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𝚆𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚆𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 - 15

Kai

The first thing I heard was the rhythmic beeping of machines. Then the sting in my throat. The heaviness in my limbs. My lips were dry, cracked, and my head felt like it had been split down the middle.

I blinked hard, the white lights above blinding me. It took a second to realize I was still alive.

The memories came back in pieces: the warehouse, the darkness, the hunger, Cassie's smug voice, Viktor's rage, the gnawing fear in my stomach...

The baby.

I jolted up, but my body screamed in protest.

"My baby—" I gasped.

"Shh, shh, you're okay," my mom's voice rang out. I felt her arms wrap around me as my body trembled. "You're safe now."

I turned my head. My mom was crying. My dad stood close, his hand gripping mine tight. Sasha was on the other side of the bed, face blotchy from crying. Gio stood behind her, jaw clenched like he was ready to kill someone.

And next to them stood Blake's mom and dad.

Blake's mother, Ava Santiago, knelt at the side of my bed with tears in her eyes. "You scared the hell out of us, sweetheart," she whispered, brushing hair off my forehead like I was her own.

"Thank God you're alright," her father, Alessandro, added, his voice thick. "We were so worried."

"Where is she?" I whispered. "Where's Blake?"

Everyone hesitated.

"Outside," Sasha finally said. "She hasn't left the hallway since they brought you in. Won't let anyone touch your door."

"She's just... sitting out there?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

Gio nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Like a ghost."

I looked away. My heart shouldn't have ached for her. Not after what she did. Not after how she treated me. Not after how she shut me out and tossed me aside like I was nothing. But I still wanted her.

And I hated that I did.

"Can you tell her to come in?" I whispered.

My mom looked surprised, but she nodded, smoothing my hair gently. "Of course, baby."

Sasha squeezed my hand, leaning in close. "Are you sure?"

"I just want to talk," I said, my voice flat. "That's all."

They all filed out quietly. I stared straight ahead, my pulse loud in my ears.

A few minutes passed before the door creaked open.

I didn't look at her right away.

But I could feel her. Like gravity. Heavy. Pulling me in.

"Hi," she said quietly.

I turned my head, slowly. She looked... awful. Haunted. Her eyes were rimmed in red, her jaw tight like she was holding herself together by a thread.

"You look like shit," I muttered.

A half-broken smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Yeah. You don't look too hot yourself, babygirl."

I flinched.

"Don't call me that."

Her face fell immediately. "Sorry."

I folded my arms slowly over my chest, weak but still guarded. "Why are you here?"

She took a hesitant step forward. "Because I love you."

"That didn't stop you from treating me like garbage."

"I know." Her voice cracked.

"You didn't even ask. You didn't give me a chance. You told me to leave like I was disposable." I blinked back the heat in my eyes. "And now you're sitting outside my door like you're the one who's broken."

"I am broken," she whispered. "But only because I almost lost you."

"You did lose me," I said coldly. "And if you came here for forgiveness, I don't have it for you. Not yet."

She looked like she'd been punched in the gut.

"I'm here because I needed to make sure you were okay. Even if you never speak to me again. Even if you hate me. I needed to know you were alive."

I stared at her, searching her expression. And I saw it—the pain, the guilt, the regret that haunted her. And something deeper.

A fear that I would never love her again.

I softened—just a fraction.

"You know?" I said softly, eyeing her.

She nodded slowly. "Sasha told me."

I exhaled, long and hard.

"So now you want to play baby daddy of the year?" I asked bitterly.

"No," she said quickly. "I want to protect what's mine. And you're mine, Kai. You and the baby. But I know I don't get to claim that until you let me."

I blinked fast, chest tightening.

"You didn't ask. You didn't trust me. You threw me out like I was trash." My voice cracked. "After everything we'd been through... You didn't even ask."

Her eyes shimmered. "I was scared. Hurt. Jealous. Stupid. All of it. I can't take it back, but I regret every second of pushing you away."

I looked away, my jaw tight.

"I let you explain after you slept with someone else," I said bitterly. "You didn't even let me explain why I left the house."

Her expression shattered.

"You're right. And I've lived with that every day since."

I shook my head, anger rising. "You didn't just hurt me. You abandoned me. You ignored me at work, acted like I didn't exist, and the whole time I was carrying your baby."

"I know," she said again, voice cracking. "I want to protect what's mine. That's you. And the baby. But I know I don't have the right to ask for anything unless you let me."

I scoffed. "You don't get to decide that. You gave that up when you stopped listening."

Silence stretched.

She looked at me like I was oxygen and she hadn't breathed in days.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "For everything. I should've trusted you. I should've known you'd never hurt me like that. I should've loved you better."

I blinked, hot tears stinging my eyes.

"I don't know if I can forgive you," I whispered.

"I don't expect you to. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But I'm not going anywhere, Kai. I'm staying right here until you tell me to leave."

I looked down at my belly, still sore and tender.

"I just want to keep my baby safe," I said quietly. "With or without you."

"You will," Blake whispered. "And I'll do everything I can to help—on your terms."

I didn't answer.

She didn't ask me to.

She just sat there, silently watching over me like a sentry, not daring to touch, not daring to breathe too loud.

For the first time since the kidnapping, I let myself close my eyes.

I didn't know if I trusted her.

But I didn't feel quite so alone