Chapter 10 - Lines That Can’t Be Crossed

Her hands were steady when she locked the screen, but inside, something feral woke up. Someone had crossed a line.

She was on the phone within seconds.

“Change Leo’s pickup routine,” she told the school administrator calmly. “Effective immediately. No exceptions.”

After that, she called her lawyer. Then her private security consultant.

By the time the city lights flickered on, Serena Blake had already activated defenses Ethan Blackwood had never known she possessed.

She wasn’t the woman he’d left behind. And she wasn’t helpless.

Ethan sensed it before he knew it. He was in the middle of a late meeting when his phone buzzed repeatedly from an unknown number, blocked caller, then an encrypted message from a private investigator he trusted.

Someone is watching Serena Blake’s son.

Ethan was on his feet instantly.

“Clear my schedule,” he snapped. “Now.”

The room froze.

By the time Ethan arrived at Serena’s building, night had fully settled. He didn’t announce himself. He didn’t demand answers. He waited.

Serena opened the door herself, eyes sharp, posture guarded.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said.

“Someone photographed Leo,” Ethan replied.

Her expression didn’t change.

“I know.”

That surprised him.

“You’re not scared,” he said quietly.

“I’m furious,” she corrected.

He exhaled slowly. “Good. Because fear clouds judgment.”

She studied him for a long moment before stepping aside.

“Five minutes,” she said. “That’s all you get.”

Inside, the apartment was calm. Too calm. Security screens glowed faintly along one wall, feeds from cameras Ethan hadn’t known existed.

“You planned for this,” he said.

“I planned for everything,” Serena replied. “Including you.”

He didn’t argue.

“Show me the photo,” he said.

She handed him her phone. The moment Ethan saw it, his jaw tightened.

“This wasn’t random,” he said. “The angle’s deliberate. Someone wanted you to know you’re being watched.”

“And wanted to scare me,” Serena added.

“They underestimated you.”

She met his gaze. “So did you.”

A beat passed.

“Who would do this?” Ethan asked.

Serena didn’t answer immediately.

“Someone who benefits from chaos,” she said finally. “Or exposure.”

His eyes darkened. “The media.”

“Or your enemies,” she countered.

That landed.

At that exact moment, Leo padded quietly down the hallway, clutching his stuffed dinosaur. He stopped when he saw Ethan. The man from the school. The one with eyes like his own.

Leo frowned slightly. Serena turned instantly. “Leo, sweetheart....”

“It’s okay,” Ethan said softly, lowering himself slightly so he didn’t loom. “I won’t come closer.”

Leo studied him carefully.

“You’re the sad man,” Leo said matter-of-factly.

Ethan froze.

Serena’s breath caught.

“I’m not sad,” Ethan said gently.

“Yes, you are,” Leo replied. “But you’re trying not to be.”

The room went silent.

Serena stepped forward. “Leo, go back to bed.”

Leo hesitated, then nodded and walked away, glancing back once.

Ethan didn’t move until he was gone.

“That,” Serena said tightly, “is why you don’t get involved.”

Ethan swallowed. “He’s perceptive.”

“He’s protected,” she said. “By me.”

“And by me,” Ethan said quietly.

She turned on him. “You don’t get to claim that.”

“I’m not claiming,” he said. “I’m offering.”

Minutes later, Ethan stood by the door.

“I’ll find out who sent that photo,” he said. “Quietly. No exposure. No media.”

“And if it leads back to you?” Serena asked.

“Then I’ll burn the trail myself,” he replied.

She searched his face, weighing risk against reality. Finally, she nodded once.

“One step out of line,” she warned, “and you disappear from our lives completely.”

Ethan held her gaze. “Fair.”

That night, Ethan made one call.

“Find the source,” he ordered. “No leaks. No records.”

Across the city, Serena sat beside Leo’s bed long after he fell asleep, watching his chest rise and fall.

The past had reached for her child. And this time, she wouldn’t just survive it. She would fight back.