The Blood Between Us

ChapterFour

CHAPTER FOUR (4)

KIERAN'S POV:

She was never just light. She was the whole damn sun.

Even if the sky had been overcast, I still would’ve seen it—that quiet glow she carried, the way the world seemed to part around her. She laughed at something Julian said, and that laugh hits me harder than I was ready for it. I hadn’t heard it in months, but I remembered the sound better than I remembered my own name.

I shouldn’t be here. I knew that.

But I had to see her again. Just one real moment outside the walls of the hospital, outside the walls of her home where there are no locked doors and no guards telling me to keep my distance.

I’d been trailing her for a while now, carefully and quietly. Like a shadow starving for the warmth of the flame it used to belong to.

She paused to adjust her coat with her fingers grazing the swell of her stomach.

My chest tightened. I had no doubt that she was carrying my child. But why didn't she tell me she was pregnant before the accident?

Julian noticed me first. His smile disappeared in an instant. I saw it all in his body, the tension in his shoulders and the shift in his stance.

He stepped between us like a wall as though I was the threat here. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” he muttered.

“I’m not here to cause trouble,” I said, hands raised. “Just a few minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”

“She doesn’t know you or remember whoever you claimed you were,” he snapped. “And she doesn’t need this right now either.”

Eve stepped forward. Her eyes found mine. And for a second, everything in the world slowed. There was a flicker, a pause. Something shifted in her face.

“You…” she whispered. “I—I remember you. From the hospital.”

I nearly forgot how to breathe. “Yeah,” I managed. “That’s me. Kieran.”

Julian turned to her, voice tightening. “Eve, maybe we should keep walking.”

But she didn’t budge. Her brow etched in gentle confusion, like something just out of reach tugged at her.

“You said you knew me,” she said.

“I do,” I said quietly. “More than you know.”

Julian sighed. “Eve—seriously—we really shouldn't...”

“I want to talk to him,” she said, steady and clear, suprising us both. Her voice was calm and resolute. “Just a walk.”

Julian glanced at his watch and looked between us, then at the quiet street ahead, jaws locked.

For a split second, something unreadable flashed in his eyes. Then he stepped aside. “Ten minutes.”

Eve nodded and looked at me. “Walk with me?”

I couldn’t say anything. I just fell into step beside her.

We walked in silence for a while. I didn’t know where we were going, but I didn’t care. Just being near her again was more than enough.

Until I realized where we were headed.

She didn’t notice it at first, but I did.

The coffee shop.

The one where we first met.

It hadn’t changed much—still had the faded green awning and crooked chalkboard menu by the entrance. I felt a punch to the gut just seeing it.

“You used to love the vanilla lattes here,” I said as we passed, barely above whisper. “Extra cinnamon. No foam.”

She glanced at the shop, narrowing her eyes. “It looks familiar…”

My heart leapt. I decided to take a chance.

“We usually sit at that corner table, anytime we come here. Our favourite spot always on reservation” I said, pointing. “One time, you spilled your drink and accused me of making you nervous. Then you laughed so hard you cried.”

She blinked at the memory. Then shook her head. “No… I don’t remember any of that… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I murmured. “It’s not your fault.”

I tried again as we walked further. “Do you remember the little gallery two blocks down? The first time you let me see your work, you were so shy and nervous about it. I told you it was brilliant—and I meant it.”

“I remember none of that,” she said softly. “But I wish I did.”

And that—that—cut deeper than a no.

Something in her voice made me ache. It wasn’t rejection—it was grief and loss. Like she could feel the space I once occupied, but not the memories that filled it.

And that’s when it hit me.

This wasn’t an accident, this didn't just occur randomly. Julian had brought her this way for a reason.

My eyes darted around and then I saw it.

A clearing ahead. People moving—decorations, music, lights being strung between trees. And Callan, in a navy-blue suit, directing things like the charming bastard he was.

I froze. “What is this?”

Eve looked at me, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Julian reappeared behind us. “It’s a surprise. Come on, Eve. Callan’s been waiting.”

“Wait.” My voice cracked as realization hit me. “This whole walk—it was a setup?”

Julian didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.

I looked at Eve, who was still trying to piece things together.

“You never intended to let me speak to her,” I said bitterly. “This was about proving she doesn’t remember me. About humiliating me.”

Julian exhaled. “Look, man… she’s moved on. She’s about to be married. You need to let her go.”

I turned to Eve, searching through her eyes desperately. “Is that what you want? To marry him? To never try to find out and know who I was to you?”

She opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something but closed it almost immediately.

“I don’t know,” she whispered after being silent for few minutes. “I wish I did…”

Callan who'd spotted us began to strode towards our direction, arms wide open like a conquering prince. “Eve, my love!” he said, all charm and teeth. “I was just finishing up with getting everything ready for you.”

She gave him a faint smile, still confused, clearly overwhelmed.

Callan’s smug eyes met mine, and I saw it. His triumph. His plan had worked—he thought he’d finally broken me.

But he hadn’t. He’d instead just lit something on fire.

Without a word, I turned and walked away. My fists were clenched so tight that my knuckles ached.

---

Back in the car, I sat motionless, the engine humming beneath me in a low growl.

Rain had began to drop, tapping at the windshield, lightly and steadily, as if the sky was counting down.

I stared at the contact glowing on my phone screen— "A. Sterling – Legacy Line"— for a while before tapping on the call button.

It rang once.

“Mr. Vale,” came the voice—cool, clipped, and waiting.

My grip tightened around the phone. “It’s time," I said in a low voice.

There was a brief pause on the other end. “Are you certain?”

“They’ve drawn the line," I said. "And now, I’m done playing beneath it.”

There was silence on the other end before the voice spoke up again, “Understood. How far do you want to take this?”

My gaze shifted back to the crosswalk— the one Eve had just walked by with Callan and Julian.

I looked on as Eve’s silhouette faded into the night beside a man who wasn’t me. A man they wanted her to believe she loved.

My voice dropped, sharp as a blade.

“All the way. The curtain drops now.”

“Understood. Protocol Reclamation?”

“Full reset. I want all access reinstated, the top floor prepped, surveillance rerouted, and every security measure back under my control."

"Activate the vault, reset every lock. I want my keycard active by dawn,” I added quickly, my voice coarse.

“Alright, sir. What about visibility parameters?”

“Low-light.” I exhaled slowly. “No fireworks yet. Just enough smoke to make them nervous."

"Schedule a company-wide briefing. No names yet and no full press. Just the ones who’ll ask the right questions.”

“And the estate?”

My jaw flexed. That place had been dormant for years—sealed and hidden. It's high time I reconsider moving in.

“Wake the gates,” I said.

The line went silent for a heartbeat, “We’ll have everything prepared and ready… Welcome back, sir.”

I ended the call without another word.

The moment the line dropped, silence fell inside the car. But inside me, something roared.

My reflection in the rearview stared back at me—hollow-eyed, jaw tight with flames rising behind my ribs.

This wasn’t just about love anymore. It's now about truth and reclaiming what was mine.

And I wasn’t backing down again. Not for anyone, not this time.

I've stayed in the shadows for too long. It's time to bring the lights on.