Chapter 5

LILA

The house was too quiet. The kind of silence that crept into your skin and settled in your bones.

I sat curled on the edge of the couch, legs drawn to my chest, staring at the flickering flames in the fireplace.

But even the fire couldn’t warm me.

Not after what I’d just learned and what I had to do.

Jackson stood by the window, his back to me, arms crossed so tightly across his chest I could see his knuckles whitening.

He hadn’t said a word since I walked through the door. He didn’t need to, the tension in the air said enough.

“I went to four different seers,” I said, finally breaking the silence. My voice cracked like glass underfoot. “Four. They didn’t know each other. I didn’t even tell them my name.”

He didn’t turn around.

“They all said the same thing.”

Still nothing.

I licked my lips and continued, even though I could barely breathe.

“That Gavin is dying… because his soul is tethered and the only way to heal him… is if the bond between his parents is made whole again.”

Jackson’s shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t speak.

“I have to marry Tyler,” I said, my voice a whisper now. “That’s what they said. All of them.”

He turned slowly.

His eyes, which are usually warm, were stormy. “Do you believe them?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

I nodded, the tears spilling before I could stop them.

“I didn’t want to. I wanted to call them liars, frauds… I begged the last one to tell me something different. But… they all saw the same thing. Gavin was born from a bond sealed by fate. And that bond is broken.”

Jackson let out a breath, like the wind had been knocked out of him.

“And the only way to fix it,” he said, pacing a few steps, “is to go back to the man who ruined you?”

I nodded again, my body shaking.

“Yes.”

He pressed his palms to his face and dragged them down slowly. Then he walked to me, kneeled down and held my hands in his.

“I hate this,” he said. His voice cracked. “I hate it more than anything. But I love you and I love that little boy like he’s my own blood. I’d die for him.”

I sobbed and leaned into him.

“He is yours. In every way that matters.”

“But fate doesn’t care about that, does it?” he murmured.

I shook my head against his shoulder.

“No. It doesn’t.”

We didn’t speak again for a long time.

We just sat there in silence.

Both of us holding on… because we both knew we were about to let go.

Jackson’s arms wrapped around me slowly, like he was memorizing the way I fit against him.

Like he already knew this was goodbye.

I rested my head against his chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart. That heart had been my home for five years. And now I had to walk away from it… to walk back into the fire.

“I don’t want to do this,” I whispered, barely able to speak. “Every part of me wants to say no. But when I look at Gavin lying in that hospital bed, fading a little more each day, Jackson, I’d marry the devil himself to save our son.”

He didn’t flinch, or pull away. He just nodded slowly.

“I know,” he said.

“I just hate that I can’t save him,” he murmured, his fingers curling into my back. “I hate that I can’t be the one.”

“You are,” I said, pulling back to look into his eyes. “You’ve always been the one.”

“No, Lila.” He gave a weak, sad smile. “I’m just the man who picked up the pieces. The man you learned to love because the one who was fated to you destroyed you.”

“Don’t say that,” I choked.

“It’s true.” He looked down. “But I don’t regret a second of it. Not a single one. You gave me the best years of my life. You gave me a family. You gave me Gavin.”

I couldn’t breathe.

We both knew what was happening. What had to happen. And still… neither of us was ready.

The tears came fast again, and he pulled me into him, our foreheads pressed together, our breaths tangled.

“Tell me this isn’t the end,” I whispered.

“It’s not,” he said, his thumb brushing my cheek. “It’s just… the hardest part.”

Then he kissed me.

Soft at first. Like goodbye.

Then deeper. Fierce and desperate, like he wanted to leave a piece of himself inside me. Something I’d carry even after I walked away.

I kissed him back with everything I had. Every tear, every tremble and every broken dream.

Because no matter where I went… Jackson would always be my safe place.

By the time we pulled apart, we were both crying again.

Morning came like a thief, stealing what little peace the night had offered.

I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the black dress that clung to my figure like a shadow. I hadn’t worn this color for mourning, not even when my mother passed. But today, it felt right.

Because today, I was burying something.

A part of me. A part of us.

Jackson waited by the door, already dressed. His eyes were red-rimmed, but he didn’t cry. Not anymore.

We were both past the tears now.

As we drove to the hospital, I rested my hand against the car window, watching the city blur past. The world was still turning, indifferent to my grief. Strangers walked the sidewalks, laughing, going on with their lives… while mine felt like it was slowly unraveling.

When we arrived at the Hospital, I didn’t hesitate.

I walked straight to the ICU, my heels echoing down the sterile hallway like drumbeats.

When I entered Gavin’s room, my heart sank. He looked worse, paler than yesterday. His tiny chest barely moved beneath the blanket.

The machines beeped softly, rhythmically. But I hated them.

They reminded me that he was only alive because of wires and tubes.

I sat beside his bed and took his hand, cold and limp in mine.

“Hey, baby,” I whispered, running my thumb gently over his knuckles. “It’s Mommy.”

No response.

Tears welled up, but I blinked them away.

“I came to say goodbye,” I said, choking on the words. “Not forever. Just… for now.”

I leaned down and pressed a trembling kiss to his forehead.

“I’m doing this for you. Everything I’m about to do… it’s all for you, Gavin. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I swear...I’ll come back. I’ll come back when you’re better.”

I lingered for just a moment longer.

Then I stood and walked out of the room, before I could change my mind.

The car ride was quiet. Jackson drove with both hands on the wheel, jaw clenched tight, eyes locked on the road like it was the only thing holding him together.

I didn’t speak.

What was there to say?

I stared out the window, watching the trees blur into green streaks as we sped down the winding road that led to Blackwood territory.

Each mile we drove pulled me further away from my home, from my life, from Gavin’s room in the hospital.

And closer to the man who once shattered me.

My palms were damp. My heart was a hammer in my chest, beating out the rhythm of dread.

I hated this. Hated him.

But I would walk through fire for my son.

I swallowed bile.

The road narrowed, and the trees became taller, darker: the mark of Blackwood’s borders. The gate appeared next, tall and silver with curling vines of iron and the sigil of the wolf’s eye at its center. It slowly creaked open.

I reached for the car door handle, but Jackson caught my hand.

I looked at him. His eyes were wet now, glassy under the fading sun.

“I’ll wait,” he said softly. “As long as it takes. I’ll wait.”

My throat closed. I couldn’t say anything. I just squeezed his hand. Once. Tight.

Because if I said anything else, I would break.

The car rolled to a slow stop in the circular driveway, just below a towering white mansion carved into the hillside like a monument to pride and power.

And then I looked up.

There he was.

Tyler Blackwood.

Standing on the balcony like a king awaiting his prize. One hand rested on the marble railing, the other buried in the pocket of his tailored black coat. The wind caught his hair just enough to make him look cinematic, calculated.

That familiar smirk pulled at his lips.

My jaw tightened.

I stepped out of the car.