Chapter 178

The morning sun cast golden streaks across the bedroom as Sophia stirred awake.

Her phone buzzed insistently on the nightstand.

She reached for it, blinking against the brightness of the screen.

A message from Daniel.

"We need to talk. It's urgent."

Her stomach twisted.

She hadn't heard from him in days—not since their last argument.

Throwing back the covers, she sat up, rubbing her temples.

The weight of everything pressed down on her.

Liam.

Ethan.

The secrets she still carried.

A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Mom?" Liam’s voice was hesitant.

She forced a smile. "Come in, sweetheart."

He pushed the door open, his expression uncertain. "Are you okay?"

Sophia exhaled. "Just tired."

Liam hesitated before stepping closer. "Dad called. He wants to see me today."

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

Ethan hadn’t mentioned anything to her.

Again.

"Did he say why?" she asked carefully.

Liam shook his head. "Just that it’s important."

Sophia’s pulse quickened.

Ethan had been distant lately—more than usual.

And now this.

She forced another smile. "Okay. We’ll figure it out."

Liam nodded but didn’t look convinced.

As he left, Sophia stared at her phone again.

Daniel’s message glared back at her.

Urgent.

She knew she couldn’t avoid him forever.

But right now, she had bigger problems.

Ethan was up to something.

And she needed to find out what.

The last time I saw him was when he visited weeks ago. Hunter comes over almost daily, and Liam occasionally visits their place, but Callum? It's like he's been actively avoiding me for some reason.

When I spot him shifting awkwardly on my porch, clearly debating whether to knock, I raise a brow. "You coming in or just gonna stand there all day?"

He hesitates, then nods. "Yeah, if that's okay."

I step aside, and he crosses the threshold cautiously, as if expecting the floor to give way beneath him.

Leading him to the kitchen, I gesture toward the island. "Sit. I’m just fixing the boys something to eat."

A beat of silence stretches between us before he finally speaks. "Heard what happened to you. Just wanted to check if you were alright."

Of course he had. News traveled fast in this city. Someone had leaked it, and by sundown, Isabella and I were headline material. No one knew I was a Prescott—I preferred it that way. The scrutiny that came with the name wasn’t something I was ready for. As far as the world was concerned, I was still a Sterling, and now everyone was speculating why someone would target both Sterling sisters.

"Uh—thanks," I mutter, the awkwardness thickening the air.

"How’s the face?"

"Better."

The swelling had faded, leaving only a stubborn bruise blooming across my cheekbone.

Another stretch of silence. I resisted the urge to fidget. Awkwardness always made my skin prickle, like I was standing on uneven ground.

Then, out of nowhere—

"I’m sorry." His voice is rough, cutting through the tension.

I blink. "For what?"

"The way I’ve treated you. It wasn’t fair. You’ve been nothing but kind to me and my kid, and I just…" He trails off, but the weight of his words lingers.

I stare at him, stunned. This wasn’t the conversation I’d expected when I let him in.

"You have to understand," he continues, voice low, "I haven’t had the best experiences when it comes to… us."

A realization clicks. "Let me guess. Hunter’s mom did a number on you, and not just because she’s gone, right?"

The flicker of pain in his eyes is answer enough. Whoever she was, she’d wrecked him—badly. And from the look of it, she was still wrecking him, even now. He was drowning in it, barely keeping his head above water.

"Yeah," he admits, voice barely audible. "But I don’t wanna talk about it. It’s… too fucking painful."

Something in my chest tightens. Maybe it’s the loneliness radiating off him. Maybe it’s because I see too much of myself in him—the way pain becomes a second skin. Either way, I want to pull him out of it.

I can’t promise healing. Hell, I’m still a work in progress myself. But I know you can learn to live with the hurt instead of letting it suffocate you. Callum hasn’t figured that out yet. He’s not living—just surviving. And that’s no way to exist, especially when you’ve got a kid depending on you.

"Look, Callum… I get it. More than you know. So I’m accepting your apology, and I’m offering you something better—friendship."

He eyes me skeptically before giving a slow, reluctant nod.

I don’t know much about him yet, but one thing’s clear—he’s isolated. No support system. And that’s exactly what he needs. Someone to pull him out of the darkness.

Isn’t that what happened to me? Scarlett and Daniel barged into my life and forced me to see there was more to living than just surviving. Yeah, Daniel screwed up, but I’ll always be grateful for the way he showed me light existed beyond the pain.

"Friends?" I extend my hand.

A ghost of a smile touches his lips as he takes it. "Friends."

But even as our hands clasp, unease coils in my chest. It’s not danger I sense—just inevitability. Callum didn’t move here by accident. He’s got secrets, and when they finally surface, everything’s going to shift.