Zayn kissed her hair.
“And he’s running scared.”
“What if he comes back?” she asked. “What if he tries again?”
Zayn’s voice hardened, steel beneath the calm.
“Then he’ll be stopped long before he gets close to you. Or Lana. Or our sons.”
--
Night fell heavy over the house.
In her private room, wrapped in expensive sheets that felt too crisp, too unfamiliar, Lana finally let the smile slip.
The moment the door closed and the soft click of the lock echoed, her body betrayed her.
Her hands began to shake.
Not the dramatic kind—the quiet, uncontrollable tremor that crawled up her fingers and settled deep in her bones. She pressed her palms together, hard, as if she could physically force herself back into control. Her breathing turned shallow, uneven.
A faint noise drifted from outs
