Tank watched Kayla as she slept, his eyes tracing the soft rise and fall of her chest. Even in sleep, her face was troubled—eyebrows slightly furrowed, lips parted like she was lost in a dream she couldn't quite escape.

He hated it.

Hated that even now, after everything, she wasn't at peace.

His jaw tightened as he gently brushed his fingers over her cheek, tracing the faint tear stains dried against her skin. His heart ached knowing she had cried herself to sleep in his arms. He hated seeing her hurt. Hated knowing who had caused it.

His grip tightened on her waist, but he forced himself to relax when she stirred, her lashes fluttering as she woke up.

Her sleepy eyes met his, and for a moment, she just stared. Then she exhaled, nuzzling closer into his chest.

"I would never judge you," Tank whispered, his deep voice soft as he trailed slow, soothing patterns along her belly.

Kayla nodded, her breath shaky as she exhaled.

Tank held her hand gently. "What happened at your mama's house with Vince?"

Kayla froze. Her fingers trembled slightly in his grasp.

Tank could feel her hesitation. But he didn't rush her. He simply squeezed her hand, waiting.

Kayla swallowed hard, nervous to talk about the abuse she endured. But she knew she could trust him.

"It started when I was little," she finally whispered. "Vince always found a reason to touch me. A pat on the back that lasted too long. His hand brushing my thigh when I walked by. At first, I didn't think much of it."

Tank was still beneath her, his body tense, but he didn't interrupt.

"But when I got older, it got worse." Kayla swallowed hard. "He started watching me different. I'd catch him staring when I was in the house wearing shorts. If I bent over, he'd be right there." She shook her head, eyes stinging. "I felt dirty, but I didn't know what to do."

Tank's grip on her hand tightened slightly, but he remained quiet, his breathing heavy.

Kayla hesitated before continuing.

"The worst of it... it started after my mama whooped me in front of him."

Kayla nodded stiffly. "She stayed mad at me. For everything. I could breathe wrong, and she'd find a reason to hit me." Her voice wavered. "One day, she found out I was having with Josh. I don't even know how probably Janay told her or something. I had just turned seventeen. She yanked me out the shower and beat me naked."

Tank flinched.

Kayla's eyes burned as she stared at the wall. "Vince was right there. Watching the whole thing. Smirking." She shuddered. "And after that... he got bolder."

Tank's body was rigid, his fingers gripping hers so tight it almost hurt. But Kayla didn't stop him. She needed to hold onto something.

"He started finding ways to get me alone. Walking in my room at night like he belonged there. Trying to touch me when my mama was or wasn't home."

Tank let out a sharp breath through his nose, his chest heaving.

"And then..." Kayla's voice cracked, but she forced herself to say it. "Right before my eighteenth birthday, he... he tried to force himself on me."

Tank snapped.

His whole body tensed, his breathing rough and uneven. His grip on her hand tightened just enough to make her feel his anger without hurting her.

Kayla closed her eyes, pressing herself against his warmth. "I fought him off, Tank. I fought." She sniffed. "I locked myself in the bathroom until my mama came home."

Tank's jaw clenched. "And she still didn't believe you."

Kayla let out a bitter laugh. "Nope. Called me a liar. Said I was 'fast' and looking for attention." Her voice wavered. "She stayed with him. Slept next to him like he was some good man while I was in the next room, scared to close my eyes. Then she told me even if he does want me, I should give it to him because he pays all the bills."

Tank's whole body vibrated with rage. His fingers flexed against her belly, as if silently promising their son that nothing like that would ever happen to him.

"You got out," he finally said, voice tight. "That's what matters."

Kayla nodded. "I had to. I knew if I stayed, one day he'd actually—" Her voice cracked.

Tank snapped.

"I'm gonna kill that motherfucker."

His words were raw, full of so much fury Kayla felt it in her bones.

She quickly turned, gripping his face. "Tyler, no."

Tank's nostrils flared. "That bastard don't deserve to breathe, Kayla." His hands clenched into fists. "I shoulda been there. I woulda—"

Kayla pressed a shaky kiss to his lips, silencing him. "You are here," she whispered against his mouth. "You have me."

Tank exhaled sharply, his anger not gone but simmering as he pressed his forehead against hers. Tank held her tighter, his arms wrapping securely around her as if to shield her from everything that had ever hurt her. His thumb brushed slow circles against her hip, his chest rising and falling in steady, calming breaths.

Kayla exhaled softly, her fingers grazing his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart beneath her palm. "But you know I didn't trap you..." she whispered. "But I did want this baby."

Tank's eyes softened as he gazed down at her, listening intently.

"I was hoping you'd get me pregnant," she admitted, her voice barely above a breath, "so I could be stuck with you forever."

Tank's lips parted slightly, but he didn't interrupt. He just held her, waiting for her to let it all out.

Kayla swallowed. "I knew back in Newark that first night that you'd protect me." Her fingers traced slow patterns against his skin. "By the time we got to Chicago, I was hoping you'd like me."

Tank's brows furrowed slightly as he took in her words.

"So when you said I was your girl in Milwaukee..." Kayla exhaled, her voice laced with emotion. "I was so happy, because I really wanted that. I needed that."

Tank's grip on her tightened, his stomach knotting.

"Darling was right..." Kayla admitted. "I did cling to you." She hesitated before continuing. "You were the first man to ever show me real attention." Her voice wavered. "I never had a man in my life before you that loved me or protected me... without me having to do something for them first."

Tank's chest ached at her words.

But he wasn't surprised. He had known. Maybe not all of it, but he had felt it. Felt how much she needed him in ways she didn't always say out loud.

And he had no problem giving her everything.

Kayla grew nervous at his silence, her heart hammering as she searched his face for any sign of regret. Kayla kept her gaze lowered, tracing the outline of his chest with her fingertips, nervous about his reaction.

"Um...lastly" she hesitated, swallowing thickly. "I don't know how to say this, but..." She exhaled. "One of the reasons I crave sex with you so much is to block out the past experiences I had with Josh."

Tank's jaw clenched. His grip on her didn't falter, but she felt the slight shift in his breathing.

"I like when you touch me..." she continued, her voice softer now. "On my thighs, back, arms, legs—anywhere. Because when you do all that, it's like my brain reprograms the muscle memory..." She paused, then finally lifted her eyes to meet his. "Like everything that happened in Richmond never happened."

Tank exhaled through his nose, his fingers twitching against her skin as he stared at her.

Kayla gave a nervous laugh. "So, I can be needy... and I'm sorry. And I can be really horny but... it's because I need to block out past trauma."

Silence stretched between them. His breath hitched—not from judgment, but understanding. Tank just pulled her in closer, his lips brushing her forehead.

"We in this together, lil bit," he murmured against her skin.

Kayla's heart clenched.

"I knew you'd be mine then..." Tank's voice was low, thick with emotion. "And I'm glad you are now."

Then he kissed her. Slow. Deep. Reassuring.

Kayla melted into it, exhaling softly as the last of her worries faded away.

His gaze lowered to her hand, to the engagement ring shining against her skin.

This was real.

He was locked in.

For better or worse, it didn't matter.

He chose her.

He reached down, gripping her hand firmly, bringing it to his lips before kissing her palm. Then, his arms wrapped around her again, pressing her fully into his chest.

Kayla let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, relaxing against him.

Tank didn't say much. He didn't have to..

She felt lighter.

Like she had just laid her heart bare and he had gently picked up every piece. His touch, his warmth, his presence—all of it told her everything she needed to know

Meanwhile, Darling still hadn't stopped crying. Her face throbbed—Coco's punch had done damage, and Miss Sherri's slap still burned like fire against her cheek. But no physical pain compared to the ache settling deep in her chest.

Tank's words kept replaying in her head like a broken record.

"I didn't want a baby with you, I want that baby in Kayla's belly." "If anything, I trapped her." "I did, I fucked her every day raw until I knew she was pregnant."

Every word had been a dagger straight to her heart. She had clung to the belief that Tank still had something for her. That despite the past, despite Kayla, despite everything—there was a part of him that still belonged to her.

But he never loved her like that.

She thought she was the one who had gotten away, the girl he would always compare others to. But he made it clear—Kayla was the one he wanted. The one he chose.

Darling sat in the front seat of Dina's car, her hands clenched into fists in her lap, her body trembling as she tried to stop the steady stream of tears rolling down her face.

"You really need to get yourself together," Dina muttered, keeping her eyes on the road. "You embarrassed yourself out there."

Darling turned her head sharply. "Shut up, Dina!" she snapped, her voice hoarse from crying.

Dina scoffed, shaking her head. "You're acting like Tank was ever yours to begin with."

"He was mine!" Darling shrieked, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.

Dina gave her a deadpan look. "Then why is he engaged to someone else? Why is she having his baby and not you?"

Darling's lips parted, but no words came out.

The reality of it all crashed down on her at once.

Tank never once thought about having a baby with her.

Tank never once looked at her the way he looked at Kayla.

Tank never once loved her the way he loved Kayla.

The harsh truth made her stomach turn.

She had lost.

But deep down, she wasn't ready to accept it.

Dina stared at her little sister, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Please let it go," she said, her voice firm but laced with exhaustion. "I know it's hard, but Tank is going to end up hurting you, because whatever you said to Kayla had everyone on go." Dina glanced at Darling, who sat slumped in the passenger seat, dabbing at her nose with a tissue. "Even Tanya is pissed, and you know Tanya stays neutral for the most part."

Darling scoffed, rolling her eyes. "What I said was the truth," she shrugged, wincing slightly at the movement. Her nose still throbbed from Coco's punch, and her cheek still stung from Miss Sherri's slap.

Dina gave her a sharp look. "How do you know?"

"Daddy told me," Darling shrugged again, trying to sound nonchalant despite the pain wrecking her body and ego.

Dina exhaled sharply, gripping the wheel as she turned down their street. This was a losing battle. Darling was deep in her delusion, and Dina wasn't about to lose her best friend over her little sister's obsession with a man who had clearly moved on.

She shook her head. "Was the dick even that good?" she asked dryly, casting Darling a sideways glance.

Darling let out a soft chuckle, despite herself. A flashback flooded her brain—Tank's strong hands gripping her thighs, his deep voice groaning her name, the way he took her with no hesitation, no mercy.

"It was 10 out of 10... when I allowed him to have his way," she admitted, a small smirk playing on her swollen lips.

Dina rolled her eyes. "And yet, here you are, crying over him while he's at home laid up with Kayla, probably rubbing her damn feet and telling her how much he loves her." She shook her head. "You played yourself, sis."

Darling's smirk dropped instantly. "Fuck you, Dina."

Dina just laughed. "You already fucked yourself. And from the looks of it, Tank fucked you over real good too."

Darling clenched her jaw, staring out the window as embarrassment settled deep in her gut. Dina wasn't lying. Tank did fuck her over. But what hurt more than anything—he didn't even care.

And that? That was the part she couldn't let go.

Tank sat with Fred and Frank in the dimly lit back room of the house, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. The anger in his chest burned hotter than ever, hotter than when Vince had first trespassed on his family's land, hotter than when he heard the threats against Kayla. But now? After Kayla's confession—after she told him everything Vince had said, everything he did?

Tank wasn't just mad. He was done.

"I don't care what y'all gotta do," Tank said, his voice dangerously low. "But that motherfucker need to be locked under the jail. If he get out..." He leaned forward, his light brown eyes dark with a promise. "I swear on everything, he won't breathe another day."

Fred and Frank exchanged a look.

Tank was the baby of the family, but he was also the strongest. He had always been able to keep his anger in check, but everyone knew how he felt about Kayla. That wasn't just his girl—that was his everything.

Fred exhaled, leaning back in his chair. "We hear you, lil' bro. And trust me... we believe you."

Frank nodded, steepling his fingers. "We already making sure Vince don't see the outside of that damn cell. You think we'd let him walk after all this?"

Tank's jaw was tight, his leg bouncing as he tried to keep himself still. But there was no calming him down. Not this time.

Fred ran a hand down his face before reaching for his phone. "Look, I already got my pops working behind the scenes. He makin' calls, pullin' strings. We stackin' charges on that bastard like bricks, but we gotta be smart about it."

Frank leaned in. "Smart don't mean slow, though. We got ways to make sure Vince never gets out, one way or another."

Tank's lip curled, his breathing heavy. "Make sure it's the other."

Fred smirked, shaking his head. "Damn, nigga. You really out for blood, huh?"

Tank's eyes never wavered. "That ain't even a question."

Frank sat back, rubbing his chin. "Alright then. Let's get to work."