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The pride in his voice.

Not arrogance. Not adrenaline. Purpose.

I knew what this meant to him. I knew how much weight he’d been carrying—Tyler, the lies, the guilt, the need to make something right in a world that so often didn’t let you.

My man wanted to do good.

People didn’t always see how deeply he felt things.

But I did.

“I love you, Zarek,” I said, my voice steadier now. “You did good. You really did. But never again.”

His husky chuckle came through the phone, wrapping around me like a warm wool coat in winter.

“I know, sweetheart,” he said. “Never again.”

I closed my eyes and let myself breathe.

For the first time since this nightmare had begun, I believed him.

Chapter Thirty

Zarek

I was sitting at the dining room table when Chloe leaned over my shoulder.

Her arms slid around my neck, warm and familiar, and she pressed a kiss just beneath my ear as she looked down at what I was doing.

“You’re a good man, Zarek Post,” she whispered.

The words hit deeper than she probably realized.

“It never sat right,” I said quietly. “Keeping the fight money.”

“I understand,” she replied without hesitation. “Giving it to Tyler’s widow is perfect.”

I sealed the FedEx envelope, pressed it flat, and set it aside. Then I turned and caught her around the waist, pulling her easily into my lap.

“I think you’re perfect,” I told her.

She smiled like she wanted to argue, but didn’t.

I kissed her—slow, lingering, the kind that wasn’t about urgency but about connection. When we finally pulled apart, we stayed close, just looking at each other, breathing the same air.

“You rescued me this time,” I whispered.

She shook her head, dark hair falling forward to hide her face.

Not a chance.

I brushed her hair back behind her ear. “I’m serious,” I said. “Without you, I don’t think I could’ve pulled myself out of that tailspin.”

“You had to be ready,” she said softly. “Otherwise, no matter how much I wanted to help, it wouldn’t have worked.”

She was right.

She always was.