All Chapters of After Hours: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

122 Chapters

The End of It

Chapter Seventy-Six: The End of ItJohnny’s POVHe should’ve let it go.Let the blocked call fade into static. Let Layla’s voice rot in the memory like so much of what they’d been. Let Alli’s anger be the final word.But he couldn’t.Not until it was done.Not until Layla looked him in the eye and knew—for real, this time—that he was done with her.The engine of his truck growled low as he pulled into the edge of town. The place hadn’t changed much. Trailer park entrance still dented. Same rusted swing set leaning sideways like it was waiting to collapse. Same porch lights even in the day, flickering like haunted beacons.He parked.And waited.Then climbed out and slammed the door harder than he meant to.Her door opened before he even knocked.“Johnny,” Layla said like she’d been expecting him.She still had that smug, painted-on calm. Lip gloss too pink for the hour. Shirt too tight. That belly—flat. Like the baby had never existed.“You said you were pregnant,” he said without a h

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

Don’t Let Go

Chapter Seventy-Seven: Don’t Let GoAlli’s POVThe evening air hung heavy in the living room, thick with quiet warmth and something else—uncertainty.John had fallen asleep curled on Johnny’s chest, his tiny hand wrapped in the fabric of Johnny’s t-shirt like he was afraid to let go. His face was soft, slack with peace, lips slightly parted. His breathing synced to Johnny’s—slow, deep, safe.Alli sat across from them on the old couch, legs curled beneath her, her eyes tracing every rise and fall of their bodies. It was beautiful. It was surreal.And it scared the hell out of her.She hadn’t expected things to fall back into place so quickly. And in some ways, they hadn’t. There were still jagged pieces. Still bruises from the past pressing into the present.But seeing them together…She swallowed hard and looked down at her tea—cold and untouched.Johnny glanced up. Their eyes met.“I didn’t mean for today to feel so heavy,” he said softly, voice rough with emotion. “I just wanted… no

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

Still Watching

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Still WatchingJohnny’s POVThe sun was high and hot by mid-morning, the kind of Southern summer day that wrapped around your neck like a wet towel. Johnny rolled the window down anyway, letting the wind whip through the cab of the truck as he turned into the town square.John sat in the booster seat beside him, chattering about the cartoon he’d watched the night before, half-eaten French fry clutched in one hand and a happy meal toy in the other.“…and then he was like pow! And the robot fell into the lava!” John said, wide-eyed, throwing his arms out for effect.Johnny grinned. “Sounds intense.”“It was, Daddy. He saved everybody.”“Well, maybe next time you’ll have to show me,” he said, glancing over at him. “We’ll do a movie night, just us boys.”“Can we get popcorn?”“The biggest bucket they’ve got.”John beamed, kicking his feet happily against the seat.They parked near the old playground at the edge of town, the one that had seen better days but still he

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

Pushed Away

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Pushed AwayJohnny’s POVBy the time Johnny pulled back into the gravel drive in front of Alli’s house, John had fallen asleep in the back seat—sticky fingers, happy meal bag crushed under one small arm. His hair was windblown from the playground, cheeks flushed from running and laughing.And Johnny’s heart felt like a slab of stone in his chest.He carried his son inside, tucked him into bed without waking him, and lingered for a moment in the doorway—watching the little boy shift under the blanket, unaware of the storm outside his room.But it was brewing.And it was time to face it.Alli was at the kitchen table when he came out, scrolling on her phone, a half-drunk mug of coffee beside her.She looked up, smiled softly. “You’re back early.”He didn’t answer right away. He couldn’t.She tilted her head, her smile fading. “Johnny?”He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down, his palms pressed against his jeans, restless. “Something happened at the par

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

Peace or Nothing

Chapter Eighty: Peace or NothingJohnny’s POVThe road blurred past his window, a smear of green and golden fields flashing by in the dusk light. He didn’t know where he was going—he just needed to go. To put distance between himself and that look on Alli’s face.Not anger. Not even fear.It was disappointment.And that? That gutted him more than anything.Johnny gripped the steering wheel tighter as he turned off the county road and pulled into the old mechanic shop on the edge of town—his shop. The one place he could be alone with his thoughts and not pretend.He killed the engine, sat there in the silence. The ghosts were louder here.His mind echoed with the last words she’d said.“Get out. Don’t come back until she’s gone.”And he understood it. Respected it.Hell, if the roles were reversed, he’d have said worse.He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the steering wheel, dropping his head. The scent of oil and leather and pine air freshener didn’t cover the weight in the air.

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

The Letter

Chapter Eighty-Two: The LetterAlli’s POVThe evening storm rolled in like a slow burn—low thunder in the distance, air thick with pressure. The rain hadn’t started yet, but the sky was darkening, bruised and heavy, like it was holding something back.Alli had just finished putting John to bed, his arms wrapped around his new stuffed dinosaur, when a knock echoed off the front door.She froze.It wasn’t loud. Not urgent.But it was intentional.Her first thought was Johnny.She hurried barefoot down the hallway, brushing her hair out of her face as she reached the door. Her fingers hesitated on the knob.She opened it.A man in a black windbreaker stood there, soaked from the creeping drizzle, holding a clipboard and an envelope in a waterproof sleeve.“Allison Rae?” he asked.“Yes?”“I have a delivery for you. It’s been signed for—just need your initials here.” He handed her the clipboard.She scribbled quickly, brows pinched. “From who?”The man didn’t answer. Just gave a polite nod

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

Steel and Skin and the Space Between

Chapter Eighty-Four: Steel and Skin and the Space Between Alli’s POVThe shop smelled like oil, rust, and him.Johnny turned off the overhead fluorescents and flicked on a standing lamp that cast the room in soft gold. The rain outside blurred the windows like fogged glass, muting the world until it was just them and the gentle thrum of the heater kicking back on.She stood still for a moment, her body starting to tremble now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He noticed.Without saying a word, Johnny grabbed a thick old blanket from the workbench, shook it out, and wrapped it around her shoulders. Then, with the other half, he threw it over the hood of the old truck in the corner and gestured.“Come sit with me.”She did.The metal was warm beneath the blanket, and the sound of the rain turned into a lullaby. For a moment, neither of them spoke.“This place hasn’t changed,” she said eventually.He chuckled. “Nah. Still smells like diesel and regret.”She turned her head. “You regre

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

The Deep End

Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Deep End Alli's POVThe kitchen was too quiet.Alli had sent Johnny and John off with sunscreen, snacks, and half a heart that couldn't quite settle in her chest. She stood at the sink, watching the gravel settle after his truck rolled away, the dust hanging in the air like memories that refused to drift.She'd told herself she was doing fine.She had the bar, she had the house, she had John. She didn't need anything else. She'd built a life with sharp edges and routines to keep her from slipping back into the ache of what-ifs. But watching them drive off together cracked something in her.That was her son. That was his father. And she'd kept them apart for too long.She didn’t regret protecting her child. But she regretted the silence.The bar was closed today. She hadn't scheduled staff. She hadn't even opened the books. Instead, she wandered the house with the ghost of Johnny still lingering in every corner. His scent from last night clung to her pillows.

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

Shadows at the Window

Chapter Eighty-Eight: Shadows at the Window Johnny's POVJohnny didn’t sleep much.Not because of the bed—he'd never slept better than with Alli curled beside him—but because of the weight of everything that was finally starting to settle in his chest.This was real. This was his family.And nothing scared him more than losing it all again.He shifted quietly, brushing his thumb across the soft curve of her hip. She was breathing slow, steady, hair fanned out on the pillow like sunlight. It struck him then, how young she still was, even with everything they'd carried. And how much older he felt now, like the years without her had carved miles into his soul.She stirred slightly but didn't wake. He kissed her shoulder and slid out of bed, careful not to disturb her. He made his way to the kitchen, rubbing the back of his neck, wondering if her coffee filters were still in the same place as they were five years ago.They weren’t. But he figured it out.Halfway through brewing the pot, h

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

When Silence Isn't Safe

Chapter Eighty-Nine: When Silence Isn't SafeAlli's POVThe morning had a softness to it that Alli didn’t trust.John was snuggled under her arm on the couch, his hair a wild halo of blond tangles and his attention fixed on the cartoon playing in front of him. Johnny sat in the old armchair across from them with a coffee cup nestled in his hands like it was anchoring him there. Alli tried not to stare at him, but it was hard not to when he looked like that—hair still slightly damp from the shower, eyes a bit tired but softer than she'd ever seen.If she squinted, it could almost look like a real family morning. Like they did this all the time.But they didn’t.This was new. Raw. Fragile in a way that made her chest ache.Then Johnny's expression changed.It happened so subtly that if she hadn’t been watching him, she would’ve missed it. His eyes tightened, lips pressing into a harder line. He went still—too still.“What is it?” she asked quietly, keeping her voice low. John didn’t not

Last Updated : 2025-07-16

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