Chapter 54

Chapter 54
KAT’S POV
I wake to warmth.
Not just physical warmth but the kind that settles under my skin.
The feeling is soft and terrifying and impossible to understand. The sheets are tangled around my legs, silky against my bare skin, and Percy is lying beside me, half-asleep, his arm draped loosely around my waist like he forgot to pull it back.
He looks… peaceful. He looks even more gorgeous in his sleep.
His fingers move before his eyes do. He uses his hands to trace slow, lazy, little shapes on my arm — circles, swirls, patterns he doesn’t even seem aware he’s making. I watch him, unable to look away.
God, he’s gorgeous.
He opens his eyes eventually, and when he sees me watching him, he smiles. A tired, crooked smile that hits me directly in the chest.
“Morning,” he murmurs. His voice is rough from sleep.
I smile back. “Morning.”
He studies me for a moment, still touching my arm, still drawing those slow circles.
“You steal blankets,” he says suddenly.
I blink. “…What?”
He lifts the edge of the covers. “Look at this. Look at how much blanket you have. You left me with—” he pinches the tiny remaining corner between two fingers “—this.”
I laugh. “Maybe you’re just dramatic.”
“Maybe,” he murmurs. “Or maybe you have a cold, dark heart.”
I snort. “You have a crooked smile.”
He lifts a brow. “Do I?”
“Yes. That thing you do with the corner of your mouth when you’re trying not to show you’re amused.”
He tries to fix his expression, fighting a smile. “I don’t-”
I point. “There! You’re doing it.”
He laughs quietly and the sound warms something in me that I didn’t even know was frozen. His hand slides up from my arm to my cheek, brushing a strand of hair away. His touch is soft.
“I feel…” he starts, then stops. “…different with you.”
My throat tightens. “Different how?”
“Like I’m not pretending.” His voice is low, honest in a way that scares me. “Like I can breathe.”
I swallow…hard. “Percy…”
He shifts closer, propping himself up on one elbow. His eyes search mine. His thumb traces my cheekbone slowly. His touch sends shivers down my spine.
“I’ve never felt this before,” he says quietly. “Not even with my ex-wife.”
The words slam into my chest.
I freeze, not because I don’t believe him, but because I do.
And it terrifies me.
“I don’t…” I whisper, staring down at the sheets. “I don’t know how to trust again. Not after what Matt did. Not after everything.”
He gently hooks a finger under my chin, lifting my face so I have to meet his eyes.
“I know,” he says softly. “I understand.”
My voice drops low “I’m scared.”
“I know,” he repeats. “And you never have to rush anything with me.”
The reassurance makes my chest ache. He leans in and presses his forehead to mine, breathing slowly, like he’s trying to steady both of us. The kiss he gives me is slow. I kiss him back. my fingers curl in the sheets as heat spreads through me in a way that’s entirely emotional, almost painful in its sweetness.
We’re still kissing when—
My phone buzzes on the nightstand.
I groan softly. Percy chuckles against my lips. “Ignore it.”
It buzzes again.
And again.
I pull back, annoyed, and reach for it.
A message from Alex.
Alex: “Check Melissa’s Instagram. Now.”
My stomach drops.
At the same time, Percy’s phone vibrates. He frowns and picks it up.
“What th-—” he mutters. “One of my friends just texted. ‘Bro, Kat’s name is everywhere. Melissa went live.’”
Fear prickles across my skin.
Melissa. My ex–best friend. My betrayer.
I whisper, “Oh no…”
Percy sits up straight, the blankets slipping down his torso.. “What the hell is she doing now?”
I click the notification. And there she is.
Melissa. LIVE.
In her Live video, she has mascara streaks down her cheeks. Her hair is wild. She looks frantic. Unhinged. And there are hundreds of thousands of viewers.
My heart starts hammering.
“Oh, God…” I breathe. “She’s… she’s losing it.”
Percy’s jaw tightens. “She already lost it.”
We watch silently as Melissa sobs into the camera.
“She ruined my life!” Melissa wails. “Kat destroyed everything! She’s manipulative, she’s fake, she’s dangerous. She pretends she’s the victim but she’s EVIL!”
My breath leaves me. Hearing her say my name like that, with poison, feels like being slapped.
Percy mutters, “She’s unhinged. I knew she was spiraling but this is… wow.”
Then Melissa screams into the phone, wild-eyed.
“KAT IS SO EXTREME SHE HIRED HER EX HUSBAND’S MOTHER AS HER ASSISTANT! FOR REVENGE!”
My blood runs cold.
She uploads photos and videos. She posts photos of Paula carrying bags. Paula organizing files. Paula standing behind me in a store.
Percy freezes completely. His entire expression changes
“Kat…” His voice is quiet, too quiet.. “Please tell me this is edited. Tell me this isn’t real.”
My breathing falters. I see the images again. Paula His sister.
My throat closes.
“I-” I whisper. “Yes. I hired Paula. But you don’t understand—”
Percy stands too fast, pushing the blanket off. His shock is raw.
“Kat, why?” His voice cracks with disbelief. “Why would you do something like that?”
“Because I’ve been through hell!” I snap, tears flooding my eyes. “I needed to reclaim control—”
“That doesn’t make it right,” he shoots back.
“You don’t understand!”
He steps closer and I can see the hurt in his eyes. “You think I don’t know what hell feels like? Kat, I was in an abusive marriage.”
The words hit like a punch. I flinch.
He runs a hand through his hair, breathing hard. “Paula… Kat, she’s my sister. My sister. You used my family to play some revenge game you didn’t even tell me about.”
My chest caves in.
“That’s why you asked me if hiring someone as a PA would be ‘too much,’ isn’t it?” He raises his voice “You already did it. And you were asking anyway.”
“Percy—” I try. “I needed to take something back. I needed to feel like I wasn’t powerless anymore—”
“And you thought using my sister was the way?” he cuts in,. “Kat, how could you?”
Each word feels like a knife.
He steps back, shaking his head.
“I thought…” he whispers,, “…I thought we were building something real.”
My heart twists painfully.
“But maybe,” he finishes quietly, “I don’t know you at all.”