Page 92 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his
The words hit harder than anything else tonight.
I lean forward, my voice fierce. “You’re not a burden. Youneverhave been, and youneverwill be. Do you hear me?” I tell her the same thing I’ve been telling her since all this started.
She swallows, her gaze meeting mine. And for the first time… Iseeit.
That moment.
The shift.
She believes me.
Not just in her head but in herheart.
She exhales slowly, her shoulders sinking into the mattress like she’s finally letting herself rest. “Okay.”
It’s one word. Soft. Fragile. But it lands like a promise.
I press her knuckles to my lips, eyes burning, throat tight.
Because I know it now. No more what-ifs. No more holding back.
We’ve crossed a line.
We’ve walked through fire.
And we came out the other side.
She’s not alone.
She never was.
And she never will be.
Not while I’m still breathing.
CHAPTERFORTY
RHYS
The first thing I notice is the silence.
Not the absence of noise—just… a different kind of quiet.
Our house is never truly quiet. There’s always someone yelling from the hallway, music thumping behind closed doors, Martha busy in the kitchen cooking or cleaning. It’s disarray wrapped in comfort. But tonight—it’s peaceful.
Not empty.
Earned.
Like the calm after a long storm, when everyone’s still a little damp, a little tired, but relieved to be standing.
Ally’s laugh echoes down the hall and wraps around me like a memory I don’t want to forget. It’s not just a sound. It’s gravity—pulling me out of my room.
I follow it.
When I step into the living room, I pause. Not because anything is particularly dramatic or loud—but becausethisis one of those rare, perfect moments you know you’ll remember.
Yasmin and Chase are play-fighting over the last caramel Tim Tam. Ella’s curled up in Arden’s lap, half-asleep, while he absently scrolls through his phone. Ashley and Caitlin are even here cuddled up on the armchair, their legs tangled comfortably. The smell of buttery popcorn clings to the air, mixing with whatever candle Ally lit earlier.
