Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Summer
I walked into Jake’s room as quietly as possible, careful not to startle him.
The soft glow from the nightlight barely illuminated his small frame, curled tightly under the blanket, his tiny arms wrapped around himself as if he were trying to disappear.
The sight of him like this—so small, so afraid—made my heart squeeze painfully in my chest. He didn’t move when I sat at the edge of his bed.
He didn’t even acknowledge that I was there.
He just stayed in that tight, defensive ball, his shoulders stiff, his breaths shallow and uneven, like he was trying to hold everything in, trying not to break.
I swallowed against the lump in my throat, forcing my voice to stay soft, steady.
"Jake."
No response.
I waited a moment before trying again. "Hey, buddy, can you look at me?"
Still nothing.
His little fingers gripped the fabric of the blanket so hard his knuckles had turned white.
I exhaled slowly, reaching out but stopping just before touching him, not wanting to make him flinch.
"I know you’re scared." My voice was barely above a whisper, but in the stillness of the room, it felt too loud. "But you don’t have to be alone in this, okay? I’m here. "
A tiny shift. Barely noticeable, but enough that I knew he had heard me.
I kept my voice low, gentle, trying to ease the tension in the room. "I promise you, no one is going to take you anywhere you don’t want to go."
Jake inhaled sharply, his breath catching like he had been holding it in for too long. Slowly, he turned his head, just enough that I could see his eyes peeking out from behind the blanket. And the moment I saw them, my heart shattered into a million pieces.
Pure, unfiltered fear.
It was the kind of fear that settled deep, the kind that had been ingrained through experience. This wasn’t just the fear of the unknown—this was the fear of knowing exactly what was waiting on the other side.
His lips trembled, and his voice came out so small, so broken, I almost didn’t hear it. "I don’t wanna go."
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms as I fought to keep my emotions in check. "You don’t have to."
Jake swallowed hard, blinking rapidly like he was trying to keep the tears from falling. "They’ll hurt me again." His voice cracked at the end, and I had to force myself to breathe through the sudden rush of rage and helplessness that hit me all at once.
I reached for his hand, slowly, carefully, making sure he saw my movements. When my fingers wrapped around his, his little body stiffened, but then—after a long pause—he squeezed back.
I leaned in closer. "Listen to me, Jake. No one is ever going to hurt you again. Do you hear me?"
His small chin wobbled, and his lips parted, like he wanted to say something, but no words came out. His eyes darted to mine, searching, pleading for reassurance that I wasn’t lying to him.
"I won’t let them," I whispered, my grip tightening just slightly. "You are safe. And I swear to you, I will do everything in my power to make sure you stay that way."
A tear slipped down his cheek, and before I could stop myself, I wiped it away with my thumb. "You believe me, don’t you?"
He didn’t nod. Didn’t speak. But the way he held onto my hand just a little tighter told me he wanted to believe it.
I sat with him for a while, not speaking, just letting him sit in the quiet comfort of knowing someone was there.
Eventually, his breathing evened out, his eyes growing heavy.
I stayed until he finally drifted into a restless sleep.
And even then, I stayed a little longer, my heart aching at the thought of him waking up in a world where he still didn’t feel safe.
When I finally forced myself to stand and leave, I made a silent vow.
I would fight for him. I would do whatever it took to protect him.
And I would not let him be taken by someone who could break him all over again.
The second I stepped into Carrie’s office, I knew I wasn’t going to leave without a fight. She looked up from the file she had been reading, her brow furrowing when she saw me. "Summer?"
I shut the door behind me and went straight to her desk. "You need to stop this adoption."
Carrie sighed, setting down the file. "I figured you’d be upset?—"
"Upset?" I let out a harsh laugh, barely recognizing the sound of my own voice. "Carrie, he’s terrified. He just told me he’d rather die than go back to a situation where he gets hurt again."
Carrie’s face paled.
I saw the moment the words hit her, the way she inhaled sharply, like she was trying to process it.
But then?—
She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Summer… I believe you. But this isn’t just about what we know. It’s about what we can prove."
My stomach dropped. "What?"
She looked at me with genuine regret. "Peter Hale comes from a powerful family. His father is politically connected, and their reputation is… clean. We don’t have any documented complaints against Peter. No reports. No police records. Nothing that legally stops him from applying for adoption."
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my skin. "So, what, we just hand Jake over to a monster because he has money and influence?"
Carrie’s expression hardened. "No. But we can’t just reject an application based on personal accounts alone. If we fight this, we need evidence. We need official complaints. Without that, we don’t have a case."
I was shaking.
Shaking from frustration, from helplessness, from the sheer injustice of it all.
"Then we get evidence," I said, my voice dangerously low.
Carrie sighed again. "We can delay the process, make sure every possible roadblock is put in place, but Summer… this won’t be easy."
I took a deep breath, grounding myself in the only thing I knew for sure. "I don’t care how hard it is. I’m not letting him take Jake."
Carrie studied me for a long moment, her eyes softening. "You really love that boy, don’t you?"
I swallowed past the lump in my throat, my voice barely above a whisper. "He deserves a chance."
A pause. Then Carrie leaned forward slightly. "Then have you considered adopting him yourself?"
The words hit me like a truck.
I opened my mouth, then closed it. I hadn’t even let myself consider it. Not because I didn’t want to, but because… could I?
Carrie’s voice was gentle. "If you really want to protect him, Summer… that might be the best way to do it."
I didn’t respond.
I couldn’t.
Because for the first time since I started this fight, I realized just how far I was willing to go for Jake.
And it terrified me.
I walked out of Carrie’s office, my chest tight, my thoughts spinning. The cold night air hit my face as I stepped outside, but it did nothing to calm the fire burning inside me.
This wasn’t just about stopping Peter Hale anymore.
This was about Jake’s future.
And if there was one thing I knew for certain?—
I was going to protect him.
No matter what it took.