Chapter 74: The Pills

Chapter 74: The Pills

Ivy

I heard shouting from downstairs.

Leo’s voice first. Then Poppy’s, higher and defensive. The front door opened and closed with a hard slam that seemed to rattle the whole house. After that, silence.

I sat up slowly, every muscle in my body protesting. The ache between my legs was a dull, persistent throb that made me wince. The sheets were very cool against my bare skin.

For a second I just sat there, disoriented, trying to piece together how long I had been asleep.

Then my eyes landed on the small paper bag sitting on the bedside table and everything else fell away.

The pills.

Poppy must have left them while I was out. My heart started racing so fast I could feel it in my throat. I grabbed the water bottle and the bag in the same motion, fingers clumsy with urgency.

I had never paid attention to birth control before. There had never been a reason to.

The only boy I had ever wanted was in love with my sister, and the idea of giving myself to anyone else that wasn't him had felt pointless for years.

Now here I was, naked in Leo’s bed, still sticky from him, scrambling for emergency contraception like my life depended on it.

I tore the packaging open with shaking hands. The instructions blurred. I had no idea how many I was supposed to take or how soon. Two felt safe. Maybe.

I shoved them into my mouth, chased them with a long swallow of water, and prayed to whoever was listening that I wouldn’t end up in the ER for taking the wrong dose.

My phone was missing.

I was certain I had left it on the table. I searched the nightstand, the floor, under the edge of the duvet. Nothing. The absence of it made the panic worse.

Footsteps came up the stairs. Leo.

Shit.

If he realized what the pills were, he would never let me keep them. He had agreed to condoms. That was all. Everything else was territory he clearly intended to control.

I swallowed the last of the water just as the door opened.

“You’re awake.” He sounded genuinely surprised.

I nodded, trying to keep my face neutral. “Yeah. You and Poppy kind of woke me up with all the shouting.”

“How much of that did you hear?” His eyes moved over me carefully. “Have you been awake for long?”

“Not really.” I held out my hand, the remaining pill still resting in my palm. Better to control the narrative than let him discover it on his own. “Just long enough to take this.”

He looked at the small white tablet for a long moment. His expression didn’t change the way I expected. No explosion. No immediate anger. Just a quiet, assessing stillness.

“She got pills for you?” His voice was calm. Almost casual. “I wasn’t aware.”

“Sorry. I didn’t think you’d want to be involved with stuff like this.” I kept my tone light. “It’s just birth control.”

He studied me in silence. I became hyper-aware of the fact that I was still naked under the sheets, of the apron he was wearing over his shirt, of the faint smell of food clinging to him.

“You’re cooking?” I asked, mostly to fill the quiet.

He glanced down as if he had forgotten the apron was there. “Oh… yeah. I was making something for you when Poppy arrived.”

“That’s thoughtful of you.” The words came out softer than I meant them to. Heat crept up my neck. I felt suddenly shy and exposed. “Do you have my phone? I can’t seem to find it where I left it.”

“It’s in the kitchen. Left it there so it wouldn’t interrupt your sleep.” He said it so easily. “Do you want me to go grab it for you?”

I shook my head, already reaching for my underwear on the floor. “No. I’ll get it myself.”

I slipped the underwear on under the cover of the sheets, then the rest of my clothes as carefully as I could.

The dampness between my thighs was impossible to ignore—a sticky, intimate reminder of exactly why the pills had been necessary.

Leo had come inside me again. Without a condom. Without hesitation.

I went into the bathroom and cleaned up as thoroughly as I could, wincing at the tenderness. Cold water on my face helped a little. When I stepped back into the bedroom, Leo was already gone.

I found him in the kitchen.

He was plating the food with a focused, almost proud expression. The moment he saw me, a small smile curved his mouth.

“Looks good, doesn’t it?”

I reached for my phone on the counter. “Doesn’t just look good. It smells good.” I unlocked the screen, half-expecting a string of missed calls or texts from Poppy. “I’m sure it tastes good.”

“It does.” He slid the plate toward me. “Eat up.”

There were no missed calls. No unread messages. Not a single notification from Poppy. Or anyone else for that matter.

That was wrong. Poppy always texted. She would have at least sent something to let me know she had dropped the pills off. The complete silence felt weird.

I glanced at Leo as he untied the apron. The suspicion rose before I could stop it. “Leo… did you by any chance delete my messages or call log?”

The words were out before I fully registered how crazy they were.

He went completely still.

For a second he just stared at me like he couldn’t believe what he had heard. Then his brows drew together and something dark and furious settled in his eyes.

He dropped the apron onto the island with more force than necessary. “Come again?”

My throat closed. I shook my head quickly. “Nothing. Never mind—”

“No.” He started walking toward me. “What did you say, Ivy?”

I took an automatic step back. “Leo… calm down—”

“I’m calm, Ivy. I just asked what you said.” His voice was anything but calm.

“I think I made a mis—”

“I asked you a question.” He stopped directly in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat coming off his body. His gaze swept over my face. “You’re pale.”

I stepped back again. My lower back hit the edge of the island. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you—”

“Stop that.” The words came out sharp. “Stop fucking backing away.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “Don’t get mad—”

“Enough!”

His hand closed around my upper arm and yanked me forward. I collided with his chest hard enough to knock the breath out of me.

His grip was iron, fingers digging into the soft flesh of my arm with enough pressure that pain flared instantly.

“I’m not going to hurt you, goddamnit! I don't hit women!” His voice shook with barely controlled rage. “I’ll never do that! Stop it! It’s already shitty enough that your best friend walked in here and insinuated I’m hurting you. I don’t need that from you too!”

He gave me a single, frustrated shake. Not hard enough to really hurt, but hard enough to make the point.

I couldn’t look away from his face. The anger there was real, raw, and somehow mixed with something that looked almost like hurt.

Tears spilled over before I could stop them.

“I’m sorry,” I choked out, throwing my arms around him and holding on tight. “I’m sorry. I was just scared. I didn’t mean to—”

He didn’t let me finish.

He pulled out of the hug like my touch burned, turned on his heel, and walked out of the kitchen without another word. The sound of his footsteps faded down the hallway.

I stood there for a second longer, arms still half-raised, then slid down the side of the island until I was sitting on the cool tile floor.

The plate of food sat untouched on the counter above me. The empty pill packaging was still upstairs. My arm throbbed where his fingers had been.

I covered my face with both hands and let the tears come properly.

What have I done?