Page 82 of House of Soot

Phoenix turns to me. "Go to my place, Blaise. Hide out. Get some rest."

The last thing I want to do is leave Jenna, but I promised her.

I push myself up from the chair, grimacing at the pain. "Call me if anything happens. If she needs anything?—”

"We've got it covered." Phoenix steers me toward the door. "Go. Sleep. Process everything that happened tonight."

I pause at the doorway, glancing back toward the room where Jenna's hiding. Part of me wants to go to her, try to explain everything again. But what's the point? She made it clear that she wants nothing to do with me. Forcing her to listen to my groveling and begging will only hurt her more.

The drive to Phoenix's place is a blur. My shoulder screams with every movement, but it's easier to focus on the physical pain than the emotional wreckage I've created. I collapse onto Phoenix's couch, too drained to make it to the bedroom.

My sleep comes in small snippets. It’s almost not worth trying to sleep. I’m not sure how long I’ve been trying when the front door opens and Flint walks in.

I jump up. “Who’s guarding Mrs. Hart?”

“Phoenix. He told me to come check on you.” His gaze scans me from head to toe. "You look like shit.” He drops into the chair across from me.

"Feels worse than it looks." I gesture to my bandaged shoulder, but we both know that's not what he means.

"Phoenix filled me in." Flint leans forward, elbows on his knees. "About Jenna. The baby."

"Come to tell me what an idiot I am?" I can't meet his eyes. "How I screwed everything up?"

"Actually, I came to make sure you're okay." His voice softens. "This can't be easy."

The understanding in his tone breaks something in me. "I don't know what to do, Flint. I went in wanting revenge, convinced she was this manipulative person who helped destroy our family. But she's not. She's kind and genuine, and I've ruined any chance of her ever trusting me again."

"You're not the only one who's done things they regret in pursuit of revenge," Flint says quietly. "Remember how close I came to losing Lucy?"

"That was different. You weren't actively trying to destroy her."

"No, I lied about who I was." He shifts forward. "The question is, what are you going to do now?"

"Protect her. Make sure she and the baby are safe." I press my fingers against my temples. It would take a tanker full of pain medication to stop the tension headache I have. "Even if she never wants to see me again."

"And if she does?" Flint asks. "If there's a chance to make things right?"

"How can there be? I used her, manipulated her feelings." The guilt threatens to drown me. "I don't deserve her forgiveness."

"Maybe that's not your choice to make," Flint says. "Maybe you owe it to her, and your child, to try."

“There’s no coming back from what I did.”

Flint sits back in the chair, studying me for a moment. "You know, when Lucy first found out who I really was, I thought I'd lost her forever. The look in her eyes was like she didn’t know me and everything we had suddenly meant nothing."

The anvil on my chest crushes deeper. It's the same look I saw in Jenna's eyes tonight.

"But Lucy taught me something important," he continues. "Love isn't about being perfect or never making mistakes. It'sabout what you do after those mistakes. How you choose to move forward."

"This is different," I argue. "You were trying to protect Lucy. I deliberately set out to hurt Jenna."

"And yet the moment she was in real danger, you went after her knowing it would likely get you killed. You saved her. Took a bullet for her." Flint leans forward. "You chose her over your revenge. You protected her because you love her. The same way I chose Lucy over our vendetta. Sometimes, love sneaks up on us when we least expect it… or want it."

"How did you fix things with Lucy?" I shouldn’t ask this. Developing hope is the last thing I need right now.

“I just bared it all. Put it all on the line. Showed her I was the man she fell in love with.”

I scoff. “She fell in love with a lie.”

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