Page 53 of The Endless Want

I swipe to answer and clear my throat before speaking. “Hey.”

“Ailish!” Gianna’s warm, bright voice fills the line. “It feels like forever. How are you doing? I’ve been worried—you’ve barely replied to anyone.”

I lean my head against the wall and try to pull myself together. “I’m… okay. Just busy.”

She laughs softly. “You always say that. But seriously—how are you? You sound tired.”

“I am.” I force a small laugh. “It’s been a long few weeks.”

“I can imagine. Between the Russians and all the new operations and that insane attack—God, when I heard what happened, I wanted to drive down myself.”

A sting of guilt slices through me. “I’m all right now. Really. It was awful, but… I’m safe.”

“Good. Liam said he’s got you under guard constantly.”

“Yeah,” I say faintly. “He does.”

Gianna hums sympathetically. “I hate that you’re stuck under so much scrutiny again. I know you hate feeling watched.”

“I do.”

“And Declan?” she asks lightly. “Is he still being… Declan?”

My breath catches just enough for her to notice. “Oh,” she says softly. “That bad?”

I shake my head even though she can’t see me. “It’s complicated.”

“It’s always complicated with the men who make your life interesting.”

My throat tightens. “Yeah. Something like that.”

Gianna sighs. “Well, I’m here if you ever want to talk. Or scream. Or murder him. Just say the word.”

A weak smile touches my lips. “Thank you.”

“And hey,” she adds, “you’ve been quiet lately. Everything okay? Like, everything everything?”

My heart plummets. I swallow hard, staring blindly across the room. “I’m fine,” I lie. “Just tired.”

She softens immediately, trusting me too easily. “Then rest. Or try to. You sound like you need it.”

“I do.”

“Call me tomorrow, okay?”

“Tomorrow,” I promise.

We hang up.

And for the first time since reading those two lines on the test, I let myself curl on my side on the living room rug and feel it all—the fear, the loneliness, the secret inside me like a fragile ember I’m terrified to touch.

The apartment is too quiet. My life is too loud. And I don’t know which part terrifies me more.

But I know one thing with devastating clarity: Before long, silence won’t protect me.

And when everything comes crashing down—and it will—Declan will have to hear the truth. No matter how unsteady we both are when that moment comes.

CHAPTER 15