Page 137 of Seal the Deal

As we turn to leave, his voice follows us, smug and sharp. "This isn’t over, Lottie. It’ll be easierfor everyone if you just come home."

I turn, ice in my voice. “Sheishome.”

With that, I place my hand on the small of Charlie’s back, guiding her out of the bar. She leans into me as we walk, the weight of it all pressing down.

She’s strong, but even strength has limits. And I’ll be damned if I let Alex touch it.

Chapter forty-two

I can’t be the only one standing in the ring

Jake

The house is too quiet when we walk in. Nina says goodnight, leaving the silence echoing around us. Charlie paces the living room, arms crossed tightly, barely holding it together. I can see the cracks, her panic creeping in, and all I want is to fix it.

“I can’t believe him,” she mutters. “How does he still have this hold over me?”

Her words twist like a knife, because that’s exactly what’s happening. Alex still has some kind of fucking grip on her. Despite everything we’ve talked about, he’s still in her head, twisting her emotions. It makes me feel powerless.

“Charlie, don’t let him get to you like this,” I say, fighting to keep my voice calm. “You know exactly what he’s doing—manipulating you, again.”

She stops pacing, eyes flashing as they meet mine. “I know that, Jake! But what am I supposed to do? He’s threatening to take my kids back to New Zealand!”

“He won’t,” I say firmly, taking a step toward her. “He’s a bluffing asshole. He’s trying to scare you into giving in.”

Her arms drop to her sides and she stares at me. “But what if he’s not bluffing? What if he actually tries to take them? He’s got the money, the resources… I have no legal documentation, no agreements, no paper trail. It’s all been verbal.”

I reach for her, but she steps back, and the distance between us suddenly feels like a chasm.

“Then we’ll fight him,” I say, my voice sharper than I intend. “We’ll fight like hell and we won’t back down.”

She shakes her head and starts pacing again, and then she mutters the one thing that makes the floor drop out from under me. “Maybe it’d just be easier if I went back to New Zealand.”

I stop dead, the room suddenly too quiet, too still.

“What?”

She shrinks slightly, looking down. “It’d save the kids from all this. Might be easier.”

“You’re kidding, right?” The hurt leaks through despite me trying to hold it back. “You’re seriously telling me that after everything you’ve built here, you’d give up because it’seasier?”

Her eyes fly up, blazing with guilt and frustration. “I’m notgiving up, Jake! I’m trying to think about what’s best for my kids. What am I supposed to do?”

“You don’t run,” I snap, the frustration boiling over. “Youfight.You think giving in to Alex is what’s best? Running back to New Zealand, away from the life we’re building? From a place where the kids are safe and loved by someone who actually gives a shit?”

She flinches, her lips tightening. “It’s not about running away. It’s about protecting my kids. Going back might be better for them.”

The hurt flares hot in my chest. “Better for them—or easier for you?”

"That’s not fair," she whispers.

“No, what’s not fair is evenconsideringleaving what we have here. Do you really think I’m going to just stand here and let you walk away from all of this? Fromus?”

“You don’t have kids Jake, you don’t get it!”

And there it is. The gut punch.

The words hang between us as I step back, feeling the air leave the room. Her eyes widen as she realizes the words she just threw at me, and she stands there, staring.

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