Dhalia POV The guy looks at me as he sets up.“Have you ever had a tattoo before?” he asks, and I shake my head. “If it’s too painful, let me know,” he says, his tone kind. I nod and stay still as he begins, the sensation more annoying than painful. “You came in just in time,” he comments as he works. “By tomorrow, it probably wouldn’t have been visible anymore.” I nod, the reality of what I’m doing settling in. After last night, I’m more determined than ever to do this. I need something permanent, something to show I’m not leaving. Forty-five minutes later, he’s done, and he’s been chatting with me the whole time, making the experience surprisingly comfortable. Leaving the shop, I realise I’ve planned this all wrong. I need to get changed and ready to meet Keeley, but I don’t want to bother the guys. I book a taxi and wait for it to arrive, making sure the bandage on my neck is securely in place, hiding the mark. Back at the house, I nod at the guys on the door as I walk in. The
Dhalia POVI don’t move. I just sit there, staring at Keeley, my mind reeling, unable to comprehend what she’s saying. “You’re lying,” I manage to choke out, my voice trembling. “We’ve known each other since I was like four!”My mind races to make sense of it all. How could my stepdad have paid her to be my friend at such a young age? It doesn’t add up.Keeley rolls her eyes, her expression almost bored. “Your parents were friends with mine, Dhalia. That’s the only reason we even played together. I never really wanted to be your friend. By the time I was eleven, I wanted to live my own life, without you tagging along. But then your stepdad wasn’t happy after… well after you killed your own sister. So he paid me to stay close to you. I was young, but I knew the money was worth it.”Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I’m at a loss for how to respond. My mind is battling a storm of emotions—confusion, anger, betrayal. “Fine,” I finally say, my voice shaky. “So he paid you to be my
Dhalia POVI don’t know how long I’ve been walking when I finally collapse onto a bench. My clothes are soaked through, and the rain is still coming down in buckets, but I don’t care. I’m lost, unsure of what to believe or who to trust anymore. I thought I knew Keeley. I thought she was my best friend. If I didn’t know her, how can I be sure I know the guys? How can I trust anyone after this?The tears I’ve been holding back finally start to fall, mixing with the rain on my face. My mind is a battlefield, torn between the love I’ve felt and the betrayal that’s been thrust upon me. I feel like running, running as far away as I can. Somewhere new, where no one knows me, where I can start over and maybe, just maybe, the people in my life will be there for the right reasons—not because they’re using me, not because they were paid to be.Eventually, I force myself to stand and start walking again, but my thoughts keep circling back to the same question: Why? If they’ve always been with wom
Chase POVJax is struggling, and it’s clear to everyone. The pictures were the final nail in the coffin, undeniable proof that she was the one who betrayed us. She’s the only one with access to those moments, the only one who could walk into our rooms and take them. As much as Jax doesn’t want to believe it, he has no choice. We wanted evidence, and now we have it. Yet, despite everything, we’re still holding out hope, still struggling to believe that she could do this to us.That’s why I’m sitting here with this file open in front of me. Blake has her laptop in front of him. I remember the day she panicked and left the file on her bed. Later, I found it hidden under her mattress. Now, it feels like a bomb waiting to go off, and neither Blake nor I want to be the one to pull the pin. We’re just staring at it as if by not touching it, we can keep the truth at bay a little longer.“Fuck’s sake!” Jax suddenly shouts, yanking the file from my hands. He starts rifling through it, throwing
Chase POVLater, sitting at the table, I lay out the plan for Blake and Jax. They’re still reeling from everything, but they know what has to be done. Tomorrow, everything comes out. We’ll walk into the launch as new men, leaving Dhalia and all the mess she’s caused behind us.But even as we talk, we’re all still shocked by what Dhalia did. When she came back earlier, soaked to the bone and looking emotionless, she pushed Jax away like he was nothing. He’s been sitting here, staring at the table, questioning whether her coldness was because of what happened last night. I’ve tried reminding him that she seemed fine with it, but in his mind, he’s convinced he hurt her.“Rose…” Blake suddenly says, breaking the silence.“We always knew she wouldn’t care about the disclosure. I’m more surprised she spoke to Dhalia,” I chuckle slightly, trying to lighten the mood. Rose was sweet once, but she became obsessed with Blake, turning into a full-blown stalker.“My first ever stalker,” Blake grin
Dhalia POVI know I need to apologise to them. After last night—after Keeley, Rose, and everything they said—I built a wall around myself and buried all my emotions deep inside, hiding behind a facade. It wasn’t until I saw Jax’s face, the worry etched in every line, that I realised how cold I’d been toward them. The fear in his eyes that he had somehow hurt me made me see just how far I’d pulled away.Part of me doesn’t even want to go to the launch tonight. I want to hide away and disappear into the shadows. Every time I try to feel a shred of happiness, Rose’s words come back to haunt me, ripping apart any sense of worth I have left. I glance through my bags, trying to focus on something—anything—else. I choose the smallest one. It fits my new phone, but that’s it.Honestly, I shouldn’t even need my old phone. I won’t need any of the numbers on it, won’t need access to my bank. The new phone, with only their numbers in it, feels like a lifeline I’m clinging to. Even though I’m terr
Dhalia POVA hand reaches down, lifting me to my feet. I wipe away the tears and look around, feeling the stares of everyone in the crowd. My gaze locks onto Keeley and Justin, both laughing, their cameras flashing as they take pictures of my humiliation.“You need to move,” a voice says, and I turn to see Aiden, one of their guards, glaring at me. My head shakes in disbelief, but before I can say anything, he steps forward, blocking my path. “You’re not allowed in. Exclusive event. I suggest you go back to whatever home you have left. Now move, you’re blocking the fucking path.” He shoves me back, and I stumble but manage to keep my balance.Rushing away, I round the corner and stop, my body shaking uncontrollably as the cold finally seeps through me. What the hell just happened? My hands tremble as I take out my phone and dial Blake’s number. It goes straight to voicemail. Crying, I leave a message, trying to explain, but the words come out garbled and frantic. I hang up and try Jax
Blake POVSitting at the table, last night’s events replay in my mind like a broken record. Dhalia’s voicemail kept echoing in my head, but after the first one, I couldn’t bring myself to listen to the others. The pain in her voice, the sheer brokenness, it was too much. It makes me question everything—did we get it all wrong? I haven’t listened to the other messages, and I can’t. Not yet.“He needs to eat,” Chase mutters from across the table, and I know he’s right. Jax has been silent since the event, like a ghost walking through the house. He didn’t eat last night, and this morning, he’s barely touched anything. Sighing, I decide to face him, even if it means enduring whatever anger he’s bound to throw my way.When I get to his room, I push the door open and find him sitting on the bed, the phone pressed against his ear. I don’t need to ask to know that he’s listening to her voicemails. The pain radiating from his eyes tells me everything. He pulls the phone away, presses the scree
Dhalia POV After shopping today, I felt a sense of relief I hadn’t experienced in what felt like forever. It wasn’t just about the shopping itself, though I did need some new clothes—my body has changed so much in the past year. No, it was more about finally getting out of the house, about reclaiming a little bit of the freedom I’d been missing. The walls of our home, which once felt like a sanctuary, had started to close in on me. Chase and Jax, in their well-meaning but intense desire to protect me and ensure I had time to heal, ended up suffocating me without even realising it. Don’t get me wrong—I love them for how much they care, but I didn’t need to be housebound for months, or placed on bed rest for weeks after giving birth. I know some women would relish the idea of doing nothing but resting and being pampered, but it drove me crazy. That’s why, when Chase casually mentioned going shopping, I jumped at the opportunity. I was out the door and in the car before he could even t
Chase POVI watched Dhalia as she moved through the store, her steps light and full of purpose, and it hit me—I might have gone too far. In our well-intentioned but overzealous efforts to protect her and Jacob, Jax and I had smothered her. When I casually mentioned the idea of going shopping, I expected a discussion, maybe some hesitation. But instead, she practically bolted for the door, grabbing her coat and leaving without a word. That was proof enough. We had suffocated her under the guise of safety and care.Seeing her so happy to be out, to be free to do something as simple as shopping, was a wake-up call. We had reduced her life to the confines of our home, restricting her to the roles of mother and partner, leaving little room for her to just be herself. That’s why I suggested she could return to work if she wanted to. Jax may not like the idea—he’s still riding the wave of his overprotectiveness—but after more than six months of keeping her tethered, it’s time we give her bac
Blake POV The last few months have been a whirlwind, a mental and emotional gauntlet that none of us expected. It wasn’t the physical demands that took their toll on me—it was the psychological strain, the constant push and pull of trying to navigate our lives while Chase and Jax became increasingly overprotective of Dhalia. My attempts to ground them in reality often felt futile, like trying to anchor a ship in the middle of a storm. Dhalia, poor Dhalia, bore the brunt of their overzealous protection. At five months pregnant, they decided it was too dangerous for her to continue working. Mind you, her job was sitting in a cozy little bookstore, reading and managing sales. There wasn’t anything remotely strenuous about it, but they convinced themselves—and her—that it was unsafe. It seemed harmless enough at first, just a precaution. But by the time she hit seven months, their obsession to shield her and the baby from every possible harm became all-consuming. They wouldn’t let her
Jax POVAs I sit on the couch, the book resting on my lap, I find myself absorbed not so much in the story itself but in the little marks I’ve made throughout its pages. These marks have become something of an obsession for me. They’re the places where I’ve seen Dhalia react—whether it’s a quiet gasp, a tear rolling down her cheek, or that subtle squirm of excitement that she can’t quite hide. Whenever she reads with me in the room, and I catch one of those reactions, I make sure to mark the page number. Later, when she’s done, I go back and read those specific sections, trying to decode what it is about these words that stirs something inside her.It all started small. At first, I only marked the pages that elicited a blush or a quiet moan—scenes of sex that clearly struck a chord. It didn’t take long to realise that it wasn’t just those moments that mattered to her. She would also react to the tender, the heartbreaking, and the unexpectedly sweet moments with an equal, if not more p
Dhalia’s POVMy eyes are glued to the door. In front of me are three small boxes, one for each of them. They are late, though. They promised to be back by four, and now it’s a quarter past. I’m trying to be patient, but it’s harder than I’d like to admit.Two months ago, I opened my bookstore, and it’s been incredible. Twice a week, we host book clubs, and I’ve made it a point to bring one of the guys with me to each session. It’s hilarious watching their faces as we dive into the discussions. The women seem to enjoy it too—something about discussing steamy romance scenes with a bit of eye candy in the room.The door finally creaks open, and I sit up straighter as they walk in.“You’re late,” I say, trying to keep a straight face.“By fifteen minutes, Angel. Cut us some slack.” Blake winks, leaning down to kiss me. His hand reaches for one of the boxes, but I slap it away.“Don’t touch.”He chuckles, rolling his eyes.“Why do I get the feeling we’re in trouble, Sweetness?” Jax asks as
Chase POVI stay stood in this room, shocked by what she's done. She went above and beyond, I was expecting a small, shop, nothing big. This though, is huge. We made sure that everyone knew not to mention anything to us about it.They weren't allowed to mention the location, the colour of the store, nothing. We wanted her to be in control and do it all alone without our input and she has."I've got something to show you," she grips my hand and guides me back through to the book store part, walking through she stops by some books, and hands me one.There, on the cover is a pink fucking unicorn. She found one? I stare at her and she laughs."Pink unicorn," she smiles up at me."You're fucking crazy, you read it?" I stare in amazement as she nods."I did and I'll admit I didn't enjoy it a single bit, but I had to get it, read it because that's the next book you're reading."My head tilts. "Please say you're joking?" She has to be. Her head shakes, and she places the book back."No, you m
Jax POVI watch as she walks towards us, the dress is stunning, long and golden. She stops in front of me and smiles."If they don't hurry, we will be late," she glares towards the door."Leave them alone Sweetness, they were having some fun before getting ready." We both laugh and I wrap my arms around her. A lot has changed in the past three months, a lot of her stepdads businesses are now fully hers. Although we take care of a lot of them.She wasn't comfortable taking over the strip clubs, bars, and such. So we sort a lot of it out for her. She straightens my tie and I chuckle. Her arms wrap around my neck and she reaches on her toes to kiss my lips."I love you Sweetness," I whisper as I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer. My mind goes back, and I begin to wonder if we would ever have found her had Carl not set her up? It's scary to consider that, to consider where she would have been.Justin's plan was to do what Carl had once she returned to him, so would she still be
Dhalia POV His words float around in my mind. He should have told Jax and Blake, then maybe they would understand the whole issue he has. Something tells me after he does something with them, it brings back what happened with his father. I fight to figure out what to say to him, other than he should tell Jax and Blake. “Do they know any truth in what happened?” I stroke along the scar. “No, I thought them believing it sent me over the edge would stop them from doing anything. It did, but part of me still craved them. Which of course Jax noticed, and made it happen.” “You need to tell Jax the truth.” After everything, he still believes that Chase runs because he’s repulsed. “Jax can’t know. He will blame himself for what my father did.” He’s not wrong, Jax will blame himself to some degree. “What happens if he finds out the truth, Chase? Then how will he feel? Knowing that you kept on lying to him?” “He can’t find out, only we know.” I laugh. “So every man there that day is dea
Dhalia POV After eating, I found myself with more energy than before. Which sucks as I was ready to go to bed. Jax and Blake are currently messing around. I say, messing around, but Blake is more taunting him to get a punishment. It’s nice to see, and it reminds me of at the start. “I’m going to finish my book,” I jump up and walk off. I could have fallen asleep earlier, now though? I’ve got too much energy. Grabbing the book I sit down and begin reading it. About ten minutes later, the movement of the door has me turning to it. Chase walks in with a smile. “So, I found a book.” Really? “You found a smut book that involves a frickin unicorn?” He nods. “I did very well, thank you.” Wait, no! “Pink unicorn, it has to be a pink unicorn.” I watch as he sighs and sits beside me. “Pink is impossible! I have searched and I can’t find it!” His outburst has me laughing. “How about a human-unicorn that’s pink? I found one of them.” “No, it’s a pink unicorn, not half and half Chase. So y