Held Together

Raisel - POV

My panic finally started to settle the moment Fiora looked at her phone and read the message.

It was from Jace.

Soren’s okay. This was all staged. Fiora whispering in my ears.

While the doctor checked my vitals. He handed me some medication to help calm my nerves and quietly stepped out of the room.

“Inhale slowly… now exhale,” Hazel said, her voice like silk brushing across my senses.

“I want to go see Soren,” I whispered.

“I’m sorry, Raisel… but you can’t. Not right now,” Fiora added gently, sadness woven into every word.

“Why not?” I whispered again. “I need him. I…”

Before I could finish, Hazel pulled me into a tender embrace.

“The officers are still watching you… even if the charges were dropped,” she murmured against my shoulder.

“They’re doing everything they can to dig deeper, to confirm the truth,” Fiora added, trying to stay calm for my sake.

“Until the case is closed and some time passes… you’ll need to stay here,” Hazel said quietly.

I pulled back slightly from Hazel’s embrace, just enough to speak.

“Who would leak something like this?” I asked, my voice barely audible.

“I’m trying to figure that out too,” Fiora replied, her eyes fixed on the screen as lines of code ran by. She was already deep into her work—her hacker instincts kicking in.

“Where’s Gwen?” I asked.

“She’s caught up with work… she’s really sorry she couldn’t make it,” Hazel said, her voice full of understanding.

“Do you have any idea how the leak could’ve happened? Even a tiny clue might help,” Hazel added, her eyes meeting mine.

I felt an ache in my chest—but also a quiet comfort. I was lucky to have Hazel, Fiora, and Gwen. They knew everything—every secret, every plan. If I’d been alone through this, I would’ve completely fallen apart. I was grateful. But my mind was still racing…

ive. Could it be connected?“Could Killian be behind this?” Hazel asked. She already knew the backstory—I’d told them everything.

“I’ve thought about that,” I whispered. “But… why would he agree to help me in the first place? I don’t trust him either, but he swore he had nothing to do with it. He’s not stupid, Hazel—Soren showed him the evidence. It could destroy him.”

A heavy sigh escaped me.

“I’m sorry… everything’s so foggy right now. My brain feels like mush.”

We sat in silence while Hazel made something for us to eat. The scent of food slowly filled the space. Roacher and his team had already returned to their base in Iowa, helping Fiora trace the source of the leak. They were keeping tabs on Killian too. Roacher was doing what my mother once did—trying to keep Soren and me safe.

Soren didn’t know about the pregnancy.

I’d asked everyone to keep it from him.

I wanted to be the one to tell him—in person.

“Here. Have some lasagna,” Hazel said, placing a warm plate in my hands.

I didn’t realize how hungry I was until the first bite. I ate more than I intended.

“Eat a little more. You’re eating for two now,” Hazel said softly, her caring voice wrapping around me like a blanket. I felt seen. Not alone.

After dinner, I slipped away to my room for a bit of quiet. I found myself staring at an old photo of Susan and me—her smile so full of life. Swiping through the pictures, I stopped at one of me and Soren on the rooftop, locked in a gaze that once felt like forever.

I never imagined life would twist so dramatically. But somehow, even through the chaos, this change felt right.

I placed my hand over my belly.

I wanted this child.

And I wanted it with him. With Soren.

Still… tension pulled at my heart.

What would he think?

Would he be ready?

I lay down, trying to rest—for the baby. I shut my eyes, silently hoping sleep would come easier than the nightmares.

After a surprisingly peaceful nap, I walked back out and spotted Fiora hunched over her laptop, glaring at the screen. She was on her third mug of coffee. She looked exhausted.

Hazel wasn’t in the room.

I stepped out onto the balcony and found her there, standing alone. Her expression was unreadable, her usual spark dimmed. Her eyes held sadness and loneliness—none of the fierce, bold Hazel energy I’d come to love.

It hit me all at once. I’d been so lost in my own world, I hadn’t even noticed hers unraveling.

“Hazel?” I said softly.

She turned and instantly pulled on a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t even know,” I admitted.

“You’ll be okay.” She reached out, resting her hand on my shoulder. “I know it in my gut—you’re going to come out stronger.

You’re going to be an amazing mom.”

Her words made me smile, even if it trembled a little.

“Hazel… you do consider me a friend, right?”

She blinked. “Of course I do. What kind of question is that?”

Then she hesitated.

“Are you… are you doubting me?”

She tried to keep her voice light, but I heard the crack beneath it. She pulled her hand back from my shoulder.

“You’ve got it wrong,” I said quickly, placing my hand where hers had been. “I just… I want to know what’s really going on with you.”

“Nothing,” she said almost too fast.

I sighed.

“The reason I asked is because… if you truly see me as a friend, then please tell me what’s going on. I’m not taking ‘nothing’ for an answer.”

She finally let out a long breath, her shoulders slumping.

“I don’t know what I want anymore, Raisel. I thought I did. I gave everything I had to save the business, and I still lost it.”

Her voice shook.

“I’m still engaged to a man I barely know—on paper at least. My mom doesn’t care what I feel. My dad… he couldn’t care less if I lived or died. He treated my mother the same way.”

She paused, looking away from me, hiding tears she didn’t want me to see.

“I’m lost. I don’t know who I am or what I’m supposed to do. I just keep going… because I don’t know how to stop.”

I pulled her into my arms, holding her close.

“You’ll find your way back,” I whispered. “Even if you feel hollow now, something will come that’ll fill that space again. Keep faith… That’s all I’ve learned to do.”

Just then, Fiora appeared behind us.

“Okay, come on—you better let me in on this hug too.”

The three of us stood there, arms around one another. I smiled—not fully healed, but fully held. Half sadness, half hope.

And entirely thankful.