Chapter 50 Chapter 50
Liana's POV
The words still hung between us.
> "You should stay the night."
I didn't know who was more shocked between the two of us—him or me. The moment they escaped my lips, a flush crawled up my neck. The air in the car became thick, like clouds gathering before a rainstorm.
Stanley didn't flinch for a beat.
His expression was unreadable. Not smug. Not surprised. Just. searching.
"Liana," he replied finally, his voice low, gentle. "I don't want you to ask me that because you're afraid or stuck."
"I wasn't."
My voice trembled with truth. "I'm not asking because I need to be rescued."
I looked at him, actually looked at him—the man who'd picked me up off the pavement of a breakdown and held me as if I were something special. The man who made fries and a milkshake sound like salvation.
"I just… " I spoke softly, "don't want to be alone tonight."
A pause. Then another.
Stanley dipped up and brushed my hair behind my ear once more, his fingers sliding against my jaw.
"Okay," he whispered. "Let's go in."
I nodded, slipping in quietly and out into the night. The porch light spilled over us, golden and soft.
He moved up behind me, silent, but walking close enough that I could feel the solidity of him.
Within, the home was dark and quiet. Cam's toys lay scattered on the living room floor, and a small lamp cast a warm glow over the couch.
I took off my shoes and faced him.
"Water? Tea?" I asked, more or less to do something with my hands.
Stanley grinned, removing his coat. "Tea would be great. I'm guessing you've got some yuppie herbal drink?"
"I'm a mother," I told him, smiling. "Of course."
He chuckled as I went into the kitchen and boiled the kettle, grabbing two mismatched mugs. My hands were still slightly trembling, but now, with him near, it seemed more under control.
Behind me, he asked softly, "Is everything all right?"
Let it continue as is.
"Cam doesn't know about the custody thing yet… right?"
I shook my head. "No. I wouldn't—I'd never saddle that on him before I have to."
Stanley nodded. "Good. Let's keep it that way as long as we can. He deserves peace."
The kettle clicked off.
I poured the tea and handed him a cup, then leaned against the counter, sipping mine slowly.
"You really expect Dominic to do it?" I asked.
"I think…" He rubbed his jaw, and a sigh was pushed out. "Dominic's always been about control. That doesn't go away. And if he's bringing lawyers into this, he's preparing for war."
Anxiety flooded back in a wave.
Stanley leaned in closer, drawing the back of my hand with a thumb. "But he's not the only one who has resources. You're not alone in this."
I looked up at him.
"Thanks," I breathed. "For tonight. For. everything."
"I had to. I always will," he said.
The silence that followed wasn't tense—it was weighted with all the things we weren't talking. I could feel it vibrating between us, that ache we'd both been avoiding.
I made the first move.
I moved towards him and touched my forehead to his chest.
Stanley wrapped his arms around me again, but tighter. And this time. I didn't cry. I inhaled him.
When I finally pulled away, he was looking at me with something so tender in his eyes, it twisted my stomach.
"You sure you want me to stay?" he asked again, voice rough.
I nodded once.
We left the tea on the counter and walked down the hallway together.
In the doorway of my room, I stood there.
Not because I was afraid of him—but because it had been so long since anyone had gotten that close. Since anyone had seen me—unwaried, unguarded, whole.
Stanley did not push. He waited behind me.
"I just want to sleep," I breathed, not turning. "Nothing else."
"I know."
I turned then, looking up at him.
And I saw only honesty in his face. No expectation. No pressure. Only presence.
So I took his hand.
We got into bed, the two of us still clothed, and placed our bodies toward one another in the dark. His hand came up from underneath the blankets to find mine.
"Cam's going to start asking questions soon," I whispered, hardly audible.
"Then we give him honest answers. Not all at once. But enough that he knows he's safe."
I nodded.
And then I closed my eyes.
Surrounded by quiet and Stanley's heat beside me, I let sleep sweep me away for the first time in what felt like an eternity—with no monsters chasing me, and no darkness waiting on the other side.
Not tonight.
Because tonight, I wasn't alone.