Because some lies were just masks covering deeper truths.
Because some betrayals came wrapped in love that was real.
Because sometimes the heart knew things the mind refused to accept.
Hannah's throat felt tight. "I'm still angry."
"I know." Jake's lips curved slightly. "You can be angry and still let me love you."
Her heart monitor betrayed her again, speeding up. Because that's what she wanted, wasn't it? To stop fighting this. To stop pretending she didn't still feel everything for him.
To stop lying to herself about what was real and what wasn't.
So Hannah did the only thing she could do.
She held on tighter to his hand and whispered, "Okay."
And in that one word was everything—forgiveness and fear and the first fragile threads of trust rebuilding between them.
Jake's breath caught. His eyes searched her face like he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "Okay?"
Hannah nodded, something warm and certain unfurling in her chest. "Okay."
CHAPTER 32
Jake
Morning light creptthrough the hospital window, painting everything in soft gold. Jake still hadn't left—though he'd finally changed out of his smoky uniform when Peterson had brought him fresh clothes. His hand remained steady around Hannah's, like he couldn't quite bring himself to break the contact.
A knock at the door made them both look up. Chief Miller stood in the doorway, his expression grim.
"Ms. Everett." He nodded to Hannah, then looked at Jake. "We found the gas can behind the pharmacy. Michael Harrison's prints all over it."
Hannah's fingers tightened around Jake's. "You arrested him?"
"About an hour ago." Miller's eyes softened slightly. "He didn't try to deny it. Said something about justice being served."
"Justice?" Jake's voice was dangerous. "He tried to kill her."
Miller cleared his throat. "I'll need both your statements. But it can wait until you're released." He turned to go, then paused. "Cooper?"
Jake looked up.
"The whole crew saw you run into that building against orders." Miller's expression was unreadable. "Could have cost you your job."
"Didn't care." Jake's voice was steady. Certain.
Miller's lips twitched. "Yeah. I noticed that."
Miller pulled up a chair, settling into what Jake recognized as his official reporting stance. "Let me lay out what we've got so you both understand the full scope."
He opened his notebook. "Timeline starts about six weeks ago. That's when we found the first evidence of Harrison's surveillance—security footage from the bank showing him outside Sugar & Spice after hours. Cooper's incident reports documented increased activity over the next month."
Hannah glanced at Jake, but Miller continued.
"Two weeks ago, Harrison cleared out his pharmacy's storage room. That's where we found most of our evidence this morning—a wall of photos, all of Hannah's daily routines mapped out. Security camera angles. Door locks. Building layout." Miller's jaw tightened. "He'd marked all the exit points."
Jake's hand tightened around Hannah's.
