Page 120 of Second Sin

When she disappears around the corner, I exhale like I’ve been holding my breath since she first said her name.

Olivia turns to me, her voice gentle. “You okay?”

I nod. Then shake my head. Then nod again.

“I don’t know what to feel.”

She brushes her fingers down my arm. “Try starting with proud.”

"What the hell for?"

“No. Listen. You didn’t shut down. You didn’t run. You stood there and took it, all of it, because you thought you had to. Because somewhere deep down, you still think you’re the villain in a story that was never yours to begin with.”

She pauses, her fingers tightening just slightly.

“But you protected that kid. Even after everything. You saw his pain for what it was and didn’t make it worse. That’s not weakness. That’s strength. That’s character. That’syou, Sebastian.”

Her voice softens, but it doesn’t lose weight.

“That girl came here to tell you the truth, and I need you to hear it—really hear it. You didn’t break her family. You weren’t the reason her mom disappeared or her dad drank himself to death. You were one piece of a much bigger, much sadder puzzle. And you’ve carried guilt that was never yours to carry.”

She reaches up and brushes her thumb across my jaw.

“So yeah. I think you should be proud. Because the man I’m looking at right now—he’s not running from his past anymore. He’s facing it. And that’s the bravest damn thing I’ve ever seen.”

I let out a breath that’s half laugh, half tremor. Then I lean down and kiss her. Not rushed. Not desperate.

Grateful.

Maybe Iamproud.

Of the man I am when I’m with her.

Of the man I want to be.

I rest my forehead against hers, her breath warm against my mouth. Her thumb still brushing the hinge of my jaw like she’s memorizing the shape of something that finally healed.

And I whisper, “Thank you for seeing me.”

CHAPTER 46

OLIVIA

The smell of grilled burgers hangs in the air, mixing with cut grass and charcoal. My elbows rest on the picnic table, wood warm under my skin. The grass is cool beneath my feet, soft and a little damp. Someone’s playing Noah Kahanthrough a Bluetooth speaker that keeps cutting out, but no one bothers to fix it.

It’s the first real team get-together since the season wrapped. No press. No schedule. Just burgers, lawn chairs, and a lot of sunscreen.

Kiley’s fanning herself with a paper plate, cheeks flushed, belly full and beautiful under a striped sundress. She groans dramatically about the heat.

Across from us, Brynne cracks open a can of sparkling water and points it at Kiley like a gavel. “I swear, if you name this kid something likeMaverickorDiesel, I’m staging an intervention.”

Kiley snorts. “Diesel? Please. You think Blake would let me name a baby after a truck engine?”

I laugh. Unforced. Unfiltered. One of those low, open sounds that escapes before I can even think about holding it back.

And God, it’s been a long time since I laughed like that.

Out on the lawn, Sebastian’s standing with Kane, who has his youngest asleep on one shoulder—her curls stuck to his neck, thumb in her mouth. But Sebastian’s not really listening to him.

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