THE PULL

THE PULL
Lena's pov

Mia pulled me into another bone-crushing hug the second she saw me, and this time I didn’t even try to fight it. My face buried into her shoulder, her familiar perfume flooding my senses, grounding me in a way nothing else quite could.

“I’m so happy you’re okay,” she breathed fiercely, her arms tightening around me.

“I swear, Lena, I thought I was going to lose my mind. You scared the hell out of me.”

“I’m okay,” I murmured, my own voice breaking despite my attempt to sound steady. “I’m home.”

She pulled back just enough to look at my face, her hands cupping my cheeks like she needed to be sure I was real. Her eyes were glossy.

“You finally reconnected with your family,” she said softly, then her expression hardened just a little. “And that bitch is getting exactly what she deserves.”

I let out a shaky breath.

“Vivian’s court case was officially scheduled this week,” Mia continued, her tone sharp now. “Word is she’d be lucky to get ten years. Lucky.”

Something in my chest loosened—not relief exactly, but closure beginning to take shape. “I don’t even know how to feel about that,” I admitted. “Everything happened so fast.”

Mia sighed, pulling me into a gentler hug this time. “You don’t have to feel anything yet. You’ve been through hell. Just… breathe.”

We stood there for a moment, just holding each other, the quiet stretching comfortably between us. We’d technically seen each other yesterday, but this felt different—like now, finally, the danger had passed. Now, it was real.

Footsteps echoed from the staircase, and I looked up just in time to see Damien and Noah coming downstairs.

My heart swelled instantly.

Noah spotted me first and broke away from Damien, rushing toward me with a grin so wide it almost made my chest ache.

“Mummy!” he called, skidding to a stop beside me and wrapping his arms around my legs.

I laughed softly, bending to kiss the top of his head. “Hey, my love.”

Mia’s face softened instantly. She crouched beside him, running her fingers gently through his curls.

“Look at you,” she said warmly. “Such a big boy.”

Damien stepped forward then, and Mia straightened, pulling him into a hug that surprised him enough to make him stiffen for a second before he relaxed into it.

“Thank you,” she said, sincere and unwavering. “For not giving up on her. For finding her. You did a great job.”

Damien’s throat bobbed. “I didn’t have a choice.”

She laughed lightly, pulling back and studying him. “You know,” she added teasingly, “for a second there, I thought you were going to be one of those stuck-up billionaires who didn’t give a damn about what other people go through.”

Damien raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at his lips. “And?”

“And you proved me wrong, Mr. Locke,” she said, smiling brightly. “So… thank you.”

“Thank you,” he replied simply, before nodding and waking towards the kitchen.

Noah pressed closer to me, his small hand gripping my dress like he needed constant reassurance that I was really here. I wrapped an arm around him instinctively, breathing him in.

“Mia,” I said suddenly, turning back to her. “I’ve been thinking.”

She tilted her head. “That’s dangerous.”
I laughed softly. “I want to do something crazy.”

Her eyes widened playfully. “Lena, I think we’ve lost you enough this year.”

I shook my head. “No, not that kind of crazy. I mean… I don’t want to sit around feeling trapped by how expensive everything is. I don’t want to feel locked up anymore.”

Her expression shifted—curious now. “So what do you want to do?”

I hesitated, then exhaled. “I want to start something. A business. Something I’ve always dreamed about.”

Mia’s fingers tightened around mine. “Go on.”

“I think,” I said slowly, my heart pounding, “I want to open a magazine company.”

Her eyes practically lit up. “Oh my God,” she breathed. “Really?”

I nodded, suddenly nervous. “I’ve always loved storytelling. Fashion. Voices that don’t get heard. I don’t want to keep putting it off anymore.”

She squeezed my hands. “Lena, if this year has taught us anything, it’s that if you don’t take the bull by the horns now, you might not even be around by the time you stop procrastinating.”

My eyes burned. “That’s exactly how I feel.”

She pulled me into another hug, laughing softly. “You have to do it. You have to.”
I hugged her back tightly. “Then you’re going to have to come over for a sleepover. Non-negotiable.”

She grinned. “Absolutely. I’ll bring Andrea too.”

My smile widened. “How is she? And her dad?”

Mia’s face softened again. “Everyone’s fine. I finally got full custody.”

I gasped. “Mia—that’s amazing.”

“I know,” she said, beaming. “It feels like my life is finally settling.”

“I knew you could do it,” I said, pulling her into another tight hug.

As I looked around the room, Noah still glued to my side—I felt something settle deep inside my chest.

The future didn’t feel terrifying anymore
It felt… possible.