Chapter 9
907 Words
Chapter Nine
Lanesra spun around, her heart hammering in her chest. Her breath hitched as she locked eyes with Kade. His expression was unreadable, a mixture of relief, hesitation, and something else—something that looked like regret.
“Lanesra,” he breathed, his voice rough.
She was frozen, torn between wanting to run and wanting to collapse into his arms. The phone in her hand slipped from her fingers, clattering onto the pavement. Neither of them moved to pick it up.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said, stepping closer.
She stiffened, regaining control of her emotions. “Can you blame me?”
His jaw tightened. “No.”
Silence stretched between them, the weight of their unfinished business pressing down on them. Lanesra glanced over her shoulder toward the café, then back at him. “How did you find me?”
Kade let out a humorless chuckle. “Erin called me.”
Lanesra’s stomach dropped. Of course, she did. “And you just came running?”
“I needed to see you,” he admitted. “And I think you needed to see me too.”
Lanesra swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way her body reacted to him—the way her heart still ached for him despite everything. She took a step back. “I don’t know what to believe anymore, Kade.”
He reached for her, but she recoiled, and pain flashed across his face. “Then let me tell you the truth.”
She hesitated. “Why should I trust anything you say?”
Kade exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. “Because I love you. And I can’t stand the thought of you believing lies about me.”
Lanesra’s breath hitched. She wanted to believe him, wanted to trust that love was enough—but Erin’s words haunted her.
He took a cautious step forward. “Please, just hear me out.”
After a long pause, she nodded. “Fine. But not here.”
Kade nodded, relief flickering in his gaze. “Let’s go somewhere private.”
They ended up at Lanesra’s apartment. The air between them was thick with tension as they stood in her living room. Kade looked around, his gaze softening when he spotted a framed picture of Eli on the mantel. He picked it up, brushing his thumb over the glass. “I miss him.”
Lanesra crossed her arms, steeling herself. “Then start talking.”
Kade set the picture down and turned to face her. “Erin and I were together a long time ago. It wasn’t anything serious, but she saw it differently. She wanted more, and when I didn’t, things got… messy.”
Lanesra frowned. “Messy how?”
Kade hesitated. “She got obsessed. Started showing up uninvited, making up stories about us. When I met you, she lost it completely. She wanted to destroy anything good in my life because she couldn’t have me.”
Lanesra shook her head, trying to process it. “And you never told me this before? You just let me find out from her?”
“I didn’t think she’d come back,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to drag you into my past.”
She scoffed. “Well, congratulations, Kade. I’m in it now.”
He flinched but nodded. “I know. And I hate that she got to you first. But you have to believe me—I never lied to you about loving you.”
Tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “I don’t know if I can do this, Kade.”
He took a step closer, his voice pleading. “Don’t say that. Don’t let her win.”
Lanesra clenched her fists, torn between love and self-preservation. “I need time.”
Kade nodded, though pain flickered in his eyes. “I’ll wait. No matter how long it takes.”
As he turned to leave, Lanesra felt something inside her c***k. She wasn’t sure if it was her heart breaking again—or if it was the first step toward healing.
She collapsed onto the couch as soon as he was gone, her body trembling. Her mind raced, replaying everything that had just happened. She should have felt relieved to finally have answers, but instead, she felt more confused than ever.
She pulled her knees to her chest, letting out a shaky breath. Eli was sleeping over at her mother’s house, which meant she had the apartment to herself. It was the first night in a long time that she had been completely alone, and the silence was deafening.
Her gaze flickered to her phone on the coffee table. She thought about calling her mother, but she didn’t want to hear another lecture about trusting her gut. She thought about calling Erin—demanding more answers—but she didn’t want to hear any more venom spill from that woman’s mouth.
Instead, she curled up against the couch cushions, staring at the ceiling. Sleep didn’t come easy that night, and when it did, it was restless, filled with dreams of Kade’s face and Erin’s haunting words.
The next morning, she woke up to the sound of knocking at her door. Groggy and disoriented, she shuffled to open it, expecting to see her mother or one of her brothers checking in on her.
But it wasn’t them.
It was Erin.
To be continued…
- Writer
