Chapter 27: XXVII

Zoe POV

I stood in the kitchen, my hands covered in flour and my head full of worry. The dough in front of me wasn’t cooperating, and honestly, I wasn’t giving it much of a chance.

I felt like I was losing control of everything, like no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t change things. One of the few people I cared about was going to get hurt and I’ll stand by and watch.

We hadn't spoken to each other for a while, it had eaten me up from the inside for days, but it was all for the better. Isabell wasn't dumb, she knew I was hiding something and she wasn't ready to let it slide, she wanted to know.

“I’m so sorry, Isabell,” I whispered, feeling the guilt claw its way to my chest.

My hands pressed and pulled at it too hard, too fast. It wasn’t the dough’s fault I was upset, but I couldn’t stop myself.

The kitchen felt too quiet, even with all the noise I was making, slamming bowls, the wooden spoon scraping the side of the mixing bowl, the clatter of a measuring cup falling to the floor. The quiet behind all of it pressed down on me like a weight.

“Zoe,” Jack said from the doorway. His voice was calm, but I could hear the concern behind it.

I didn’t turn to look at him. I didn’t have to. I could picture him perfectly in my mind leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, his dark hair messy from running his hands through it like he always did when he was worried.

“Zoe,” he said again, this time a little firmer. “You need to stop. Calm down.”

“I can’t calm down,” I snapped, not bothering to hide the frustration in my voice. My hands pressed harder into the dough, as if I could squeeze the guilt out of myself.

“How can I calm down, Jack? This is all my fault.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said, stepping into the kitchen now. His boots made soft thuds on the wooden floor that I barely noticed.

I stopped kneading and stared down at the dough, my hands resting on its uneven surface. My chest felt tight, and the words spilled out before I could stop them.

“But it is my fault. If I hadn’t asked Isabell to come here, none of this would’ve happened. She wouldn’t have met Levi. They wouldn’t have fallen in love or whatever that is. And now…”

I couldn’t finish. My throat felt too tight, and my eyes burned with the tears I was trying to hold back.

“Zoe,” Jack said softly. I felt his hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off. I didn’t want to be comforted right now. Comfort didn’t change anything.

I turned away from him and grabbed the rolling pin. My hands shook as I rolled the dough, but it didn’t matter. At least it gave me something to do, something to focus on.

Jack sighed behind me. “Look,” he said, his voice a little lighter now, like he was trying to make me laugh.

“It’s still hard for me to believe Levi is in love with anyone, that he even cares about a female. This is Levi we’re talking about. The guy who swore off relationships the second he hit twenty-five and didn’t find his mate. And now he’s serious about someone. You think it’s gonna be easy for him?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “He is serious, Jack. I get it. But….. Isabell has been through so much already. I just wanted her to have something good in her life for once. I wanted her to feel loved, to be happy. Is that so wrong?”

“No,” Jack said. He moved closer, leaning on the counter beside me. “But you and I both know Isabell isn’t going to find happiness with Levi.”

That made me stop. I turned to look at him, my hands still gripping the rolling pin. “What are you talking about?” I asked, frowning.

“I’m saying Levi is trouble,” Jack said, looking me straight in the eyes.

“He can be irrational, Zoe. And with everything going on,the rogues, they’ll use Isabell against him. Against all of us. Do you really think Levi can protect her from that?”

I stared at him, my heart sinking. Deep down, I knew he was right. Levi’s love- obsession for Isabell, as strong as it was, put her in more danger than anything else. But admitting that felt like betraying them both.

“So what are we supposed to do?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Jack straightened up, his expression turning serious, “We’re going to make the rogues think Isabell is dead,” he said.

I blinked, not sure I’d heard him right. “What?”

“It’s the only way,” he said.

“If they think she’s alive, they’ll keep coming after her. But if they believe she’s gone, they’ll move on.”

“And how do we do that?” I asked, dread creeping into my voice.

“We need to find someone who looks like her,” Jack said, “someone we can use to fake it. It has to be convincing.”

The thought made my stomach twist. Lying to Isabell, to everyone… it didn’t sit right with me. But what choice did we have?

I shook my head, my mind racing. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t end like this. But as I looked at Jack, I realized he wasn’t backing down.

This plan was real.

And it was going to break all of our hearts.

“And what about Levi?” I asked after a moment, my voice quieter now. “What will he be doing while we’re making Isabell ‘disappear?”

Jack hesitated, and that made me nervous. He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening before he spoke.

“He’ll be breaking up with Isabell,” he said.

My heart stopped. For a moment, I just stared at him, not sure if I’d heard him right.

“What?!” I finally managed to say, my voice louder than I intended.