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Evelyn Samara.She was perfect. Round cheeks, a head full of thick curls, and a scream that already sounded like mine when I got pissed off.

Sam was off getting the car. My daddy pushed my wheelchair down the hospital ramp. I was bundled in my robe, sore as hell. My mom walked beside us, holding Evelyn so tight like she might disappear.

Sam’s parents were already outside waiting. His mama was holding one of those fancy pink diaper bags, and his daddy had a goofy, proud smile plastered on his face. They’d cleared out a room for us in their mini-mansion until the house we were renovating was done. The Airbnb Sam had us staying in was too cramped now. We needed space—for her, for us, for the new chapter we were limping into.

The air was bright. The world felt alive. I was smiling. Tired, yes, but smiling.

Then I saw him.

My heart kicked off.

At first, I thought I was seeing things. We’d made TikTok again. I’d heard people had called Mark’s job and got him fired because he had lunged at me outside the courthouse. He was public enemy number one after somebody found our court transcript on the public database.

He was just standing across the street like some kind of ghost that hadn’t realized he was dead yet. I blinked, and he was still there—with wild eyes. Only now, he looked worse—drawn out, thinner, twitchy. He looked like he’d aged a year in a week.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the words died when he moved.

Fast. Then he was outright running.

"YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT ME!"he screamed, voice cutting through the moment like a blade.

My body tensed. My mom turned slightly, confused. My daddy stopped the chair.

I saw the gun before I heard the shot.

And for a split second, the world slowed.

I felt the pain before I heard the boom. A hot sting ripped through me. My breath caught, and the air left my lungs like someone had snatched it.

My thought seconds after was,This motherfucker killed me.

Epilogue

Six months ago, I thought I was about to lose everything.

Mark tried to kill Zane for not sticking around after his misdeeds. One bullet. That’s all it took to turn my world sideways. He’d aimed for her heart, but she’d twisted away—luckily, he’d just grazed her arm. But that didn’t make it any less terrifying.

I’d heard the shot, and my soul damn near left my body. I knew something had gone wrong.

My feet didn’t hit the ground—they flew. I dropped the keys mid-run.

And by the time I got to them?

Her daddy was stomping Mark into the pavement like he was trying to put that bitch six feet under it. Mark didn’t even fight back. Just laid there, leaking.

Police came. Evelyn was safe. Zane was bleeding and shaking, but alive. I held her, whispering that everything was okay, my voice steadier than my hands.

Mark was in jail now. He got five years. They disbarred him before the ink dried on his sentencing papers. Funny how quickly a villain falls when the world finally sees him for what he is.

Now, six months later, I’m standing in the garden behind my parents’ house—the one my mama designed herself. Sunlight cut through the oak trees, painting everything gold. I’m in a suit too expensive for somebody like me, but Zane liked it, so I was wearing it. The tie felt like a noose, but I’d choke gladly today.

“You ready?” my pops asked, adjusting my collar.

I was deep in thought. Thinking about the baby. About the night Zane screamed my name through contractions. The nights she screamed it during orgasm. About the first time Evelyn wrapped her tiny fist around my finger. About everything that happened.

But then…

Zane stepped into view.