Something shifted in Kieran’s expression at the mention of my brother and our parents. Guilt, maybe. Regret. He knew Jude better than almost anyone. He had been there for all the important moments of our lives, right up until that graduation night changed everything.
“All right,” he said finally. “But we do this my way. Full security, in and out as quickly as possible.”
That was how I found myself sitting in the back of his black SUV two hours later, flanked by two men in dark suits who introduced themselves simply as Alex and Tony. The doors shut with a muted thud that felt heavier than it should have, sealing me into a decision I could no longer undo.
Kieran sat in the front passenger seat, wearing what I came to recognize as his business armor: an expensive suit, perfect posture, the kind of controlled calm that made other people nervous. He didn’t look back at me, but I knew he was aware of every breath I took.
The ride to my old apartment took twenty minutes, but it felt like traveling back in time to a version of myself I barelyrecognized. I couldn’t make sense of her. Did she want to be loved, or was it something else? Violence. Control. Being chosen. I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began, or even what had ever been real.
“Remember,” Kieran said as we pulled up to the familiar brick building, “we get your things and we leave. No conversation. No explanations. If he does anything stupid, Alex and Tony handle it.”
I nodded, my mouth too dry to speak.
The building looked the same—the same cracked sidewalk, the same graffiti on the mailboxes, the same smell of garbage and broken dreams that had surrounded my life with Dex. But I felt like a different person approaching it, as though I wore armor made of expensive clothes and the knowledge that I didn’t have to stay.
The doorman recognized me, his eyes widening as he took in my sling, the suited men flanking me, and the obvious wealth of the car idling at the curb.
“Mrs. Hartwell,” he said carefully. “I wasn’t… Mr. Hartwell didn’t mention you were coming by.”
“Is he here?” Kieran asked. His voice carried the kind of authority that made people answer without thinking.
“Yes, sir. He’s upstairs.”
My stomach dropped, but Kieran simply nodded and gestured for us to continue.
The elevator ride to the fourth floor was silent except for the mechanical whir of cables and pulleys. Each passing second stretched tight. When the doors opened, I stared down the hallway toward apartment 4B and felt my chest tighten with memories I had tried to bury.
Kieran turned to look at me then, and for just a moment, I saw something other than professional concern in his eyes—something that looked almost like the boy who once held my face in his hands and kissed me as though the world were ending.
“We could do this another time,” he said quietly.
“No,” I said. “I need to do this now.”
Kieran heaved a deep sigh, then said, “Step aside.”
“I—” I started, but before I could finish, Kieran was already at the door, pulling a small toolkit from his pocket. With practiced hands, he began working the lock. The key in my purse suddenly felt unnecessary, almost foolish.
I stepped inside, and that was when I heard his voice from the living room.
“Thought you’d come running back eventually, didn’t you, sweetheart? We both know you can’t make it without me. You never could handle being alone.”
My feet froze without my permission. Every instinct I had developed over two years of walking on eggshells around his temper snapped into place, loud and immediate.
Then Kieran stepped into the apartment behind me, and his voice cut through the air like a blade.
“Keep talking, and see how quickly I can have you in handcuffs for shooting your wife.”
The silence that followed was deafening. I heard Dex’s sharp intake of breath, and could practically feel his shock radiating from the living room.
“Please,” I said quickly, my voice barely above a whisper. The last thing I wanted was more confrontation, more violence. “I just want this to be over.”
“What the hell is this?” Dex’s voice cracked slightly as Alex and Tony appeared in the doorway behind Kieran, their presence filling the small space with quiet menace.
Kieran looked at him with the kind of cold assessment that made grown men reconsider their life choices.
“Get out. Now.”
Three words. No emotion. Just a command that silenced the entire apartment. His voice didn’t need to rise. It landed like judgment—final, unapologetic.
