Chapter 58
fifty-eight
Liana
The apartment feels too quiet.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Just… stretched thin, like everything that happened is still echoing through the walls, still sitting under the surface, waiting.
Jackson’s hand stays at the small of my back as we step inside, steady, grounding, guiding me forward like he doesn’t quite trust the world not to tilt again if he lets go.
“Go get changed, sweetheart,” he murmurs softly, brushing his lips against my temple. “Something comfortable, yeah?”
I nod, even though my body still feels like it hasn’t quite caught up to everything yet.
Zach’s hand lingers at mine for a second longer before letting go, his thumb brushing over my knuckles once, grounding me in that quiet way he always does.
Elijah doesn’t stop moving.
He’s already pacing.
Back and forth across the living room, phone in his hand, jaw tight, shoulders rigid, like there’s too much energy inside him and nowhere for it to go.
I feel it. That tension. It sits heavy in the room, pressing into my chest as I turn and walk toward the bedroom.
I need a second.
Just a second.
Something normal.
Something steady.
I peel the dress off slowly, carefully, the silk sliding down my skin, pooling at my feet as I stand there in the quiet. My fingers brush absently over my stomach, over the faint curve that still barely shows, but feels like everything.
Everything has changed.
Everything is changing.
I pull on something softer, something easy, one of Elijah’s shirts, the fabric loose and warm around me, and for a second I just stand there, breathing.
Then I reach for my phone.
Evelyn.
My fingers move quickly.
Are you okay?
The reply comes almost instantly.
I’m okay. Lucian got me and Mark out. Don’t worry. Are you okay?
I exhale, something tight in my chest easing just a little.
I’m okay. We’re home.
I stare at the message for a second longer, then lock my phone and head back out.
Jackson and Zach are on the couch when I return.
They both look up immediately. Both of them soften.
That look. The one that says you’re here, you’re safe, we’ve got you.
“Come here,” Jackson says quietly, patting the space beside him.
I move without thinking, sinking down between them, my body naturally leaning into the warmth of both of them as Zach’s arm comes around me and Jackson’s hand finds mine.
Elijah is still pacing.
Still waiting.
Still somewhere else entirely.
Jackson picks up his phone again, scrolling.
“There’s already a storm online,” he mutters.
I glance at him.
“What kind of storm?”
He huffs a quiet breath, something almost amused slipping through the tension.
“Our relationship is trending,” he says. “The photo… the one on the carpet.”
My stomach flips slightly.
“Trending how?”
Zach’s thumb brushes slow circles over my arm.
“Talk to me,” I say quietly.
Jackson tilts his phone slightly so I can see.
Notifications.
Comments.
Posts.
People losing their minds.
“Most of it’s about this,” he says. “Three men, one woman… people are obsessed with it.”
I swallow.
“And… the tape?”
He shakes his head slightly.
“There’s a couple of comments,” he admits. “But it’s not the focus. Not even close.”
My chest loosens.
“Then what are they saying?”
He smirks faintly.
“That you’ve somehow won the jackpot,” he says. “Three men completely devoted to you.”
A soft, almost disbelieving breath leaves me.
Relief.
Real relief.
Zach presses a kiss to the side of my head.
“Told you,” he murmurs. “You’re not facing this alone anymore.”
I lean into him slightly. Just for a second. Just enough to feel it.
Elijah’s phone rings. Everything shifts. The room tightens instantly, like all the air has been pulled in one direction.
He answers without hesitation.
“Yeah.”
We all go still.
Listening.
Waiting. I don’t hear the other side, but I don’t need to. I see it in him. The way his shoulders shift. The way his jaw tightens. The way his focus sharpens into something colder, harder.
“I’ll meet you there,” he says.
My stomach drops. He hangs up.
And before he can even move, I’m already on my feet.
“Elijah—”
He turns toward me. I cross the space between us quickly, my hand catching his shirt, gripping it tight like if I don’t, he’ll already be gone.
“Please don’t go,” I say, the words coming out softer than I expect, but heavier.
He stills.
Just for a second. Just long enough for me to see it. The hesitation. The pull.
His hand comes up, cupping my cheek, thumb brushing under my eye, grounding me even as everything else feels like it’s shifting again.
“I have to, angel,” he says quietly.
My chest tightens.
“This is my life,” he continues, his voice low, steady, but weighted. “The world I’m stepping into. And these are the people who helped take you from me.”
The words land deep. Too deep. My grip tightens on his shirt.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” I whisper.
He exhales slowly, then pulls me into him. Close. Firm. His mouth finds mine.
And this, this isn’t the careful restraint. This isn’t the distance. This is him.
The real him.
Deep.
Possessive.
Grounded.
His hand slides to my throat, wrapping gently, enough that I feel it, enough that it anchors me completely to him. His other hand presses flat against my stomach, holding me there, holding us there.
“I promise you,” he murmurs against my lips, his voice rougher now, breaking slightly under the weight of it, “I will come home to you… and our baby.”
My breath catches.
“Stay with Jackson and Zach,” he adds quietly.
I nod.
Because I don’t trust my voice. Because if I speak, I might beg him not to go again. He presses one more kiss to my mouth.
Then he steps back.
And just like that, he’s gone.
But not before his gaze flicks to Jackson and Zach.
Silent.
Heavy.
A message without words. The door closes. The apartment feels bigger. Colder. Too empty. Zach’s hand finds mine again almost immediately.
“Come on, baby,” he murmurs gently. “Sit down. Let us take care of you.”
Jackson is already there, his hand at my back, guiding me back toward the couch.
I let them.
Because right now I need something to hold onto.
And they’re here.
They’re steady.
They’re not leaving.
And that’s enough to keep me from falling apart while I wait for him to come home.