Chapter 19 #3
“Yes,” I said, breath shaking despite the anger vibrating in my ribs. “We were taken together. Then we got separated. He promised he’d come back for me—and he did.”
A laugh escaped me, but it tasted like rust.
Bitter.
Broken.
Only it was more than a decade too late. But hey… at least he came back.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Her hand lifted, hesitated, then fell back to her side, as if she’d touched fire.
Something inside my chest twisted painfully.
“Though,” I continued, voice dipping into something darker, “I’m still not sure if he came back for me… or because of you.”
Her breath hitched.
Lincoln stiffened.
My gaze locked with June’s.
For a moment, the room shrank to the size of that single, electric gaze.
The air thickened.
Charged.
Heavy with all the things we hadn’t said.
All the things she didn’t deny.
And that silence, that small, damning silence, told me more than any confession could.
“That’s not important.”
June cut in before Lincoln or I could say another word.
“The most important thing is that you’re safe. Where’s your mother now?”
“In one of the rooms upstairs.” My answer came out flat.
“Secure?” Lincoln’s tone hardened again. Always hunting threats, even inside four walls.
“You can’t keep her locked up forever,” she murmured, her voice quiet but firm, always the damn voice of reason, even when reason had done nothing but destroy her life.
“Of course not,” I snapped—too fast, too harsh—then forced myself to soften it. “But not until I can figure something out. Something’s… not right with her, June.”
The words scraped up my throat like gravel.
Saying them aloud made me feel heavier.
“I need to send her to a facility,” I said quietly. “Have her evaluated—maybe even kept there, locked up if I have to.”
“Kai…”
Her voice softened, broke a little.
Compassion—for the woman who tried to kill her.
Sometimes I didn’t know whether June was merciful… or just reckless with who she allowed herself to care about.
“You don’t understand,” I whispered. “She has plans. Terrible ones. To hurt people. My dad. His mistress. His son—my half-brother.”
A ragged exhale tore out of me.
“If I hadn’t intervened… if Dannie hadn’t pulled me out when he did… someone would’ve been dead by now because of her.”
“What about that Lucy woman?” My best friend pressed. “Can we trust her?”
“Yes.”
It surprised me how quickly the answer came.
But it felt true.
“Like me,” I admitted, “she’s been a victim of my mother’s games.”
“How so?” she asked, her tone gentle.
I drew in a slow, steadying breath.
“Remember my cousin Jenny?”
I didn’t wait for them to answer.
I needed to say it before the anger choked me.
“Lucy’s in love with Jenny. When my mother found out, she threatened to tell her parents. They’re extremely traditional. If the truth came out, she’d be disowned, cut off financially, and she’d probably never see Jenny again.”
Her hand flew to her mouth, horror flickering across her face.
“It gets worse.”
And somehow, it did.
“After that, my mother tightened the screws. She forced Lucy into seeing me, arranged dates, pushed for an engagement.”
June whispered, “Oh, God…”
“Jenny’s out of the facility now,” I exhaled. “Living with Lucy. Jenny’s stuck in her own fog and hasn’t connected the dots yet. But she will. Eventually.”
“That’s not her fault,” she said softly, and there it was, that heartbreaking empathy that made everything feel too tight inside.
“I know.” The words came out barely above a whisper.
And I did.
We were all casualties of the same war—a war she orchestrated.
Lincoln excused himself, muttering something about checking the perimeter, and when the door shut behind him, the room seemed to shrink.
Just June.
Just me.
Too close.
Too raw.
Dannie’s warning replayed in my head—unwelcome, but impossible to ignore.
“He told me to leave you alone,” I finally said, breaking the thick silence. “Said you deserve better. That I’ll ruin you.”
June’s brows pulled together. “He means well,” she said, her tone soft. “But he’s not my boss.”
The way she said it—steady, confident—cracked something in me.
“June…”
My throat tightened.
I didn’t even know what I planned to say, only that it was burning a hole inside me.
But she cut in gently, like she was placing a soft hand on a wound.
“But I’m considering his proposal.”
My heart stopped.
Just stopped.
“You… haven’t said yes?” I managed.
“No. Not yet.”
A breath escaped me, shaky, too loud in the quiet room.
“I know things are messy,” I said, every word trembling with an honesty I wasn’t used to. “I know I’m not what you need right now. But if you could just—”
My voice cracked.
I hated how fragile it sounded.
How desperate.
“Give me one more chance,” I whispered. “One more date. That’s all I’m asking.”
She looked at me for a long, long moment.
Her eyes flickered from caution, to hurt, to something dangerously close to longing.
“Kai…” she breathed.
Almost a warning.
Almost a promise.
But she didn’t say no.
And for the first time in days, maybe in weeks, the world didn’t feel like it was collapsing.
For now… that was enough.