Page 32 of I See You

Her voice cracked slightly. That’s when Sevyn really felt it. This wasn’t just some favor Harper was asking for. This was desperation.

"Use those looks and that persuasiveness of yours, and get that man some help."

Sevyn inhaled deeply, the weight of it pressing against her chest. "And what if I can’t convince him?"

Themomentsheasked,Harperlookeddownathershoes.For the first time, Sevyn and Dorian saw something unfamiliar in her— hesitation. Harper was always confident, always in control. But now? She looked defeated.

Like she’d already been carrying this weight for too long.

"Then I’ll just continue to watch my cousin die… along with the only mother I’ve ever known."

A tear slipped down Harper’s face, and she wiped it away quickly, like she hated letting them see her break.

And just like that—

Sevyn’s restraint crumbled.

She reached out, pulling Harper into a tight hug, holding onto her as if she could somehow lift the weight off her shoulders.

"I’ll at least try, Harp. For you."

Harper nodded against her chest, gripping the back of Sevyn like she needed to hold onto something solid.

"Aww, you got a real nigga crying now," Dorian sniffled, dramatically wiping a tear from her cheek, making them all laugh through the tension.

But even as the laughter faded, the truth remained. Sevyn had just agreed to something dangerous. Something she wasn’t sure she could even handle.

But for Harper?

She was willing to try.

They continued their workout, pushing through sets, beads of sweat forming on their skin, muscles burning from the intensity.

And for the first time in weeks, Sevyn wasn’t thinking about Braxton. She wasn’t thinking about Ariel. She wasn’t replaying the betrayal, wasn’tdrowninginheartbreak.Forthatalone,shewasgrateful.But now, something else had taken over her mind.

Hassan.

How the hell was she supposed to convince a cold-blooded killer—a man who didn’t feel emotions, let alone talk about them—that he needed therapy?

Hassan didn’t know her. She didn’t know him. Yet somehow, she was supposed to make him believe that she—a complete stranger—had the answer to his demons?

It felt impossible. But she had given her word to Harper. And Sevyn never went back on her word.

After their workout, they hit up a local restaurant for food, but even as they ate, she couldn’t shake it.

The way he had looked at her that night in the club— The dark energy that radiated off him, almost suffocating. The weight of what she had just agreed to.

The risk.

Because let’s be real—

This wasn’t some man struggling with mild trauma. This was Hassan Gaines. A man whose name alone made people nervous. A man whose hands had sent people to early graves. And she had been tasked with breaking through to him?

Sevyn exhaled slowly, gripping her fork a little tighter. It felt too much.

But for Harper?

She would do it. She just prayed that when it was all said and done, she was still alive if things didn’t go as planned.

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