25 #4
"She said if I didn't break your heart, she'd have Liam taken away. Put in some facility where I'd never see him again."
"I know." My hand tightens on the phone. "And I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry that you had to make that choice. That my mother put you in that position."
"It's not your fault—"
"It is." I cut her off. "She's my mother. My family. My responsibility. And she hurt you to control me. That's on me."
"Evander—"
"Come back." The words come out desperate. Broken. "Please. Come back to campus. We'll figure this out. We'll—"
"I can't." Her voice cracks. "Not tonight. I need—I need to make sure Liam is really safe. That she's not going to change her mind—"
"She won't." I say it with absolute certainty. "She's too afraid to."
"Afraid?" Aurora sounds skeptical. "Afraid of what?"
I think about Landon. About the dead security guard. About my mother's terrified face when she realized her own son would let his best friend murder her.
"Me," I say quietly. "She's afraid of me."
Aurora is quiet for a long moment. Then: "What did you do, Evander?"
"I became exactly what she made me." I lean my head back against the seat. Close my eyes. "A monster who doesn't care about her rules anymore. Who only cares about one thing."
"What's that?"
"You." The admission comes out raw. Honest. "I only care about you, Aurora. And I will burn everything else to keep you safe."
I hear her breath catch. Then quiet crying. Muffled, like she's pressing her hand over her mouth.
"I'm sorry," she says through the tears. "I'm so sorry I said those things. I'm sorry I hurt you—"
"Don't apologize." My voice is firm. "You did what you had to do to protect Liam. I understand that. I would have done the same thing."
"I need to see you." Her voice is desperate now. "I need—can you come here? To Mrs. Calloway's? Just for a little while?"
I look at Marcus in the rearview mirror. He nods once.
"I'll be there in one hour," I say. Of course, I’m taking the jet because her house is a six-hour drive—far too long of a wait. "Don't move. Don't go anywhere. Just wait for me."
"Okay." She sounds relieved. Exhausted. "Okay."
"Aurora?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you." The words come out before I can stop them. Raw. Unfiltered. "I love you and I'm sorry I didn't say it before and I'm sorry my mother made you think you had to choose between me and Liam."
Silence. Then: "I love you too."
Four words. Simple. Direct.
They shatter what's left of my carefully maintained control.
"One hour," I repeat. My voice is shaking now. "I'm leaving right now."
"I'll be here."
We hang up.
I sit there for a moment. Phone clutched in my hand. Heart pounding.
She loves me. Despite everything. Despite my mother. Despite the manipulation and the control and the systematic destruction of her autonomy.
She loves me.
"Marcus," I say quietly. "Take me to Mrs. Calloway's address. As fast as legally possible. Let's just use the jet for the last time."
"Of course, sir." He puts the car in drive. "Would you like me to inform your mother you'll be unavailable for the foreseeable future?"
"I quit Laurent Global," I remind him. "I'm not my mother's heir anymore. I'm not unavailable. I'm just... gone."
Marcus's eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. "And you're certain about this decision?"
I think about Aurora. About the way she looked at me in the courtyard. About the terror in her voice when she thought Liam was in danger. About the tears I can still hear echoing through the phone.
"I've never been more certain about anything in my life," I say.
Marcus nods. "Then let's go get your girl back."
The car pulls out of campus. Heads toward the airport terminal. Toward Aurora.
Toward whatever future we're going to build together.
And I don't look back.
Not at the Laurent Global building. Not at my mother's empire. Not at the life I was supposed to inherit.
All of that is behind me now.
All that matters is ahead.
Aurora. Liam. Mrs. Calloway. The people I've chosen to protect instead of the legacy I was supposed to maintain.
My phone buzzes. A text from Tristan.
Tristan: You did the right thing. We've got your back. Always.
Another text. Lucius this time.
Lucius: If your mom comes after her again, we'll handle it. Together.
And finally, Landon.
Landon: Family protects family. Even the monsters.
I stare at that last message for a long moment. At the truth underneath the words.
We're all monsters. Every single one of us. Shaped by trauma and wealth and parents who taught us that power matters more than people.
But we're monsters who protect each other. Who choose loyalty over legacy. Who would kill to keep the people we love safe.
And maybe that's enough.
Maybe that's all we can be.
The car speeds through the night. Toward Aurora. Toward redemption. Toward whatever comes next.
And I'm ready for it.
All of it.
Because I'm not the Ice King anymore. I'm not the Crown Prince. I'm not my mother's obedient heir.
I'm just Evander Laurent. I'm just hers. A monster who fell in love with a survivor.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.