Chapter 95 – Aftermath & Reunion
Chapter 95 – Aftermath & Reunion
(Eden’s POV)
The city blurred past the SUV window, lights smearing together like they were too fast for me to catch. I sat wedged between them, Luca’s jacket wrapped tight around me like armor. Levi’s hand still gripped mine, his thumb brushing in circles he probably didn’t even realize he was making. The warmth was grounding, though my skin still felt tender from the endless scalding showers Daniel had forced on me.
He hadn’t let go of me once—not since they burst through that door. I didn’t know if he ever would again.
No one spoke for a long while, the silence thick with things we weren’t ready to say.
“Hospital first,” Luca finally murmured, his voice careful, like it might shatter if it was any louder. “Our doctor’s meeting us upstairs.”
I nodded faintly. My throat felt shredded, but not from screaming—from holding back words. From holding everything in.
Levi tilted his head toward me, his voice softer. “If you want to stop, we stop. If you want to sleep, we’ll watch over you. If you want to talk… we’ll listen.”
My lips parted, and before I could think better of it, the words spilled. “He never… touched me. Not like that.” My voice cracked. “He made me shower. Over and over. Scalding. Said it would… cleanse me of you.”
Both of them went rigid.
I whispered, “I’m sorry—”
“Don’t.” Luca’s voice was iron. His hand covered mine on Levi’s. “Don’t ever apologize for surviving.”
The elevator doors opened, revealing Harper pacing like a caged animal. Her fists were tight, her eyes swollen from crying. When she saw me, she didn’t hesitate. She ran.
We collided in the foyer, her arms crushing me against her chest. “You’re here,” she sobbed. “You’re finally here.”
“I’m here.” My voice cracked, but this time it wasn’t fear—it was relief.
She held me like she could put me back together piece by piece, murmuring words I couldn’t catch, only feel. When she finally pulled back, she wiped at my face like I was still her little sister. “You’re safe now.”
On the couch, folded clothes, socks, and even a blanket were waiting for me. Small kindnesses that tore me open more than Daniel’s cruelty ever had.
Levi crouched in front of me, his hand on my knee. “Our attorney’s on it. Daniel’s booked. Hearing’s set for tomorrow morning. We’ll be there.”
The name slid into the room like a draft of cold air. I shivered, staring at my raw hands. “Can I… shower? Warm. My choice.”
“Always,” Luca said instantly, steadying himself on the arm of the couch like he needed the anchor.
Harper stayed outside the bathroom while I stood under the water. Warm, not scalding. My skin prickled, my breath hitched, and then finally—finally—I cried. But the tears weren’t just pain this time. They were release.
Later, the doctor came. She was quiet and kind, checking my vitals, her words soft. “You’re dehydrated, underweight, exhausted. But no permanent harm. Rest will do the work.”
Rest. Such a simple word, and yet it felt impossible.
I sat with tea between my palms, Harper curled at my feet like she was guarding me, the twins on either side. The weight of them was heavy but not suffocating. Anchoring.
“You don’t have to go tomorrow,” Harper said softly. “Let the system handle it.”
I shook my head, voice steady for the first time. “I want to. I need to see the door shut.”
The twins’ gazes softened, sharp with love and pain. They didn’t argue.
When night came, they walked me to bed together. At the doorway, my feet froze. Sleep had been a battlefield for months.
“We’ll be right here,” Luca promised.
“And if you wake,” Levi added, his voice breaking, “say our names. We’ll come.”
I lay down, the sheets smelling of cedar and them. For the first time in months, I let sleep take me—guarded, safe, and finally free enough to close my eyes.
Tomorrow there would be court. Questions. A reckoning. But tonight, there was quiet. My choice. And the knowledge I wasn’t alone anymore.