LOGINKillian woke a little after three in the morning with his head pounding and his mouth dry. The room was dark except for one lamp turned low in the corner.Marcus was still there, sitting in the armchair by the window, jacket slung over the back, scrolling on his phone."You're still here," Killian said. His voice was rough."Somebody had to make sure you didn't choke on your own regret." Marcus put the phone down. "How do you feel?""Like I got run over. In every way.""Water's on the nightstand. Drink all of it."Killian drank it in long swallows, and some of the fog cleared. He set the glass down and looked at Marcus properly. The night was coming back to him in pieces."I made a fool of myself.""You were in pain. That's different.""Doesn't feel different."Neither of them spoke for a minute. The city outside the window was quiet and dark."Marcus." Killian's voice was steadier now, clearer than it had been at the bar. "I need to ask you a question, and I need a real answer this t
The bar was on a street Killian had never walked down before, in a part of the city where nobody expected to see the Cross name come through the door. That was exactly why he'd picked it.He was on his fourth drink when Marcus found him at the far end of the counter, tie hanging loose, shoulders slumped. Marcus sat down on the next stool."Killian. What are you doing?""Drinking. What does it look like?""It looks like you're trying to drown in a glass, in a place where anyone could recognize you and post it online before you finish your next one.""I don't care anymore." His voice cracked on the last word.Marcus watched him. He'd seen Killian angry plenty of times, cold and quiet in a way that made grown men stop talking. He had never seen him like this. It looked less like anger and more like grief."Talk to me. What happened?"Killian laughed, short and bitter, and dragged a hand through his hair. "Nothing happened. That's the problem. I've spent weeks trying to find out the truth
The door shut behind Julian, and Asher stayed where he was. The containers were still lined up on the counter. His plate was still full. The whole apartment smelled like the food Julian had brought, and for once he wanted none of it.You and I could raise this child. Without him.He kept hearing it. He kept hearing the other line too. He hasn't earned the right to a decision he doesn't know exists.His eyes went to the hook by the door. Julian's spare key was sitting in Julian's pocket right now. Asher had handed it over himself, weeks ago, and it had felt like a nice thing to do. Now he pictured the lock turning at three in the morning, Julian standing in the dark hallway with a bag of soup, and his stomach dropped.He grabbed his jacket and his car keys and left.He didn't pick a direction. He just drove, taking whatever turn came up, until the buildings got shorter and the road ran along the river. There was a gravel lot near the water with no other cars in it. He parked, turned th
Julian arrived that Friday evening with dinner already prepared, containers stacked neatly in a bag, the kind of quiet, practiced care that had become so familiar over the past weeks that Asher barely noticed it anymore, though something about tonight felt different the moment Julian stepped through the door."You look tired," Julian said, setting the containers down on the counter, studying Asher's face with the same careful attention he always gave lately."I've had a rough few days," Asher admitted, settling onto the couch, one hand resting absently against his stomach, a habit that had crept in slowly over the past week without him fully noticing.Julian's eyes tracked the movement, something soft passing across his expression before he busied himself plating the food, setting a full plate in front of Asher despite his lack of appetite."Ethan told me you two had a disagreement," Julian said carefully, sitting down across from him.Asher's shoulders tensed slightly. "We worked it
Ethan didn't hear from Asher for two full days.He spent most of that time sitting alone in his apartment, replaying the argument over and over, guilt sitting heavy and constant in his chest no matter how many times he told himself he'd done the right thing. Marcus called once, checking in gently, though even his voice carried a careful, subdued quality that hadn't been there before, like he too was still processing the weight of what he now knew.On the third day, a message finally came through.Can you come over? I think we need to talk properly.Ethan drove there faster than he probably should have, his heart pounding the entire way, unsure what exactly waited for him on the other side of that door.Asher opened it looking tired, dark circles heavy beneath his eyes, though something in his expression had softened slightly since the last time they'd stood in this same doorway shouting at each other."Hey," Asher said quietly."Hey," Ethan echoed, hesitant. "Can I come in?"Asher ste
Ethan showed up at Asher's apartment just past noon, his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, his shoulders hunched in a way that immediately put Asher on edge the moment he opened the door."Hey," Asher said, stepping back to let him in. "You look terrible. Did you sleep at all?""Not really," Ethan admitted, walking inside but not sitting down, pacing instead near the window the way he always did when something was eating at him.Asher shut the door and studied him carefully. "What's going on?"Ethan turned around, his face pale, guilt written plainly across every line of it. "I need to tell you something. And I need you to hear me out completely before you say anything."Asher's stomach dropped instantly, old instinct sharpening fast. "Ethan. What did you do?""I told Marcus," Ethan said, the words rushing out before he could lose his nerve. "About the baby. About everything."For a moment, Asher simply stared at him, the words not quite landing properly, like they belonged t







