Chapter 287
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“Of course,” he said without hesitation.
He helped me out of my shoes and I lay back against the pillows while he stretched out beside
me, his hand immediately finding its place on my stomach.
“We’re safe here,” he said quietly. “You can actually rest without worrying.”
“I know,” I said, letting my eyes close. “It feels good to be here.”
Within minutes I was asleep, exhausted from everything my body had been through in the past
twenty four hours.
I woke a few hours later to the sound of children laughing downstairs and the smell of
something delicious cooking, for a moment I was disoriented, forgetting where I was, but then I felt
Tristan’s arm around me and remembered.
Orion’s house, safe with family.
“Hey,” Tristan said softly, clearly having felt me stir. “How do you feel now babe?”
“Better,” I said, and I meant it, the sleep had helped and while I was still sore, the sharp edge of
pain had dulled to a manageable ache.
“Sarah made dinner,” he said. “She sent me to wake you about twenty minutes ago but you
looked so peaceful I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“I’m glad you let me sleep,” I said, sitting up slowly. “What time is it?”
“Almost six,” he said.
We went downstairs together and found everyone gathered in the living room, Sarah was on the
couch with Liam curled up beside her watching a cartoon, Orion was on the floor with Lily building
something with blocks, and the whole scene was so domestic and normal that I felt something in my
chest loosen.
This was what life should be like, peaceful moments with family, not fighting for survival.
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“There you are,” Sarah said when she saw us. “Feeling better?”
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“Much better,” I said, settling into one of the armchairs while Tristan sat on the arm beside me.
“Dinner’s ready whenever you are,” Sarah said. “made lasagna, figured we could all use some
comfort food.”
“That sounds amazing,” I said, realizing I was actually hungry for the first time since the attack.
We all moved to the dining room and Sarah and Orion brought out the food, it was a feast with
lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and Sarah had even made dessert.
“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” I said as we sat down.
“It wasn’t trouble,” Sarah said. “I needed something to keep me busy today and cooking helped.”
We filled our plates and for a while we just ate, the kids chattered about their day and what
they’d been playing, providing a welcome distraction from heavier topics.
After dinner, Orion and Sarah got the kids settled in the living room with a movie and the four
of us adults gathered around the dining table with coffee for them and herbal tea for me.
We spoke about light topic with Orion and Tristan pulling my legs one at a time, it was peaceful
and I loved it.
Eventually Orion glanced at his watch and stood up. “Tristan, I need your help with something
real quick.”
Tristan looked surprised but stood as well. “Sure, what do you need?”
“Just come with me,” Orion said, heading toward his office.
After they left, Sarah and I looked at each other and grinned.
“Finally,” Sarah said. “I thought they’d never leave.”
“I know right?” I said. “I’ve been dying to really talk to you about this Kiara and Derek thing.”
“Tell me everything,” Sarah said, settling back in her chair. “What have you noticed?”
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“Well for starters, the way they look at each other,” I said. “It’s not just dislike, there’s this intensity to it like they’re seeing something in each other that nobody else sees,”
“I’ve noticed that too,” Sarah said. “And the way Derek immediately distrusts her, it feels personal somehow like it’s not just about being cautious, it’s about her specifically.”
“Exactly,” I said, glad someone else was seeing what I was seeing. “And Kiara gets so defensive around him, like she has something to prove.”
“Do you think they have history?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But there’s definitely something there, some kind of connection
they’re both trying to deny.”
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