Chapter 15
Patterns of Deceit
Julia’s POV
Morning light filters through the curtains, casting soft shadows across the room, but I don’t feel warmth. The remnants of last night—the fair, Logan’s touch, the way he looked at me like I was his—cling to my skin like ghosts of something too fragile to hold.
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my heart heavy with unease.
Logan’s voice from the phone call still rings in my ears.
“Frank just confirmed it. Mac has an accomplice inside the sheriff’s office.”
That single sentence shattered whatever illusion of safety I’d allowed myself to believe in. Mac was already a nightmare on his own, but someone on the inside? That changed everything. It meant every move Logan made, every attempt to get ahead, had been compromised.
It meant Mac had always known where I was.
I press a hand to my stomach, trying to ground myself. If there was someone working for Mac inside Logan’s own department, it wasn’t just my life at risk. It was Logan’s. It was Lily’s.
A soft knock at my door pulls me from my spiraling thoughts.
“Mommy?” Lily’s sleepy voice filters through the wood.
I sit up, pushing my hair back before calling out, “Come in, sweetheart.”
Lily pads into the room, still in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes. “Are we still going to the fair tonight?”
I force a smile, smoothing out the worry from my expression before she can catch it. “We already went last night, remember?”
She pouts. “I know, but… I want to go again. With Logan.”
My chest tightens. Logan.
I pat the space beside me, and she climbs up, curling into my side. I press a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the soft scent of her shampoo.
“I think Logan has to work today, baby,” I murmur.
She sighs dramatically. “But he promised he’d come with us.”
I chuckle, squeezing her tight. “I’ll talk to him, okay?”
She nods against me, content for now, but the mention of Logan sends another wave of guilt crashing into me.
He deserves the truth.
I close my eyes, gripping onto Lily just a little tighter.
I make my way to the dance studio later that morning, needing the comfort of movement to ease the turmoil inside me. The music pulses through the speakers as I glide across the floor, losing myself in the rhythm, the controlled chaos of my own body in motion.
I’ve spent my life dancing between the cracks of the past and the future, trying to stay ahead of the shadows that always seem to find me.
My mind keeps drifting—to Lily’s wide, trusting eyes, to Logan’s suspicious glare, to the feeling of my entire world slipping through my fingers.
I feel trapped between two impossible choices — protecting Lily by keeping Logan in the dark, or trusting him with everything and risking losing him forever.
A heavy sigh escapes me, and I turn toward the mirrored wall, pressing play on the speaker. The slow melody filters through the room, wrapping around me like a safety net. I close my eyes.
And I dance.
The first steps are hesitant, my muscles tight with exhaustion, but as the rhythm carries me, I surrender to it. My movements are sharp, deliberate—twisting, turning, leaping across the floor. My reflection blurs in the mirrors as I push harder, each movement a silent scream.
Dancing has always been my escape. The one thing that has never abandoned me. But today, even the music can’t drown out my thoughts.
Each turn brings back a memory —Lily’s laughter, Logan’s touch, the whisper of a threat lingering on the edges of my life.
My heart slams into my ribs.
Logan’s trust in me is a weight I can barely carry. He looks at me like I’m worth something, like I’m his—but I’m not. Not when I’m keeping this from him.
I spin too quickly, my ankle twisting beneath me, and stumble.
A familiar voice startles me. “You okay there, Jules?”
I turn, breathless, to find Carla leaning against the studio doorway, arms crossed, watching me with that knowing expression that says she sees right through me.
I swallow hard. “Yeah. Just… thinking too much.”
She steps inside, her heels clicking against the wooden floor. “You’re always thinking too much.”
I don’t argue. Because she’s right.
She moves closer, tilting her head. “This is about Logan, isn’t it?”
I let out a shaky breath. “He knows something’s off. I can feel it. And now, with Mac’s accomplice in the sheriff’s office…”
I swallow hard, pressing a hand to my chest as I exhale. “I’m scared, Carla.”
Carla raises a brow. “You’re scared he’ll get caught in the crossfire.”
I nod. “And I’m scared of what will happen if I tell him about Lily.”Carla steps closer, squeezing my hands. “I know.
But you love him. And if you love someone, you have to trust them—even when it’s terrifying.”
A lump forms in my throat. “What if he hates me?”
Carla gives me a sad smile. “That man is already in too deep to hate you, Jules. But he deserves the truth.”
I close my eyes for a moment, steadying myself.
Carla sighs, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Jules, the longer you wait, the worse it’s going to be. You know that, right?”
I do. God, I do.
Before I can respond, my phone buzzes on the speaker system, Logan’s name flashing on the screen. My pulse kicks up.
Carla gestures toward it. “Go. Talk to him.”
I grab the phone, stepping away before answering. “Hey.”
Logan’s voice is tense. “I need you to listen carefully.”
My stomach drops. “What’s wrong?”
He exhales sharply. “I think I know who the accomplice is.”
The air stills around me. “Who?”
Logan’s voice lowers. “Not over the phone. Meet me at my house.”
Fear slithers down my spine. If Logan is being this careful, it means whatever he’s about to tell me is big. Bigger than we thought.
I glance at Carla, my heart pounding.
“I’m on my way.”
By the time I reach Logan’s house, my hands are shaking.
His house is quiet when I arrive. Logan meets me at the door, his face unreadable. He places a firm hand on my lower back, guiding me inside with urgency.
My heart pounds.
He doesn’t say anything, just studies me. And that’s almost worse than yelling.
“Logan,” I whisper. “Who is it?”
He doesn’t answer right away, leading me to his office. He locks the door behind us before finally turning to me, eyes burning with restrained fury.
“It’s someone high up,” he says, voice low. “Someone who has access to every case file, every call, every move we’ve made.”
A chill runs through me. “Logan—”
He places a hand on my arm, grounding me. “We have to be careful. If Mac knows we’re onto him, he’ll make his move.”
I swallow hard, gripping the edge of his desk. “What do we do?”
His jaw clenches. “We set a trap.”
My pulse hammers. “A trap?”
He nods, determination blazing in his eyes. “We feed them false information. Make them think they’re ahead. And when they bite…”
I hold my breath. “We take them down.”
For the first time in days, I feel a flicker of hope.
“Are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on, or do I have to find out the hard way?”
His voice is low, rough.
My breath catches. “Logan—”
“Don’t.” His jaw clenches. “Not until you’re ready to be honest with me.”
The words hit like a punch.
I feel my chest tighten, panic clawing at my ribs. But then I remember Carla’s voice in my head.
If you love him, you have to trust him.
No more running. No more excuses.
I inhale sharply, then look him in the eye.
“I have to tell you something. About my past. About…Lily.”
Logan stiffens. His brows furrow. “What about her?”
My hands curl into fists. I feel sick. But I have to say it.
“She’s yours, Logan.”
For a moment, everything stands still.
Then his expression changes.
And my whole world crashes down.
The silence between us is deafening.
I’ve spent years dreading this moment—playing out a hundred different scenarios in my head —but none of them prepared me for the way Logan is looking at me now.
His entire body goes still, his green eyes darkening into something unreadable.
“She’s yours, Logan.”
The words hang between us, sharp and unrelenting.
His jaw tightens, and for a second, I think he’s going to say something—demand answers, lash out, anything—but he doesn’t. He just breathes, long and deep, as if trying to keep himself from breaking apart.
The weight of his silence crushes me.
“Say something,” I whisper, my throat thick with emotion.
He takes a step back like I just hit him.
“How long?” His voice is low, dangerous.
“Logan—”
“How long have you known?”
I suck in a breath. “Since the day I found out I was pregnant.”
His fists clench at his sides. “And you didn’t think I deserved to know?”
“I—”
“Don’t,” he growls. “Don’t you dare feed me some excuse, Julia. You stole six years from me. Six damn years with my daughter.”
I flinch at the accusation, but I don’t back down.
“I did what I thought was best at the time.”
“The hell you did.”
His voice is rough, filled with so much hurt that it physically aches.
My eyes burn. “You don’t understand.”
His laugh is cold, humorless. “Then make me.”
I wrap my arms around myself, trying to hold in the storm that’s threatening to spill out. “I was scared, Logan. I was young, alone, and I didn’t know how to tell you. You left. You walked away.”
His head jerks back, like I just slapped him. “I left because you told me to.”
Tears spill over before I can stop them. “I know. I know I pushed you away. And I regret it every single day.”His breathing turns ragged. “But you still didn’t tell me.”
“I wanted to,” I whisper. “God, I wanted to. But by the time I worked up the courage, it felt too late. And then…I was afraid you wouldn’t want her.”
Logan’s entire face hardens. “You thought I wouldn’t want my own daughter?”
My hands tremble at my sides. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know how you’d react, if you’d hate me for keeping her from you.”
He drags a hand through his hair, pacing the room like a caged animal. “So instead of telling me, you let me go on with my life, thinking you were just another ghost in my past?”
A choked sob slips past my lips.
“Yes.”
His eyes snap to mine. The air between us vibrates with tension, thick and suffocating.
Finally, Logan stops pacing. When he speaks again, his voice is quieter, but no less lethal.
My breath shudders. “She looks just like you.”
Logan shakes his head, a harsh, bitter laugh escaping. “Christ, Julia.”
I move toward him instinctively, but he takes another step back.
That hurts.
“Logan, please…” My voice cracks.
His expression is unreadable. “I need a minute.”
Terror flares inside me. “Logan—”
But he doesn’t let me finish.
He turns on his heel and walks out the door.
The slam echoes through the house, shattering what’s left of my composure.
I sink onto the couch, pressing my face into my hands as sobs wrack my body.
This is what I was afraid of.
I just lost him all over again.I don’t sleep that night.
I pace. I cry. I try to figure out a way to fix this.
But the truth is, I can’t.
I can only hope Logan comes back.
That he doesn’t hate me.
That he wants to know Lily.
When the sun finally rises, I feel like I’ve aged a lifetime.
I glance at my phone for the hundredth time. Nothing from Logan.
The silence is suffocating.
A small voice from the hallway makes me jump.
“Mommy?”
I whirl around, forcing a smile as Lily rubs her sleepy eyes.
“Hey, baby.” I crouch, brushing her wild curls from her face. “Did you sleep okay?”
She nods, then frowns. “You look sad.”
My heart clenches. “I’m okay, sweetheart.”
She studies me for a long moment before giving a small nod.
I tuck her hair behind her ear, my throat thick. “I love you, you know that?”
Lily smiles. “I love you too, Mommy.”
I pull her into my arms, holding her close as I squeeze my eyes shut.
Whatever happens next, I will not let my mistakes touch her.
But when the doorbell rings, my stomach drops.
Lily pulls back, eyes wide. “Who’s that?”
I already know.
I rise to my feet, swallowing hard as I walk toward the door.
My hands shake as I open it.
And there he is.
Logan.
Standing on my doorstep.
His expression is unreadable.
And in that moment, I know—this is it.