Page 41

Present

E li has gone to a hotel for the night. Marcy retired hours ago, the late nights of the last week taking a toll on her.

The room feels heavy, the silence between us thick with the weight of what’s unspoken.

I’m lying next to Truman in Marcy’s guest bed, the soft hum of the night air seeping through the cracks in the window.

The room is dark except for the faint glow of the bedside lamp, casting long shadows on the walls.

I can barely breathe, my chest tight with all I’ve been carrying, and the moment feels like it’s stretching on forever.

Truman’s warm body is next to mine, and I feel his presence like a grounding force, steady and unyielding.

His fingers gently trace circles along the bare skin of my arm, as if trying to calm me, soothe the restless energy that I can’t seem to control.

His touch is gentle, deliberate—exactly what I need right now albeit not what I deserve.

I feel the heat of him beside me, but it doesn’t comfort me the way it used to.

“Evany,” Truman’s voice is low, just above a whisper, but it cuts through the quiet like a lifeline. I hate him calling me that. “You have to take the deal. The witness protection deal. It’s the only way you’ll be safe. You understand that, right?”

I close my eyes, swallowing hard, the lump in my throat threatening to choke me. It’s the last thing I want to hear. The last thing I want to face. Leaving my whole life behind. How could I ever leave him?

I pull the covers up over my head, trying to shut it all out, but the reality of what’s happening crashes over me again. The danger that still lurks. My body trembles with the effort it takes to hold it all together.

Truman shifts beside me, his arm sliding around my waist, pulling me close until I can feel the beat of his heart against mine. His warmth, his steadiness, which I’ve always run to, now feels as if it’s slipping through my fingers.

“I can’t leave you, Truman,” I murmur, the words barely escaping my lips. “I can’t leave you behind.”

He’s quiet for a moment, and when he speaks, his voice is thick with emotion. “Evany, I can’t live with the thought of you out there, alone. You’re finally free. You deserve peace.”

I shake my head, not wanting to hear it, not wanting to face the truth that’s staring me in the face.

“But what about you? You have your sister, your brother, your parents, your friends. You have your career, Truman. You’ve worked so hard for all of this. I can’t ask you to throw it all away for me. I won’t.”

His grip tightens on me, as if he’s trying to hold me together, trying to steady me when I feel like I’m about to fall apart.

“I’m not asking you to leave me. I’m asking you to choose a life that’s safe. A life where you can finally breathe without looking over your shoulder every second of the day.”

I pull away slightly, looking up at him through the dim light, my eyes filled with unshed tears. “What?”

Truman’s eyes soften, his thumb brushing a stray tear from my cheek. He looks at me like he’s searching, like he’s waiting for me to finally understand.

“You’re everything to me,” he says quietly, his voice raw with emotion. “I’ve waited my whole life for you to come back to me. I can’t lose you again. Not now.”

His words hit me like a wave, and I feel the ground beneath me slip away.

My heart aches at the intensity in his eyes.

I’ve always known Truman loves me, but I never accepted the depth of it until this moment.

The way he’s looking at me now, like I’m all that matters, like he’s willing to burn the world to the ground just to keep me safe.

“You… you’d give up everything?” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “Your family? Your friends? Your career?”

He nods, his gaze unwavering. “For you? Yes. I’ve already made my choice. You’re it. You’re all that matters to me. If I have to walk away from it all to be with you, I will. I’ve been waiting for you since you left.”

I can’t stop the tears now. They fall freely, hot and painful, as the weight of his words crashes over me. It’s too much. I’ve been fighting this, fighting the idea of leaving my life behind, but Truman… he’s right. I’ve already lost too much. My family, my life as I knew it—it’s all gone.

The only person I have left—have ever truly had—is him.

“I can’t… I can’t make you do that,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “I can’t ask you to give up your life for me. I don’t deserve that.”

Truman leans in, his forehead resting against mine, his breath warm against my skin. “You’re not asking. I’m choosing this… I choose you.”

His words wrap around me like a blanket, pulling me closer, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I let myself believe it. Let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, there’s a way out of this.

A way to start over.

He presses his lips to my forehead, his kiss soft and tender, and it’s precisely what I need in this moment. He’s here with me. He’s staying. And he’s going to help me rebuild whatever is left of me.

“I’ll be with you,” Truman says, his voice steady now, as if this decision has already been made. “Wherever you go, I’ll be right there with you. I won’t let you go. I can’t.”

The tears come harder now, and I nod into his chest, letting myself crumble, letting myself break down completely in his arms. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have something real to hold onto. Something worth fighting for.

“I love you, Truman,” I whisper, the words spilling out like they’ve been bottled up and buried for too long.

“I love you too,” he murmurs back, his voice thick with emotion. “And we’ll figure this out together.”

Truman’s heart beats steadily under my cheek, reassuring and true, and I breathe in the scent of him—warm, familiar.

Finally, reluctantly, I pull back and look up into his eyes which are bright with tears. We both laugh shakily, swiping at our wet cheeks with the backs of our hands.

“I must look like a mess,” I say with a half-smile.

“You look perfect,” Truman replies.

He reaches out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his touch sending a calm ripple through me. And for once, for this moment, I believe him. I believe in the truth of us.

“So,” I say softly, “how does this work?”