“You okay?” he asked. Quiet. Like he already knew the answer but wanted me to say it.
I shrugged. Poured myself water. “Same as yesterday.”
He leaned against the counter, arms crossed loose. “Heard him come in late again. Loud.”
“Yeah.” I sipped. The glass was cold. “With company.”
Kei rubbed his jaw. “I’m sorry. For all of it. You shouldn’t have to deal with that.”
I looked at him. “You don’t have to apologize for him. You’re not his keeper.”
“I know. But I still hate that you’re seeing it. Hearing it. It’s not right.”
I swallowed. “I walked in on him and some girl in the living room last week. Full view. He didn’t even stop when he saw me.”
Kei’s face darkened. Eyes narrowed. “Jesus, Hadley. That’s fucked up.”
“Yeah. It is.” My voice shook a little. “I know what he is. I just… I keep hoping the baby will change something. It hasn’t. He’s worse now. Like he’s proving a point.”
He stepped closer. Not too close. Just enough to feel real. “You don’t have to stay forever. You know that, right? There are options. Lawyers. Settlements. You could walk.”
“Where would I go?” My voice cracked open. “I have nothing. No job. No apartment. No money. Just this.” I touched my bump. “And Eli. He’s thirteen. He needs stability. Schools. Doctors. I can’t just drag him to some motel and hope for the best.”
Kei didn’t answer right away. Just looked at me like he was weighing every word. “You’re not alone,” he said finally. “Whatever you need. I’m here. For real. Not just words.”
I wanted to believe him. Desperately.
I didn’t. Not fully. Because at the end of the day, he was one of them. Band. Family. Syd’s circle.
That night I couldn’t sleep.
Eli was in his room next door, door cracked, nightlight on. He’d asked for it after the first week here. Said the shadows were too big. I wandered the halls looking for my phone charger. Must’ve left it downstairs. Ended up at the media room. Light spilling under the door. Low. Music playing soft, some bass-heavy track I didn’t know.
I pushed the door open quiet.
Cal. Holland. Syd.
On the sectional.
Syd riding Cal, slow, deliberate, head thrown back, dark hair spilling down her back like ink. Her hands on his chest, nails digging in. Cal under her, hips lifting to meet every drop, eyes half-closed, mouth open. Holland behind her, hands gripping her hips hard enough to bruise, moving in rhythm with them. Thrusting deep.
All three of them lost in it. Sweaty skin glistening under the dim lights. Loud gasps. Moans. Grunts. No shame. No pause. Just bodies slamming together like they’d done this a hundred times.
The air smelled like sex.... musk, sweat, her perfume.
They noticed me.
Syd’s head turned. Saw me. Laughed, breathy, triumphant, like she’d won something. “Want to join, Hadley? Plenty of room. The boys don’t mind sharing.”
Cal looked at me. Eyes dark. Heavy-lidded. Didn’t stop. Just kept thrusting up into her, hands sliding up her thighs.
Holland glanced over her shoulder. Eyes hazy. Didn’t speak. Just kept moving.
My stomach heaved. Bile rose hot in my throat.
I backed out. Door swung shut behind me.
Ran to my room. Locked it. Barely made it to the bathroom before I threw up, hard, retching until my throat burned raw and my eyes watered. Knelt there on the cold tile, forehead against the porcelain, sobbing so hard I couldn’t catch my breath. Chest tight. Lungs burning.
