Chapter 128
Chapter 128
The car slows in front of the same house I’ve known since childhood, and even with four armed men packed into the car with me, it still feels like I’m arriving alone.
I shift against the door as the vehicle stops. The moment I step out, I see it–my mother’s car.
Parked clean in the middle of the driveway.
Knox wasn’t lying. I hate that he wasn’t lying.
The guards begin to move when I do, stepping forward like shadows in formation. My hand goes up before they can trail me up the walkway.
“This is a very personal business,” I say without turning around. “I’d like for you all to stay right here, okay? I’ll be out soon.”
“Boss said we shouldn’t let you out of our sight,” one says.
I turn slowly. “This is my father’s house. You think Mateo’s in there?”
“Rules, ma’am.”
“I’m your boss’s girlfriend,” I say, biting out the word with a little more heat than I intended. “And I’m giving you another rule.”
They glance at each other, visibly hesitating, but none of them move when I walk away.
My jaw is clenched as I climb the porch stairs.
I knock. Hard. Last I checked, I still had a key to this place, but I can’t for the life of me remember where I left it.
A moment later, the door opens.
It’s my father–bare–chested, in sweatpants, and blinking like he’s just woken up from a nap.
“Sloane?” His voice is rough with sleep. “What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you too, Dad,” I say, stepping forward. “May I come in?”
He shifts, blocking the doorway a little more. “I’m afraid now’s not a very good time.”
Really?
“It’s my house too,” I say. “You can’t chase me away.”
-push past him before he can answer, brushing his arm and stepping into the familiar space.
My eyes sweep the room quickly–sofa, hallway, staircase. No sign of her yet, but I know she’s here. I can feel it in my bones.
My father shuts the door behind us. His bare feet make soft sounds as he moves across the hardwood floor, following me,
“What are you looking for, kiddo?”
“Where is she?” I ask, spinning around. “I heard Mom’s been living here.
“Who told you that?” he says, his tone tighter now.
“You shouldn’t have threatened Knox, Dad,
*So what? Your gangster boyfriend has people watching me now?
Chapter 128
“Where is she?” My voice rises before I can control it. “No. Fuck that. Where are your wife and your kid?”
His face tightens at the word ‘wife.‘
“It’s honestly not what you think, Sloane.”
“What am I thinking, Dad?”
The stairs creak. I turn instinctively toward the sound, and a familiar voice floats down.
“I knew it wouldn’t be long before the cavalry arrived.”
It’s Grandma June.
She’s coming down the stairs in a floral house robe and silk scarf tied neatly around her silver hair. She sees me and smiles. And damn it, there’s a small pull in my chest when I see her. The tiniest tug of comfort, one I try to smother immediately. I don’t want to smile right now. I came here on a mission, one I intend to carry out with all seriousness.
So I keep my face flat. Neutral.
She reaches the bottom of the stairs and leans in to kiss my cheek. “Your father’s an idiot, child,” she says. She pats my arm gently. “But his heart’s in the right place.”
I say nothing. Just wait.
“Apparently, your mom miscarried. And the only person she thought to call while at the hospital was him.”
Everything inside me stills.
“Miscarried?” I say.
She nods. “Yes. She’s really broken down about it. Made us promise not to tell any of you.”
Something cracks beneath my ribs, a messy knot of shock, guilt, and confusion. It hadn’t even crossed my mind how she’d been coping, alone and pregnant.
“Where is she?” I ask. “Has anyone called Jade?”
The softness in Grandma’s eyes vanishes. “It’s best if you don’t mention that name when you go upstairs to see her. Hopefully, you can convince your father to let you take her someplace else before Daphne gets home next week and this turns into a circus. God knows their marriage is already standing on shaky legs.”
~~
SERENA
Being alone means learning how to party on your own.
And not just the kind of party where you’re scrolling through your phone in bed with your legs tangled in a blanket and crumbs from a chocolate ba stuck to your collarbone. No. This is a full–blown, stand–on–the–coffee–table, blast the record player party, Sober. Alone.
I’m wearing a sweatshirt with a wine stain I keep lying to myself I’ll bleach out one day. No pants. Just pink cotton undies with little of mismatched socks. There’s a container of leftover rice balanced precariously in one hand, the remote control in the other wireless mic on stage at a stadium packed full of screaming fans.
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Chapter 128
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The lights are dim except for the floor lamp in the corner, casting an amber glow across the wooden floorboards. My shadow jumps with me as I bounce from one foot to another, belting out the chorus of a track I haven’t listened to since college but somehow still know every word. My hips swivel in sync with the beat, and I throw in a dramatic hair flip that nearly knocks my bowl of rice to the floor.
I forgot to get alcohol. Again. Which means I am stone–cold sober and doing all of this without the excuse of liquid courage.
Sober. Alone. And losing it.
It’s glorious.
Then the doorbell rings.
I freeze mid–hair–flip, rice spoon halfway to my mouth.
Who the hell rings a doorbell at this hour?
I shuffle to the door, drop the rice on the side table, and peek through the peephole. And when I see who’s standing outside, the words tumble out of me
like a reflex.
“Son of a bitch.”
Finn.
I press my forehead against the door. Just for a second. Just to gather the emotional strength not to scream.
I can’t believe this shit.
I unlock the door, yank it open, and there he is. Slouched posture, one arm in a sling, the other shoved in his hoodie pocket. His hair is messy, and there’s a line of stubble on his jaw that’s never been there anytime before now. He looks tired.
“Hi, Serena,” he says.
I don’t reply right away. I’m still trying to figure out whether I want to slam the door or throw the rice at his face.
“What the hell do you want? Sloane doesn’t live here anymore.”
“I know,” he says. “I actually came to see you. Can I come inside?”
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AD
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