I should have known better than to trust him with something so important, but it is what it is.
I’ve always done everything I can to make sure Jack and his family stay out of this. I’ve kept him in the dark for years, and I’ll keep doing it. Just becauseI’mstuck with The Assembly doesn’t mean he has to be involved.
Sure, the things I’ve kept from him became overly complicated when he got involved with Quinn, but we’re past that being an issue.
“Don’t think this absolves you for being so fucking messy.” Stu is fucking stupid, unhinged, and the way he has always idolized all The Assembly stands for has clouded his judgment more than once. “You need to disappear, and not just from Hallow Ridge. I don’t care if I ever fucking hear from you again. You’ll be a lot better off if Idon’t.”
Without another word, he nods and turns and gets back into his car, driving off into the night. I watch him go.
I return inside, closing the door quietly behind me. As I make my way back to the bedroom, I pause and pull out my phone to respond to the text Jack sent inviting me to go golfing this weekend.
Sliding back into bed beside Kruz, I feel her stir slightly, her hand reaching for me.
She mumbles something in her sleep, leaning into me. I lay awake for a long time, knowing that when I fall asleep, she’ll be gone by the time I wake again.
But that’s fine.
She won’t get far.
Because of all the plans I’ve had in my life, the ones I have to keep her coming back are by far the best.
EPILOGUE
QUINN
6 months later…
Earlier tonight,I stood at my graduation, a moment I hadn’t thought possible just half a year ago, or eventhreemonths ago when my mom passed away and I had to overcome that hurdle as well.
The auditorium buzzed with the low hum of families and friends, but my mind kept drifting back to everything I had overcome just to make it there. From the stage, I watched Jack in the crowd, Sienna perched on his lap, her tiny hands clapping along with the audience.
She’s grown so much over the past six months, and watching her meet each milestone along the way has been nothing short of amazing.
Ezra sat beside them, and Kruz’s bright smile from a few rows over from me was the same steady source of warmth I had come to depend on.
When I crossed the stage, pride swelled in my chest. The cap on my head somehow made me feel lighter than the burdens I’d carried through the years, and the diploma in my hands wasn’tjust a certificate—it was proof of everything I’d fought through. The applause echoed in my ears, but it was Jack’s smile that made me feel the most proud. I couldn’t help but think of all the nights he had stayed up with me, encouraging me to keep going when I wanted to give up.
After the ceremony, we all gathered outside in the cool evening air. Sienna tugged at my gown, giggling, and I bent down to scoop her up, her joy contagious as I smothered her fat cheeks in kisses.
I often think of all the things Anna is missing out on with her daughter, but I’m eternally grateful to have this place in Sienna’s life. Jack cut his sister off after learning she had been involved in Stu’s fucked up little game, and he’s made it clear he has no plans to forgive her—whether she knew the full extent of what was happening at the time or not. But she hasn’t tried to reach out anyway.
For the first time in what felt like forever, I realized the future was mine to shape. Standing there, surrounded by the people I loved—people who had been with me through the worst—I knew I wasn’t just celebrating my graduation. I was celebrating survival.
Jack’s house is dark and silent, Sienna having gone for a sleepover with Uncle Ezra for the night—and Kronk as well because they both insisted. I never imagined mydoghaving sleepovers for funsies, but here we are.
Kruz volunteered to help babysit after a celebratory dinner at our favorite restaurant—not that Ezra needs help. He’s great with Sienna, and I’m sure there are a million other things Kruz could have chosen to do on her graduation night. More and more every day I wonder when she will finally admit to herself that Ezra is more than just a fling to her.
The way he looks at her, she’s definitely more than just a fling to him.
I unstrap my heels as soon as we walk through the front door, anxious to get the death traps off my feet.
I wrap my free hand around Jack’s forearm to steady myself, and the way he looks at me tells me he has no intentions of us making it to the bedroom beforeourcelebration begins.
I kick my shoes to the side and turn my body toward his, reaching up to clasp my hands around the back of his neck as he closes and locks the front door behind him.
I pull him down for a kiss, and he releases me to turn and set the alarm—some things are non-negotiable after everything we've been through. I appreciate that he always puts our safety first, even though there’s not much to worry about these days.
I don’t have time to react when he spins back toward me, pulling me against him and pinning my wrists behind my back with his large hand. He assaults me with kisses, and I’m completely lost to him.
