock and denial twisting inside me. "That wasn't"
"I know it wasn't intentional!" he snapped, his voice cracking with emotion. "That's the problem. You were just being you.... strong, kind, defending Cal even when he didn't deserve it. I started looking forward to your messages, your stories about Eli's circuits. It snuck up on me."
I stepped back slightly, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. "You're confused," I said quietly, but my voice wavered.
"No," he said, shaking his head fiercely. "I'm fucked up. There's a difference."
"Kei, stop." Panic edged in now, my mind reeling.
"I tried to ignore it," he pressed on, stepping closer, his eyes locked on mine with desperate intensity.
"Told myself it was protectiveness. Friendship.
But watching you yesterday...getting cornered, humiliated.
...and knowing I couldn't fully step in without betraying him. .. it broke something in me."
Before I could process, before I could react, he closed the distance and kissed me.
It wasn't gentle or tentative. It was messy, desperate, his hands cupping my face as if this was his last chance. Shock locked my body for a split-second.... his lips warm, insistent, tasting faintly of coffee and regret.
The front door burst open.
We froze.
Cal stood there, bouquet of pale roses in one hand, a box of chocolates in the other. His expression.... hesitant, guarded, almost hopeful...shattered in an instant as he took in the scene.
The flowers slipped from his grip, hitting the floor with a soft thud. The chocolates followed.
"What the fuck is this?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet, trembling on the edges.
I shoved Kei back hard, breaking the kiss, my breath coming in gasps. "Cal... it’s not...."
Kei stepped away, regret flooding his face. "She didn't...."
"Don't talk," Cal cut in, his eyes wild, glassy with betrayal. He crossed the room in three strides, dropping everything else.
"You kissed my wife?" Cal's voice shook with rage, tears already welling.
"I made a mistake...." Kei started.
Cal lunged, his fist connecting with Kei's jaw in a sickening crack. Kei stumbled back into the counter, pain flashing across his face, but he recovered fast, shoving Cal hard in the chest. "Cal, stop...."
"Shut up!" Cal roared, swinging again.... a wild hook that grazed Kei's cheek, splitting the skin. Blood trickled immediately.
I screamed, rushing forward instinctively. "Stop! Please!" But a sharp pain bolted through my pelvis, forcing me to grab the counter, doubling over. "Oh God...."
They didn't hear me. Cal tackled Kei, both crashing into the dining table. Chairs scraped violently across the tile, one tipping over with a crash. Kei twisted, landing a punch to Cal's ribs that made him grunt in pain. "I didn't mean...." Kei gasped.
"You don't get to touch her!" Cal yelled, pinning Kei against the table, fist raised for another blow. Kei blocked it, elbowing Cal in the side, sending them both tumbling to the floor in a tangle of limbs and fury.
Fists flew.... Cal’s connecting with Kei's shoulder, Kei's knee driving into Cal's thigh. Blood smeared the floor from Kei's lip, Cal's knuckles splitting open. Grunts and curses filled the air, raw and animalistic.
"Stop it!" I shouted again, tears streaming down my face, terror clawing my throat. "You're hurting each other!"
The front door flew open again. Holland rushed in, eyes widening in horror. "What the hell...?"
He grabbed Cal from behind, hauling him off Kei with brute force. "Enough!" Holland barked, his voice sharp and commanding, muscles straining as Cal fought against him.
Cal shoved wildly, chest heaving, eyes red and tear-filled. "She kissed him!"
"I did not!" I yelled, sobbing now. "He kissed me! I pushed him away!"
Kei wiped blood from his mouth, breathing ragged, regret etched deep. "That's true. She didn't want...."
"Oh, shut the fuck up," Cal snarled, lunging again but held back by Holland. "You've been circling her for months. I saw it."
"That's not fair..." Kei started, voice hoarse.
"You think I didn't notice?" Cal shouted, his voice cracking with pain. "The late talks? Her looking at you like you're safer than me?"
"Because she trusted me!" Kei shot back, frustration boiling over. "Because you made her feel like she had to earn every scrap of your attention!"
Cal turned to me then, something inside him fracturing completely. Tears spilled down his cheeks. "You lied to me."
"I didn't...." My voice broke.
"You knew how I felt about him," he continued, hoarse and devastated.
"Knew it triggered every abandonment fear. And you let him get that close."
"I didn't let him kiss me!" I cried. "I stopped it!"
"You kept him around!" Cal screamed. "Leaned on him while I was fixing myself for you!"
"I needed someone who actually talked!" I yelled back, sobs wracking me. "You shut down every time it got real!"
"Because this is why I don't do this!" he roared, tears flowing freely. "I try, and it explodes!"
"You think you're innocent?" he added, voice breaking. "You manipulate with your vulnerability. Playing broken so we protect you. Syd warned me."
The slap of his words stung deeper than any punch. "You're being cruel," I whispered, shattered.
"I'm being honest!" he shot back. "You're a fucking liar and a whore if you think you can play both sides!"
Holland stepped in sharply. "Cal. Enough."
Silence fell, broken only by heavy breaths.
I turned to Kei, shaking. "Get out."
"Hadley...." Pain in his eyes.
"Get. Out."
He nodded, defeated, and left without another word.
The house felt hollow.
Cal stared at me, unrecognizable in his grief, then grabbed his keys and stormed out.
The next hours blurred...unanswered texts:
Please come home.
Cal, talk to me.
Nothing.
Zariah sat with me on the couch, Eli hovering awkwardly. "He'll cool down," she said softly.
"I broke him," I whispered, gutted.
"No. You both did." She held me as I cried.
Eli sat close. "He's still trying," he said bluntly. "Like me with new foods. I hate them, but I keep trying because you say it matters."
I hugged him, sobbing into his shoulder while he patted my back stiffly but earnestly.
Cal returned after dark, reeking of alcohol. He stood in the bedroom doorway, eyes bloodshot, shoulders slumped like defeat incarnate.
"I was trying," he slurred, raw emotion cracking his voice.
"I know..." Tears came again.
"No," he cut in. "You don't. Therapy. Cut Syd off. Planned a family. Learned to feel what I numbed for years."
"Cal..."
"Then I see my best friend kissing my wife." He choked. "My worst fear. Never enough. People leave when I care."
"I didn't betray you," I pleaded.
"You let him close enough to try," he said brokenly. "Knew it scared me."
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
He stared, tears falling. "I wanted this. You. Baby. Family. But opening up proves why I shouldn't."
My heart shattered.
He turned.
"Cal, don't leave," I begged.
He paused, but didn't look back. "Need air before I say worse," he said hoarsely.
Then he was gone.
That night, I cried to sleep with Zariah beside me, Eli curled at the bed's foot. The baby kicked steadily, a lifeline in the wreckage.
I wasn't alone. But I'd never felt more destroyed.