His heart beat strong and steady under her ear. The rhythm of it felt like home, like all the mornings she'd woken up tucked against his chest, like every time he'd held her through storms or nightmares or simple moments of peace.
Jake's fingers stroked through her hair, the gentle motion so achingly familiar it made her throat tight. His other hand spread warm against her back, holding her together as she shook.
She knew they probably looked ridiculous—wrapped around each other in a prison parking lot, her makeup smearing his shirt, his badge digging into her ribs. But she couldn't make herself care. Couldn't make herself pull away.
Because here, just for this moment, she could pretend.
Pretend he was still her Jake. Still the man who fixed broken things and kissed her awake in the mornings and looked at her like she was magic.
His arms tightened as a sob wracked her body. He pressed his lips to her hair, murmuring soft, soothing sounds that meant nothing and everything.
"It was all a lie," she finally whispered against his chest. "Everything I believed in. My father. His good heart. The way he helped people." A bitter laugh escaped. "You."
Jake's arms tensed, but he didn't let go. Didn't stop the gentle motion of his fingers in her hair. Didn't step away even though she was soaking his uniform with tears.
"Hannah—"
"No, it's okay." She pulled back just enough to see his face, managing a wavering smile. "I get it now. I'm growing up. Learning that feelings aren't real, that trust is just a fairy tale we tell children."
"That's not?—"
"But maybe..." Her voice caught. "Is it okay if I let myself believe in the lie? Just for a minute." Her fingers curled in his shirt. "Just long enough for you to hold me and tell me everything will be alright."
Jake's hand came up to cup her face, his thumb brushing away tears she hadn't realized were falling. When he spoke, his voice was rough with emotion.
"Listen to me. The money was a lie. The investigation was real. But loving you?" His forehead pressed to hers. "Loving you was the truest thing I've ever done."
Hannah melted into his embrace, letting his warmth seep into her bones. For just this moment, she let herself feel it all—the steady strength of his arms, the familiar calluses of his fingers against her skin, the way their bodies still fit together like they were made for this. His heart thundered under her palm, and she remembered all the nights she'd fallen asleep to this rhythm, all the mornings she'd woken up feeling safe and cherished and whole.
Hannah closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. "Thank you," she whispered. Then, softer: "Your lies were always the nicest ones."
She felt him flinch, felt the way his breath caught, felt the tremor in his hands as she pressed her car keys into his palm.
"Take me home?"
The drive back to Crystal Lake was silent. Hannah watched the prison disappear in the side mirror, her father's dismissive smile fading with it.
Some lies were kinder than truth.
Some comfort was worth the cost.
The truth would be there tomorrow, but she would allow herself to believe the lie just for a moment longer.
CHAPTER 15
Jake
Jake's handsgripped the steering wheel, knuckles white against the leather. Hannah sat silent beside him, staring out the window as countryside blurred past. She looked small in the passenger seat, her usual fierce energy dimmed to something fragile and raw.
Your lies were always the nicest ones.
The words echoed in his head, cutting deeper with each mile. Because she was wrong. God, she was so wrong. But how could he make her believe that when he'd destroyed her ability to trust?
"He admitted it." Hannah's voice was hollow, breaking the silence. "Everything. The Harrisons, the investments, all of it." She let out a shaky breath. "He was proud of it."
Jake's fingers tightened on the wheel. He remembered interrogating Richard Everett—remembered that same smug smile, that same casual dismissal of lives he'd destroyed.
"You know what's funny?" Hannah's laugh held no humor. "I actually went there believing him. Thinking he was wronglyaccused, like I was." She turned to look at him, her eyes too bright. "Guess we both learned about liars today."
