CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
ZADE
My father adjusts his platinum cufflinks, his expression as cold and unreadable as stone.
Without another word, he turns on his heel and makes his way out of the administrative office. The door clicks shut behind him, leaving me alone in the sudden, heavy silence.
I don't get up.
I stay seated right there in the leather chair, staring blankly at the mahogany desk.
My mind is already slipping away, violently pulling me backward into the shadows of a night I have spent years trying to forget.
Lila.
She had been my best friend ever since we were twelve years old.
Back in our childhood, it started as a massive crush—the kind that makes your heart race every time she smiles at you. But as we grew up, those childish feelings turned into something real. Something deep.
I fell for her, completely and utterly.
By my seventeenth birthday, I had finally found the courage to ask her to be mine.
I had prepared everything.
I was ready to confess.
But before I could even open my mouth to speak, she leaned in and whispered three words that shattered my entire world.
"I am pregnant."
That was it. Before I could even tell her how I felt, she dropped a bomb that changed the trajectory of our lives.
To make matters worse, my mother was standing right there.
She heard every single word.
Because Lila and I were always together, my mother immediately assumed the baby was mine. But the truth was far more complicated, far uglier.
Even Lila didn't know who the father was.
She was terrified, crying, and completely broken. She begged me on her knees not to tell a soul.
"Don't tell anyone, Zade. Please, just let them think it's yours.
Once the baby is born, I'll leave. Please, just do this for me..."
Looking at her tears, I couldn't say no.
I nodded. I agreed to carry her secret.
I let my father, my friends, and the entire world believe that the child she was carrying belonged to me.
My father was absolutely furious.
He looked at me like I was a disgrace, a stain on the Hamilton name.
But my mother, believing she was going to be a grandmother, stood by us. She became our shield because no one knew the actual truth.
I cared about honesty, but I cared about Lila more. I did whatever I could to protect her.
When her stomach started to swell and she began showing, I'll admit, I hated that part of her body. It was a constant, physical reminder of the unknown man who had hurt her.
But Lila? She loved that unborn baby so fiercely, so unconditionally, that it changed something inside me.
I remember a specific night. We had to attend a formal dinner with our families at my family's mansion.
Her parents had come over, too.
When we walked into the grand dining room, I led her to her chair, placing my hand gently against her waist to guide her.
And suddenly, I felt it. It was a completely foreign, shocking sensation.
A tiny, distinct kick against the palm of my hand.
My mind completely froze. My hand stayed glued to her side as we sat down and began to eat our dinner. I couldn't focus on the food. I couldn't focus on the conversation.
"The dinner is perfect, isn't it, Zade?" my mother asked from the head of the table, smiling warmly at us.
I just nodded mechanically. I couldn't even form real sentences.
For the rest of the evening, the adults talked and laughed, while my hand stayed hidden beneath the table cloth, feeling that small, rhythmic thump against my skin again and again.
As the days turned into weeks, something shifted inside me.
I had begun to love the baby.
The resentment vanished, replaced by a strange, protective bond.
I became familiar with the kicks, familiar with the routine, familiar with the idea of being a father to a child that didn't share a drop of my blood.
But then came that night.
We were driving back to the penthouse after spending the afternoon at her parents' house.
The rain was an absolute nightmare, a torrential downpour that blurred the entire windshield.
The streets were flooding, the water rising rapidly.
Because the road was completely submerged, we didn't see the construction banners blocking the path.
Before I could even slam on the brakes, the tires lost traction.
All I felt was the horrifying sensation of the car pitching forward, falling into the dark void of a construction pit. In that split second, I didn't think about myself.
I threw my body over hers, trying with everything I had to cover her, to shield her belly, to keep them safe.
But my body wasn't enough.
A few hours later, I was lying, white hospital room.
The emergency room doctors walked out, lowered their heads, and told me they were incredibly sorry for my loss.
That night, I didn't just lose the love of my life.
I lost my best friend, and I lost a kid that I had absolutely no biological relation to, but felt entirely like my own.
Everyone was devastated. The grief in our house was suffocating.
My mother wept for weeks, claiming it was a curse.
She screamed that our family was cursed—that no baby had been able to successfully take a breath or be born into our circle for two entire decades.
And now, history was trying to repeat itself.
"Zade..."
A soft voice suddenly pulls me out of the dark hallway of my memories.
I blink, shaking the fog from my brain. Standing right in front of me is Mio.
She doesn't wait for permission. She steps forward, wraps her arms around my torso, and hugs me tightly. She holds on as if she's trying to keep me from shattering into a million pieces.
"Ethan came by," she says softly, pulling back just enough to look into my eyes.
Her face is full of worry. "Are you okay? What did he say?"
"I'm fine," I lie, my voice completely devoid of emotion.
I gently detach her arms from my waist and step back. "I just... I want to be alone, Mio."
I run a hand through my hair, feeling an exhausting, heavy fatigue deep in my bones.
All the shit that has been going on over the past few weeks—ever since the Witch arrived at Oakhaven—is starting to disturb my peace.
It's dragging up things that should have stayed buried.
"I need to be alone for some time," I tell her, staring out the window.
"Can you do me a favor? Can you take care of her for a few days? Keep her at your place."
Mio blinks in surprise, but she doesn't press for answers.
She knows me well enough to recognize the warning signs.
She nods slowly. "Okay. I'll handle it. She can stay with me."
I stand up, grabbing my blazer from the back of the chair. I turn to leave the office, ready to disappear into the city where no one can find me.
I don't want to look at Alice right now. To be honest, I don't think I ever want to look at her again. Every time I see her pale face, it feels like a mirror reflecting my own failures.
I pause at the door, one final thought crossing my mind.
I turn back to look at Mio.
"And Mio..." I say, my voice dropping into a serious, warning tone.
"Briar is coming back from her trip to Asia in a couple of days. So... try to keep the Witch away from her. Keep them as far apart as possible."
Mio's eyes widen slightly at the mention of the name, but I don't stay to explain. I walk out of the office and slam the door behind me.
Let the Witch have her victory. She wanted to escape my penthouse so badly, she got her wish. She wins this round of the game.
But I don't lose either. Because by pushing her away, I'm saving myself from the one thing that can actually destroy me.