Page 37 of Dagger

I swallow hard, my voice barely above a whisper. “What are you doing here, Dagger?”

“I think it’s time we talked,” Dagger says, his voice low and steady as he stands a few feet away, his eyes fixed on mine.

I nod slowly, my heart thudding in my chest. “Yeah,” I say quietly, “I guess it is.”

He hesitates for a moment, his hands shoved into his pockets, before tilting his head toward the driveway. “Want to go for a ride?”

I blink at him, surprised by the question. My hand instinctively moves to my belly, rubbing over the small curve. “Probably not the best idea,” I say softly, giving him a look.

Dagger follows my gaze, his jaw tightening slightly as realization sinks in. “Right,” he mutters, his voice gruff.

The silence stretches for a moment, awkward and heavy, before I take a breath and gesture toward the chairs on the patio. “We can talk here.”

Dagger nods, pulling out a chair and sitting across from me. His movements are stiff, like he’s not sure how to start. And I don’t help him. I just sit there, watching him, waiting for whatever he’s come here to say.

The air feels charged, every second dragging out like it’s stretched too thin. Finally, he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and looks me in the eye.

“I’m here to make things right,” he says, his voice rough but steady. “For you. For the baby. For all of it.”

His words hit me harder than I expect. This conversation was bound to happen, but now that it’s here, I have no idea what to say. The silence between us is almost unbearable. I fidget in my seat, glancing at Dagger as he sits across from me, closed off, his shoulders stiff and his jaw tight.

“Long time no see,” I joke weakly, trying to cut through the tension. But the words fall flat, and the small smile I force doesn’t stick.

Dagger doesn’t react, just shifts in his chair, his eyes flicking away from mine. The awkwardness settles even heavier between us, and I let out a quiet sigh, leaning back in my seat.

“Look,” I start, my voice firmer now. “We hardly know each other. Yeah, it sucked that you left without saying anything, but I’m not here to guilt you into anything. You have no obligation to me.” I pause, glancing down at my belly as I rub a hand over it. “The only obligation you have is to this baby—if you want to be part of their life.”

His head snaps up at that, his eyes locking on mine. “You think I don’t want to be part of their life?” he says, his voice low and sharp.

I shrug, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “I don’t know, Dagger. You left, and I haven’t seen or heard from you since. What am I supposed to think?”

Dagger exhales heavily. He leans forward, elbows resting on his knees, his calloused hands clasped loosely in front of him. His jaw tightens before he finally speaks, voice low and rough. “It wasn’t about not wanting to be here. It was about not knowing how to be here. Not after everything.”

I snort, the sound sharp. “After,” I echo bitterly, the word twisting in my mouth. “Everyone keeps talking about what happened like it was some kind of crime. Like you—” I jab a finger toward him, “—took advantage of some naive little girl.”

His head snaps up, his dark eyes flashing with something I can’t quite place. Guilt? Anger? It doesn’t matter. I plow ahead, crossing my arms tightly over my chest holding myself together.

“I’m twenty-one, Dagger, not sixteen,” I say, my voice steady but laced with heat. “Yeah, you’re older than me. So what? I knew exactly what I was doing that night. I made that choice. And after the hell I’ve been through, I think I’ve earned the right to make my own damn decisions without everyone acting like I need protecting.”

His gaze locks onto mine, intense and searching, but I don’t back down. Not this time.

“Iwantedyou,” I spit, my voice rising with every word. “I wanted you to fuck me that night, and that’s exactly what happened. You didn’t force me. You didn’t trick me. I wanted it, and I don’t regret a single second of it.”

The silence that follows is suffocating, thick and heavy like a storm cloud ready to burst. Dagger drags a hand down his face, his fingers brushing over the dark stubble on his jaw. His throat bobs as he swallows hard. “You think this is just about regret?” he finally says, his tone sharper now, but quieter, like he’s barely holding something back. He leans back in the chair, his gaze piercing. “You think it’s just about what people will say? Chloe, it’s not that simple.”

“Then make it simple,” I fire back, my chest heaving with frustration. “Stop hiding behind everyone else’s opinions and tell me whatyouwant.”

For a moment, the tension stretches so taut I think it might snap. Then, he shifts, his hands gripping the edge of his knees as if anchoring himself. But he doesn’t answer. Not yet.

And I don’t know whether to feel triumphant or shattered by the silence.

Dagger drags a hand through his hair, his fingers tugging at the strands like he’s trying to yank the frustration out of his head. His jaw tightens, the muscles ticking as he looks at me with a mix of determination and regret. “Because I can’t ignore this anymore,” he says, his voice strained but firm. “I screwed up, Chloe. I know that. But I’m here now, and I’m trying to make it right.”

The words hang in the air, suffocating and heavy. I can’t take it anymore. I push up from the chair. “Fuck you and your ‘making it right,’” I snap, my voice shaking as I glare at him. “You want to fix something? Fine, but not this. Not me. Leave.”

“Chloe,” he says, his voice softening, but there’s a thread of desperation in it that only fuels my rage.

I shake my head, my arms crossing tightly over my chest as if holding myself together. “No, Dagger. Justleave.We had sex. It happened. It’s not a big deal. You and everyone else need to get over it!”

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