The next morning dawned cool and cloudy, casting a gray light over the house. Piper stood by the kitchen window with a cup of coffee, watching the leaves skitter across the backyard like restless thoughts. As much as she tried to focus on the present — on Lily, on rebuilding her life — Noah’s words lingered in the back of her mind like an ominous echo.
And then there was Gabriel. She had reached out to him last night on a whim, but now that the conversation had settled in her memory, she couldn’t help wondering if she had made a mistake. Gabriel was becoming more important to her than she had anticipated, and that scared her.
Trusting anyone felt like a risk these days — especially someone as enigmatic as Gabriel. But something in her gut told her he wasn’t just another complication. He was something more. And maybe, just maybe, that wasn’t a bad thing.
By mid-morning, Piper’s phone buzzed with a message from Jasper.
Jasper: I need to talk to you about something. It’s important.
Piper hesitated, her heart sinking. She wasn’t sure she was ready to face Jasper again so soon. Their last conversation had left her emotionally drained, and the knowledge of Isabel’s growing influence over him still stung.
But ignoring him wasn’t an option. Not with everything happening between them and Noah.
Me: Where?
His reply came almost instantly.
Jasper: My place. Noon.
When Piper pulled into Jasper’s driveway a couple of hours later, her nerves were stretched tight. She parked and sat behind the wheel for a moment, drawing in a deep breath. It wasn’t just Jasper she was dreading — it was everything that came with him.
With a final exhale, she stepped out of the car and made her way to the front door. Jasper opened it before she could knock, his expression grim but unreadable.
“Thanks for coming,” he said, stepping aside to let her in.
Piper crossed the threshold, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. She hadn’t been inside Jasper’s house in weeks, and it felt strange — like stepping into a space that was both familiar and foreign at the same time.
“Lily’s not with me,” Piper said quickly, wanting to get that out of the way. “She’s with a sitter.”
Jasper gave a tight nod. “That’s probably for the best.”
He motioned for her to sit on the couch, and Piper settled awkwardly on the edge, feeling the distance between them like a physical weight. Jasper sat across from her, his hands resting on his knees, as if he were bracing himself for a difficult conversation.
“There’s something you need to know,” Jasper began, his voice low and measured. “It’s about Isabel.”
Piper’s stomach clenched.
Of course it is.
“What about her?” Piper asked, keeping her tone neutral.
Jasper rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. “I found out something... unsettling. Isabel’s firm — the people she works with — they’re connected to the trust that’s funding Noah’s case.”
Piper’s heart skipped a beat. “So you’re saying Isabel knew all along?”
Jasper shook his head quickly. “No. I don’t think she did. She’s... she’s as caught off guard by this as I am.”
Piper narrowed her eyes. “And you believe that?”
Jasper hesitated, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what to believe. But I think there are people in her firm working behind the scenes — people with their own agenda. And Isabel might not be fully aware of what’s happening.”
Piper crossed her arms, frustration bubbling to the surface. “So what? We’re just supposed to trust her now? Pretend she isn’t involved?”
“I’m not saying that,” Jasper said quickly. “But I think we need to be careful. Isabel isn’t the enemy here. She might even be able to help us, if we play this right.”
Piper let out a bitter laugh. “Help us? Are you serious? How many times are you going to defend her, Jasper?”
Jasper’s expression tightened, but he didn’t rise to the bait. “This isn’t about Isabel, Piper. It’s about Noah. And if someone in Isabel’s orbit is working with him, we need to figure out who it is before things get worse.”
Piper exhaled sharply, trying to push down the storm of emotions swirling inside her. “Fine,” she muttered. “But I don’t trust her. And I sure as hell don’t want her involved any more than she already is.”
Jasper nodded slowly, his gaze steady. “I get it. But we don’t have many options right now.”
Later, after leaving Jasper’s house, Piper sat in her car for a long moment, gripping the steering wheel tightly. She hated that she was being dragged deeper into Isabel’s orbit — and that Jasper seemed determined to keep defending her.
But as much as it infuriated her, she knew Jasper was right. They didn’t have the luxury of shutting people out, not with Noah still lurking in the shadows. If someone close to Isabel was working against them, they needed to find out who — and fast.
And that meant navigating a dangerous game of trust and betrayal.
That evening, Gabriel showed up at Piper’s doorstep again, just as the sun dipped below the horizon. Piper wasn’t surprised to see him — somehow, she had known he would come.
“Long day?” Gabriel asked, his dark eyes scanning her face.
“You could say that,” Piper replied, stepping aside to let him in.
They settled on the couch, the quiet hum of the house wrapping around them like a cocoon. Piper leaned back against the cushions, feeling the tension in her shoulders slowly ease as Gabriel’s presence filled the space beside her.
“I talked to Jasper today,” she admitted after a while. “About Isabel.”
Gabriel’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes — something knowing. “And what did he say?”
“He thinks Isabel’s not involved,” Piper said, her voice tinged with frustration. “But someone close to her is. Someone with ties to Noah.”
Gabriel nodded slowly, as if he had already suspected as much. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
Piper gave him a sharp look. “What do you know, Gabriel?”
Gabriel leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees. “Isabel’s firm has... connections. They don’t always play by the rules. I’ve seen it before.”
Piper’s heart skipped. “And you didn’t think to tell me that sooner?”
“I didn’t want to overwhelm you,” Gabriel said gently. “But now that you know... we have to tread carefully.”
Piper exhaled slowly, rubbing her temples. “This is getting more complicated by the second.”
Gabriel gave a small, wry smile. “Welcome to my world.”
Despite herself, Piper felt a flicker of warmth at his words. Gabriel’s presence — his calm, steady presence — felt like the only thing keeping her grounded in the storm.
“Thanks for being here,” Piper whispered. “I mean it.”
Gabriel’s gaze softened. “I told you, Piper. I’m not going anywhere.”
And in that moment, Piper realized something she hadn’t dared admit before:
She trusted him.
Maybe not completely, not yet. But enough to let him in. Enough to believe that, somehow, they would figure this out — together.