Dhalia POVI’m startled awake by the sound of something smashing. Groaning, I push myself up from where I’d been slumped against the door, my body aching from the awkward position. Every muscle protests as I stand, and I stretch, trying to shake off the stiffness. The bathroom where I’d holed up last night feels even smaller in the cold light of morning.I make my way to the shower, hoping for some warmth to soothe my sore limbs, but when I turn on the faucet, nothing happens. The pipes groan, and I twist the taps in frustration, but not a drop of water comes out. Great—no water.Sighing, I strip off the almost-dry, muddy dress from last night and change into whatever I could scavenge from the wreck of this house. The old, worn t-shirt clings to my skin and the faded leggings are threadbare in places. Slipping on the trainers with holes in them, I gather up the dress and shoes, feeling the weight of the past in every step as I throw them into the trash.I catch a glimpse of myself in
Dhalia POVThe bathroom is a disaster. It looks like someone used it as a kennel for a wild animal. It takes me half an hour, but I finally get it clean enough to remove the cloth from my face. The smell is gone, and the bathroom is almost unrecognisable. I don’t know who stayed here, but they were either deeply troubled or just plain cruel.“Well, shit,” the man says, leaning against the doorframe. "Sorry, no pun intended. It looks like you get to keep the job. Payment comes at the end of the week. No advances, no using the resources. If I catch you stealing, you’re gone without pay. If I catch you trying to shower or wash up, the same. You start every morning at ten.”He leaves, and I continue cleaning the rooms. None of them are as bad as the first, though one is covered in vomit. By the time I’m done, I’m exhausted, my muscles screaming in protest. But I did it. I kept the job.When I walk back to the front desk, the man shakes his head. “Don’t ask,” he says gruffly. “I don’t give
Jax POVI didn’t sleep last night. We drove around the city for hours, checking every corner, every place she might have gone. But we didn’t find her. We returned to the house multiple times, hoping she’d somehow turn up, but nothing. The worst part is, I have no idea if she’s even in this city or if she’s gone back to the one where she used to live.We’ve sent out messages to everyone we know, asking them to let us know if they see her, but so far, there’s been no response. I’m scared as hell that she’s hurt, or worse, lying somewhere cold and alone. While I’ve been obsessing over finding Dhalia, Chase has been piecing together what really happened, but right now, I don’t care.I don’t care that Keeley and Liam worked together to set her up and ensure she met with him under the pretence of legal representation. She had no idea what was really going on. None of that matters. What matters is what she was already dealing with and how we completely failed her when she needed us most.Cha
Jax POVI return and hold the cash out to her.“There, cash. No trail. You’ll know I didn’t track you,” I say, praying she’ll take it. She shakes her head. “Why won’t you just take it and let us help?”“Help?” She stands and glares at me, the pain in her eyes making my heart ache. “You mean like the other day? How you helped humiliate me? How you helped give Keeley some epic fucking pictures to go with her story about me? If you want to help, leave and never come back.”“Just take the money,” I beg, desperate to know she at least has something to get by on.She snatches the money from my hands, but instead of pocketing it, she storms into the bathroom, throws the bills into the toilet, and flushes them away. “Fine, what do you want?” I yell, my voice echoing off the tile.“For you three to never fucking exist,” she says, her words hitting me like a punch to the gut. “For me to go back and have never met, I would actually fucking rather live with Carl or my stepdad than you three. I wa
Dhalia POVThis week has been nothing short of painful. The day after they found me, the gifts started arriving—a stupid amount of them. Each one was from Jax, each one begging for my forgiveness. But I couldn’t. I sent every single one back, refusing to even look at them. By the third day, they stopped coming to beg in person, though Jax still sent gifts. By day five, Blake showed up, pleading with me to come back because Jax wasn’t coping.Each time they ask, it gets harder and harder to refuse. They even brought my things from their place, but I wanted to burn it all. Everything I owned, everything I had, basically came from them. When they kidnapped me, I had nothing. No matter how much I wanted to watch it all burn, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Yesterday, they found out I was staying at the church’s shelter, but so far, none of them have shown up here. It’s a relief; I don’t fancy arguing with them in a church.But I’m worn out. Every time I see them, it hurts all over again
Dhalia POV“Sometimes, I hate you,” I mutter.He laughs softly. “Just ask yourself, if you thought they were using you and planning to betray you, by telling the world your demons, what would you have done?”“I admit I would have run, locked them out,” I say, the truth settling uncomfortably in my chest. “But I wouldn’t have torn them down in public or ridiculed them.”“But you wouldn’t have spoken to them,” he points out gently. “So how can you hate them for acting and not speaking to you? If you want my advice, go see them. Don’t give in, don’t open yourself up completely. Don’t forgive them just yet. But listen. Give them time to explain, and then tell them how you felt—tell them everything. Then decide where to go from there. At least then, if you walk away, you’ll know you’re not going to regret it.”He smiles at me and leaves, giving me space to think. I really hate that man sometimes. We’ve talked a lot these past few days, especially after he saw the newspaper article and I en
Chase POVI’ve barely spoken. Jax and Blake have been doing most of the talking. Me? I’ve sat quietly, listening and watching everything unfold. I accept that I don’t deserve her, and I don’t deserve for her to even listen to me. I caused all of this. At first, I refused to believe she would do it, but then I reverted to my usual self and didn’t want to look any deeper.Jax and Blake had no idea how far I planned to go that day, and since then, neither of them has really spoken to me. I don’t blame them. The fact is, I locked myself down as soon as I saw the pictures. I built up the walls she had worked so hard to break down and switched everything off.I didn’t see Jax or Blake. I didn’t see how they were hurting. I just bulldozed in and screwed up everything. Only this time, I was wrong. This time, I hurt them more than the threat would have.So, I can’t speak because I have no idea where the hell to start. Other than to defend Blake and Jax, which she doesn’t want, but that’s my in
Chase POV“Liam, I didn’t know he worked for a newspaper. I didn’t know his boss was Wayne. He came in with a file about suing a company. The whole restaurant thing? That was because we didn’t have private space in the office.”“You didn’t tell us, though,” if she had, we would have known.“Shut up, Chase, let me speak,” she shouts, and I do as I’m fucking told because I already messed everything up once. “That night when Blake asked me where I had been, I was still a mess over what Keeley had said and done, along with Rose. I didn’t think. I couldn’t; my mind was fixed on that moment with Keeley, and I apologise for lying, but it wasn’t intentional.”At the time, I thought she was covering her back, lying to hide the truth. Knowing what happened that night, I quickly realised she was drowning and not thinking.“Keeley had kept ringing me. She asked if I was at the café we usually eat at, and I said I was on my way. When I got there, she wasn’t there. Liam was. He asked me to take hom
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