Page 24 of Second Sin

One of my teeth cracked. My lip split.

No severe damage. Nothing lasting.

Not enough.

Not even close to what I deserved.

Didn’t go to the cops. Didn’t report a thing.

Because that beating?

That was mine.

I fucking earned it.

I straighten up and swipe the sweat from my face with the back of my hand. My legs are shaking, muscles burning from the run, but I barely feel it.

Doesn’t matter that it’s been years. Guilt still lives under my skin like rot.

And if Elise taught me anything, it’s that I don’t know how to be wanted without breaking the thing that wants me.

Which is whyOlivia Hartscares the shit out of me.

Because she looked at me yesterday with those steady eyes and bruised lip and didn’t flinch.

Because when I touched her—when I held her—she leaned into me like she needed it.

And worse—like I could be the one to give it to her.

Like maybe I’m not poison after all.

And that thought? That dangerous, reckless, impossible thought?—

That’s the one that could break us both.

CHAPTER 9

OLIVIA

The café around the corner from the arena smells like rosemary focaccia and cinnamon coffee. It’s tucked between an old record store and a dry cleaner, unremarkable from the outside, but the kind of place that makes you feel warm even on a day like this.

As I step inside, I spot Kane Madden tucked into a corner table. One strong arm cradles a baby girl to his chest, her tiny head resting beneath his chin, while a little boy—perched on his mother’s lap—lets out a bubbling giggle.

Kane sees me, lifts a hand.“Olivia,” he calls. “You got a minute?”

I hesitate, but make my way over, weaving between tables.

He’s grinning, wide and unapologetic, the kind of smile that makes his eyes crinkle. Happier than I’ve ever seen him.

“This is my wife, Brynne,” he says, nodding toward the woman beside him. “Our daughter, Sophie”—he glances down at the baby, his voice going soft—“and our son, Noah.”

I already knew their names from his sessions. But seeing them like this—real, laughing, warm—makes something tighten behind my ribs.

Brynne’s smile is friendly. “We’ve heard a lot about you.” Her voice is calm, but there's a spark in her eyes, the kind of quiet confidence that says she's weathered storms and come out stronger.

She leans into Kane’s side like it’s the most natural thing in the world—and he responds instantly, brushing his knuckles against hers on the table without looking down. It’s an easy intimacy, unspoken but palpable.

Sophie stirs once, a soft sigh muffled by her blanket, but Kane barely glances down—just rocks her instinctively with one arm.

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