Chapter 129 TYLER
I stood there longer than I should have. Long enough to watch her walk all the way down the street. Long enough to see her slow near the junction, pull out her phone, and raise a hand when a car approached. The headlights washed over her for a second before the Uber stopped.
She got in without looking back.
Not once.
The door shut, the car pulled away, and just like that, she was gone.
I stayed where I was for a moment, my chest tight in a way I couldn’t shake off. It felt wrong watching her leave like that and doing nothing. Felt worse knowing I was the reason she had to.
I dragged a hand over my face and exhaled slowly.
Space.
She needed space. That much was obvious.
Maybe it was better this way. If she was angry, she wouldn’t try to dig deeper. She wouldn’t get involved. She wouldn’t end up anywhere near this mess.
I just needed to fix it.
Handle Racquel’s situation. Wrap it up fast. Then I could go back to Harper and explain everything properly. Make it right.
I turned and walked back toward the house.
Racquel was still standing on the porch.
She hadn’t moved much. Just shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her hands clasped together like she didn’t know what to do with them. When she saw me, her expression changed into something hesitant. Careful.
“Is it… bad?” she asked quietly. “Between you and Harper?”
I stopped in front of her, looking at her for a second. “What do you think?”
She flinched a little, her gaze dropping.
I didn’t wait for her to answer. I brushed past her and pushed the door open. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
She followed behind me without another word.
The kitchen lights were still on. Mom stood by the counter, sliding a tray of cookies onto a plate. The smell hit me before anything else, warm and familiar, like nothing in the world was wrong.
She looked up when we walked in.
Her eyes moved from me… to Racquel… then back to me again.
“I must have missed a chapter,” she said slowly.
I let out a breath and reached for my phone. “Yeah. You did.”
I unlocked it and pulled up the recording, then handed it over to her.
“Watch.”
Her brows drew together as she took the phone. At first, she looked confused. Then her expression shifted as the video played. The longer she watched, the more serious she became.
By the time it ended, she didn’t look confused anymore. She looked concerned.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice quieter now.
I glanced at Racquel.
She stood a few steps behind me, shoulders drawn in, like she wished she could disappear into the wall. Her fingers twisted together, her eyes fixed on the floor.
“It’s okay,” I said, keeping my voice low. “You can tell her.”
She didn’t look up.
“It’s my mom,” I added. “She’ll understand.”
That got a small nod out of her.
I turned back to my mom. “Her stepbrother has been abusing her. For a while now. It got worse recently. He’s been sending threats, showing up, not letting her breathe. Her parents know. They’re not doing anything about it.”
Mom’s face hardened slightly.
“She needed help,” I continued. “Real help. Someone who can back her up before we take it to the police. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
There was a brief silence.
Then my mom set the phone down and walked toward Racquel.
“Come here,” she said gently.
Racquel hesitated, then took a few steps forward.
Mom guided her to a chair and pulled it out. “Sit.”
Racquel did, still quiet, still unsure.
Mom crouched slightly so she was at eye level with her. “You’re safe here, okay?”
Racquel nodded, her throat moving like she was trying to swallow something down.
“How long has this been going on?” Mom asked.
Racquel opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her hands tightened in her lap.
Mom softened her tone. “It’s alright. You don’t have to rush. We’ll figure it out.”
She reached out and placed a hand over Racquel’s, quietly reassuring her.
“When my husband gets back, we’ll talk about the next steps,” she added. “This isn’t something we take lightly.”
Racquel nodded again, a little more firmly this time.
“Where have you been staying?” Mom asked. “You’re not still in that house, are you?”
“She’s not,” I cut in. “She’s been at a hotel. I was planning to move her to a different one today.”
Mom looked at me.
Then she shook her head. “No.”
I frowned. “No?”
“She’s not staying in any hotel,” she said. “She’ll stay here.”
“That’s not necessary—”
“Tyler.”
That was it.
One word, one look, and I already knew arguing wouldn’t get me anywhere.
“It’s temporary,” she added. “Until we sort this out.”
I exhaled quietly. “Fine.”
Mom turned back to Racquel. “You’ll stay here for now. You don’t have to worry about anything else.”
Racquel looked like she didn’t know whether to be relieved or uncomfortable. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Mom said warmly. “Tyler, show her to the guest room.”
I nodded once. “Come on.”
Racquel stood and followed me out of the kitchen.
The house felt quieter as we walked down the hallway. I opened the door to the downstairs guest room and stepped aside so she could go in first.
“It’s not much,” I said. “But it’s better than a hotel.”
“It’s more than enough,” she replied softly.
I leaned against the doorframe, folding my arms loosely. “If you need anything, you have my number. Or just come upstairs and knock.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
I turned to leave.
“Tyler.”
I paused and looked back at her.
“Thank you,” she said. “For everything.”
I shrugged slightly. “It’s fine.”
She hesitated, then added, “And… I’m sorry. About earlier. If I’m causing problems between you and Harper—”
“You’re not,” I cut in.
She looked at me like she didn’t believe that.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” I said, my tone flat.
There was no point getting into it.
“Get some sleep,” I added.
She nodded. “Goodnight.”
“Night.”
I closed the door behind me and headed upstairs.
The second I stepped into my room, my phone buzzed.
Peter.
I picked up immediately. “Yeah.”
“Well?” he asked. “What happened?”
I let out a breath and dropped onto the edge of my bed. “She was at my house.”
“Who?”
“Harper,” I clarified. “She came over. Wanted to surprise me or something. I don’t know. She was there when I got back with Racquel.”
There was a pause.
“…That’s bad.”
“Yeah. You have no idea.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing useful,” I admitted. “I couldn’t explain it. She thinks I lied to her just to go see Racquel. Which, to be fair, I did lie. Just not for that reason.”
“And now?”
“Now it feels like we’re back to square one,” I said. “Worse, actually.”
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
“And my mom just told Racquel she’s staying here,” I added.
Peter let out a low whistle. “That’s… complicated.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“You could still tell Harper the truth,” he said.
I shook my head, even though he couldn’t see me. “No.”
“Tyler—”
“Domestic abuse isn’t something I just throw at her like that,” I cut in. “You know what she’s been through. Being locked up. Being hurt. I’m not risking bringing all that back for her.”
“So what, you just let her think the worst?”
“I’d rather she’s angry than dragged into this,” I said. “If things get worse, if that guy decides to come after anyone helping Racquel… I don’t want Harper anywhere near that.”
Peter was quiet for a moment.
“…So what’s your plan?”
“I call her,” I said, sitting up. “At least try to fix what I can.”
“Do it,” he replied. “And call me back after.”
The line went dead.
I stared at my phone for a second before dialing her number.
It rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
I started pacing without even realizing it, running a hand through my hair as I waited.
Then she picked up.
“Hello?”
“Hey,” I said quickly. “Are you okay?”
“Fine.”
One word.
Flat.
“I just wanted to check on you,” I continued. “Make sure you got home safe and—”
A knock sounded on my door.
Before I could respond, it opened.
“Tyler, I can’t sleep—”
Racquel’s voice carried into the room.
My stomach dropped.
Silence.
Then Harper spoke.
“Is…that Racquel? Is she staying at your house now?”
“Harper, I can explain—”
The call ended.
I stared at my phone. “Damn it.”
I looked up at Racquel, irritation flaring. “I told you to knock.”
She froze. “I did, I just—”
“I didn’t say you could walk in,” I snapped.
Her face fell instantly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
She turned quickly, like she was about to leave.
“Wait.”
She stopped.
I exhaled, dragging a hand over my face again. “Forget it. I shouldn’t have snapped.”
She stayed quiet.
“What do you need?” I asked, forcing my tone to calm down.
“I just… couldn’t sleep,” she admitted. “I keep thinking he might show up.”
I nodded slowly.
“Do you want to watch something?” I offered. “Or sit in the living room for a bit?”
She hesitated, then gave a small nod. “Okay.”
I gestured toward the door. “Come on.”
As we walked out, I glanced back at my phone still in my hand.
The way Harper had ended the call abruptly.
I clenched my jaw slightly and slipped it into my pocket.
Just for a few more days.
That’s all this was.
Handle Racquel’s situation. Get the evidence where it needs to go. Make sure she’s safe.
Then I’d fix things with Harper.
Everything would go back to how it was supposed to be.
It had to.