Chapter 122 He Has A Weakness
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Kelly blocked Eric’s number and WhatsApp, and for a brief moment, the world grew still. But her peace. didn’t last long. Soon, Eric called again, this time using someone else’s phone.
He wouldn’t let up. Kelly couldn’t even figure out what he thought he could achieve by this persistence.
“Kelly, if you keep ignoring me, I’ll just keep calling from other numbers. I know you’ll come back to work eventually,” Eric’s message read.
“Do you realize how dangerous it is for you? Living alone with all that money? And that Zev… he’s nothing but a thug. He’s after your money. You’ve been tricked. He must’ve convinced you to divorce me for the assets, right? I always knew you wouldn’t come up with something as low as using the kids to threaten me. He’s the one who taught you that, isn’t he?“”
Eric kept sending messages, calling Zev,names and warning her about her finances.
“Kelly, that money is dangerous. Do you really think it’s safe with him? Your inheritance–it was meant for us, not for him. I can help you manage it, but it’s too risky for you to hold on to it alone.”
His words seemed full of concern, but every single one of them came back to money.
It became painfully clear: Eric wasn’t worried about her safety. He was just desperate to make sure she
didn’t give away what he thought was his.
“Kelly, let’s talk. I want us to get back together. This stubbornness … let it go, please,” he continued.
Kelly barely recognized the man anymore. His insistence felt foreign, almost unrecognizable.
It was unnerving how much he had changed.
She blocked the number from which the messages came and powered off her phone.
“Who was that?” Zev asked lazily from the bed, stretching like a cat and pulling her toward him. “Who’s calling you? Got some other guy out there?” he joked, but there was an edge in his voice, something she couldn’t ignore.
Kelly sighed and shot him an irritated look. “Just drop it.”
“Honey,” Zev murmured, pulling her closer.
She knew all too well what this meant. The closer he got, the more likely it was that he wasn’t after anything good.
“Zev,” she asked softly, trying to find some clue in his face. “Do you remember why you joined the military?”
She hoped–just hoped–that something in him would spark. Maybe it would help him remember.
He was quiet for a while, still holding her, but not letting go. “My parents… they died young,” he whispered.
At least that was something. He remembered.
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but that trust was betrayed. He was kidnapped and held for ransom. My mother paid the money, but it didn’t matter. They still… killed him.”
Zev’s voice cracked with emotion. “When we learned it was someone close to him who had done this, we knew he wasn’t coming back. If by some miracle he did we wouldn’t have let them get away with it.”
“My mom… she went to retrieve his body herself. By then, he had been tortured beyond recognition.” Zev’s voice turned dark and heavy. “My grandfather blained her, said she ruined him. He believed if she hadn’t pushed him into the business, none of it would’ve happened. He said her actions led to his death.”
Kelly paused and glanced at him.
Had he been crying?
She felt the warmth of tears against her neck.
“My mom couldn’t live with the guilt. She couldn’t handle my grandfather’s accusations. So … she ended her life.”
Zev’s voice faltered. “She left me … an eight–year–old boy.”
Kelly swallowed hard, her heart sinking.
The weight of his words hit Kelly with a force she wasn’t prepared for. Zev’s life had been marked by tragedy.
Afterward, Zev lived with his grandfather, who ruled with an iron fist.
Zev, always rebellious, grew up wanting nothing more than to escape–just like his father. He wanted to break free from the Lockharts‘ control, so he enlisted in the military.
“Kelly, I haven’t had parents since I was eight,” Zev said, his voice quiet and steady.
He wasn’t asking for sympathy. He was simply stating the truth.
He had been alone for as long as he could remember.
Kelly’s gaze softened. “Is that why you went undercover in Solmaris? Because you had nothing left to lose?”
Zev nodded slowly, his fingers lightly brushing through her hair. “Yeah. I didn’t care. I didn’t have anyone to protect.”
“But now… it’s different,” he murmured. “I have you. I’m not alone anymore. I don’t want to keep fighting. I just want to be with you. To live in peace.”
Kelly stiffened at his words but quickly shook it off. She met his eyes. “What do you feel like for dinner? We could relax for a bit, then go to the market. How about I make you some ribs?”
Zev pulled her closer, his arms wrapping around her like a vice, and kissed her forehead. “I’ll eat whatever you make. I’m not picky.”
Kelly let out a small laugh.
But the world outside was still dangerous. Lucas hadn’t been caught, and his ties to Beau were still intact.
and
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There were still many risks, and tomorrow–maybe even tonight–things could fall apart.
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Kelly understood why Zév had gone undercover. Without a family, without ties, he had nothing to keep him grounded.
“Zev, when this mission is over… just stay here. Stay in Seaville. Let’s build a life together,” she said softly, almost as if afraid the words would be taken back.
Zev’s fingers tangled in her hair again. “Yeah…” He paused, as if considering something important. “Maybe we should have a baby. But… before we do that, we have to fix everything. I’m scared, Kelly. I don’t want to bring a child into all this mess.”
For someone who had lived undercover for so long, the hardest part was settling down–making a home, a family.
Zev had never imagined he would want such a thing.
But now, the thought was there–and it terrified him.
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