<b>Chapter </b>579


    Lilly answers on the third ring, her voice clipped. “What do you want?”


    <b>“</b>I need Sierra’s number,” I said tly<b>. </b>


    Silence. Then, “Why<b>?</b>”


    “I have something to discuss with her.”


    Her tone sharpens instantly. “If this is about the pregnancy, Noah-”


    <b>“</b><b>It </b>is,” <b>I </b>cut in.


    A tense pause, and then she threatens, “I swear if you upset her, I’ll fucking castrate you, Noah… I’ll make sure your child with Si will be thest kid you’ll ever have.”


    I snort at her threat. She says that like it’s a bad thing. Nn and Nova are the only children I will ever have. In fact, I should look into getting a fucking vasectomy.


    “Just send the number, Lilly.”


    She mutters something under her breath before hanging up. Ten secondster, her text pops up on my


    screen.


    I slide the phone into my pocket and start the car, my pulse pounding and nervousness clinging to me like a fucking leech.


    I drive like a man possessed. My hands grip the wheel hard enough to ache, eyes fixed unseeing on the road ahead. Streetlights streaked past, but my mind is already with Sierra, reying every possible conversation we might have. Every mile I close between me and home makes the coil in my chest tighten. When I finally pull into the driveway, the twins are already half–asleep. Nn barely stirs when I carry him into the house, his hand curling around my finger before I gently freeing it. Nova mumbles something incoherent as I tuck her in, brushing her hair back from her forehead


    The moment the moment their door clicks shut behind me, I’m already dialing Sierra.


    She answers on the fourth ring, her voice groggy with sleep. “Hello?<b>” </b>


    My pulse increases at how sweet and innocent her voice sounds. If only she were like that. If only she wasn’t a two–faced, conniving bitch.


    “What did you tell my mother about the pregnancy<b>?</b>” <b>I </b>snap, skipping any kind of greeting. There wasn’t any need anyway. Someone like Sierra doesn’t deserve any kind of consideration or respect.


    There was a pause. <b>“</b>Noah?”


    “Yes! Now answer my damn question.”


    Her voice cools instantly. “What right do you have calling me and demanding answers to questions I have no idea about?”


    “You know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t answer me, I’ll-”


    Before I even finish the threat, the line goes dead.


    For a second, I just stare at the phone, the silence roaring in my ears. I blink in disbelief, still shocked by her audacity.


    She fucking hung up on me. I can’t believe she has the nerve to hang up on me. Who the fuck does she


    think she is?


    The shock evaporates fast, leaving a hot, ugly, burning anger in its ce.


    “How dare she?” I growl, the words tearing out of me with a ferocity I can barely contain.


    I need to talk to her. If she won’t talk to me through the phone, then I’ll go to her.


    I’m halfway to grabbing my keys, ready to drive to her and rip the truth from her lying lips myself, when a


    softer voice cut in.


    “Noah? What’s wrong?”


    I turn to find Brook standing in the hallway, drowning in an oversized sweater, hair mussed from sleep, but her eyes, sharp and steady, are locked on me.


    “Nothing,” I say automatically.


    Her mouth curves in a humorless little knowing smile. “You can’t lie to me. I know you too well. You’re pissed about something.”


    I’ve known Brook for as long as I’ve known Chloe. She was there through every step of my rtionship with Chloe. She was close <i>to </i>her sister and because of that I became close to her too. I consider her my


    sister in every way, not just through marriage.


    One of the things Chloe made me promise on her dying bed was that I’d protect and look after Brook long after she’s gone. That’s what I’ve been doing and will continue to do until my dying breath. The moment I married Chloe, Brook became part of my family.


    She walks toward me slowly, each step deliberate, her eyes steady on mine. She then takes my hand and tugs me toward the couch. “Come on. Sit and tell me what’s bothering you


    I sit tense and wound up, still vibrating with anger. She might be three years younger than me, but in that moment, she looks every bit asposed as someone who could hold the ground in any conversation.


    And for some reason I can’t exin, I tell her everything. The pregnancy. The fight. Sierra’s reaction. My own reaction. Every single fucking thing.


    “I didn’t mean to betray your sister,” I finish, my voice low and full of the weight of guilt. “I wasn’t in my right mind that night.”


    Brook’s expression doesn’t so much as flicker into shock or judgement. She just leans back, eyes assessing me like she’s weighing each word. “I understand. And I don’t me you for it.”


    Something inside me eases, like a screw that had been tightened <i>too </i>far finally letting go.


    “I me Sierra,” she says, her eyes narrowing. “She probably wants to baby trap you.”


    A sigh of relief leaves my lips. I now have someone in my corner. Someone who <i>sees </i>Sierra for the snake


    she is.


    “That’s what I was thinking too.”


    She goes on, her tone calm but cutting. “The baby needs to be dealt with. If you let this happen, Sierra will always have a trump card over you. You think she won’t use it? She’s wanted you for years. Even when you were married to my sister. This is exactly what she’s been waiting for.”


    Her words slide into me like a de, sharp and precise, hitting every ce I’d tried to ignore. What kind of woman covets her friend’s husband? What kind of twisted shamelessness is that? I thought her obsession with me ended when I got married, but I guessed wrong.


    “You really believe that?” I ask quietly, even though deep down I know it’s the truth. I know she would use


    the baby to tie me to her.


    Brook’s gaze doesn’t waver. “I know it. She’s not carrying this baby out of the goodness of her heart. She knows exactly what she’s doing. And if you let this happen, If you let her continue with this pregnancy, you’ll never get rid of her.<i>” </i><i>– </i>


    She’s fucking right. Sierra doesn’t have a fucking heart, so her insisting on keeping the baby isn’t because she has a good heart but because she wants to use the baby against me.


    A slow, grim smile curves my lips. Not the kind born of joy, but of recognition.


    “Finally,” I said quietly. “Someone who gets it.”


    Gunner didn’t get it and neither did Lilly. My parents will never get it because they love Sierra, but at least there is one person who does.


    Brook leans forward slightly, her eyes glinting. “You don’t want this baby and you shouldn’t be forced to take it into your life. Handle it, Noah. Before it’s toote.”


    The coil inside me tightens again, but this time it isn’t frustration. It’s resolve. Cold, deliberate


    determination.


    I exhale, the decision hardening inside me like stone. “I will. I’m not letting Sierra take your sister’s ce.”


    Brook smiles with approval. “Good. Then we’re on the same page.‘