Page 51 of The Broken Keys

“I don’t know,” I whisper. “That’s what scares me.”

He scrapes his teeth over his bottom lip, the gesture so familiar it makes my chest ache.

“Livianna, what can I do? Tell me what you need, and I’ll do it. We don’t have to dance. We don’t have to stay. Just...don’t give up on us.”

The plea in his voice is silent but deafening. I gaze at this man who’s fought so hard to become someone worthy of love, someone worthy of me, and I see the cracks in his foundation. The same cracks that ruined us before.

“Callum, I think it’s best if you just take me home.”

The disappointment that crosses his face is brutal, but he nods, extending his arm. “Okay. Let’s go.”

The paparazzi swarm us the second we step outside, flashes of light go off like small fireworks in the darkness. Callum’s palm finds the small of my back, guiding me through the mob with practiced ease.

The paparazzi yell out, “Livianna! What happened in there?”

“Cash, are you two having problems already?”

“Is the reunion over before it started?”

I keep my head down, letting Callum shield me from their hungry lenses until we reach his car. The valet has it waiting, engine running. Callum opens my door and helps me in with the same careful attention he showed me when we were teenagers.

The tension in the car is difficult to sit through. Los Angeles streams past the windows in neon blurs, and I focus on the city lights instead of the fear vibrating from the manbeside me. His hands grip the steering wheel like he’s trying to keep himself anchored.

Halfway home, he reaches across the console. His fingers hover over my hand for a moment before settling on my knuckles.

I should pull away. I should maintain the distance I’m trying to create. Instead, after a heartbeat that feels like forever, I turn my palm up and let our fingers intertwine.

“I’m sorry.” His thumb traces across my skin. “I promised myself I wouldn’t let the old Cash make an appearance, and I failed.”

“Callum—”

“No, let me finish.” His grasp tightens. “I know what you saw tonight. I know what it looked like. And you have every right to be scared.”

“There’s more to it than just that.”

“Okay, but I love you. And I know that I’m not the same man who hurt you before, even if I had a moment of weakness tonight.” His voice drops to a deadly serious tone. “I need you to give me a chance to prove it.”

My heart squeezes and my stomach spins. By the time we reach my house, I’m stuck in confusion again. We sit in my driveway, and Callum turns to me.

“Lily, I need to be honest about something.”

“What?”

“I know you think violence is wrong. For the most part, I agree, but there are people out there who need to be stopped at any cost. And sometimes it’s well deserved.”

“Are you trying to justify your behavior tonight?”

“Not even close.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“You know that guy Tony? The one who… The asshole that took advantage of you?”

“Yeah. What about him?”

Callum’s gaze burns into mine. “They found him dead,beaten to a bloody stump, and dumped in an alley like the garbage he was.”

“Oh my God. That’s awful.”