The love that never ends ( Chapter 3)
A/N This chapter was written after a long day of volleyball tryouts, so it’s a bit more low-key—but the story is only getting started! I can’t wait for you to see what happens next. Thanks for your patience and support! I'm sorry if I let you down. Also I will still be posting a chapter the next day.
WC: 2.4k ( i promise ill make chapter 4 longer)
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Azzi couldn’t sit still.
She paced the length of the living room, her bare feet sinking into the soft rug with every anxious step. The walls felt closer than usual, the air heavier. Her phone sat on the coffee table where she’d dropped it after Paige’s call—five words, clipped and urgent: We need to talk. It’s important.
Her mind kept circling the same question: Does she know?
From the other room came Mia’s laughter, bright and unbothered. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, humming as she brushed a doll’s tangled blonde hair. That sound, so soft and innocent, only twisted Azzi tighter inside. She couldn’t let this explode. Not in front of Mia.
A sharp knock rattled the door.
Azzi froze mid-step, her pulse leaping into her throat. For a second, she considered not answering—pretending she wasn’t home. But the knock came again, harder this time, and her chest tightened.
When she opened the door, Paige stood there.
Her hair was damp, clinging to her temples like dark silk, and a duffel bag hung from one shoulder. She’d changed into joggers and a loose black hoodie, but there was nothing casual about the way she looked at Azzi. Those hazel eyes were fierce, hard in a way Azzi hadn’t seen in years.
“Paige…” Azzi’s voice cracked like dry wood. “Hey.”
No smile. No greeting back. Paige stepped inside without waiting to be asked, her sneakers thudding against the hardwood.
Azzi closed the door slowly, her fingers trembling on the knob. “You could’ve—”
“Why did you lie to me?” Paige’s voice cut through the room like a blade.
Azzi blinked, her stomach plunging. “What?”
Paige turned, and for the first time Azzi saw the storm in her face—jaw tight, lips pressed into a thin line. “Don’t play dumb. The sperm donor story? That was bullshit.”
Azzi’s throat locked. “Paige—”
“She looks just like me, Azzi.” Paige’s voice rose, sharp and aching. She pointed toward the hallway, where a photo of Mia smiled from a frame—gap-toothed and bright-eyed, clutching a teddy bear. Paige walked over and picked it up, holding it up like evidence in a trial. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”
Azzi’s heart pounded so hard it hurt. She opened her mouth, but no words came out—just a sound, thin and broken.
Paige’s voice dropped, but the weight of it crushed Azzi where she stood. “I’ve been losing my mind since last night. All day, I’ve been thinking… wondering why she asked that question, wondering why you looked like you were about to fall apart.” She turned, eyes blazing. “So tell me the truth. Right now.”
Azzi took a step back, like distance could help her breathe. “Paige, I—”
“Mommy!” The call rang out from down the hall, high and sweet. Mia’s voice. “Can Paige braid my doll’s hair?”
The air cracked open. Both women froze.
Paige looked toward the sound, her expression softening just slightly. Azzi’s chest seized with relief and panic all at once.
“Yeah, sweet pea,” Paige called, her voice smoothing over the tension like a thin layer of ice. “I’ll be there in a second.”
She set the photo back on the shelf, very carefully, then walked toward the hallway. Azzi followed, numb.
Mia sat cross-legged on the rug, two dolls in her lap and a brush clutched in her tiny hand. When she saw Paige, her whole face lit up. “Can you do the braid like last time?”
Paige managed a small smile. “Of course.” She knelt, her long fingers deftly separating the doll’s plastic hair into sections. For a moment, the room felt almost normal—except for the way Paige’s jaw stayed tight, the way her eyes flicked up to Azzi every few seconds like a warning.
When the braid was done, Mia clapped and threw her arms around Paige’s neck. “Thank you!”
“Anytime, kiddo.” Paige hugged her back, kissed the top of her head, and then stood.
Mia was already humming again, lost in play.
Paige walked back into the living room without a word. Azzi followed, heart slamming.
When Paige turned, her face was steel again. She spoke low, each word like a weight dropping between them. “I’m not leaving without the truth.”
Azzi’s throat burned. “Paige… please.”
Paige stepped closer, and Azzi could smell the faint hint of rain in her hair, the salt of sweat from practice. Her voice was soft now, but that softness cut deeper than anger ever could. “If you don’t tell me, Azzi… I’ll find out myself.”
The silence stretched until Azzi thought it might split her open. Outside, rain began to fall again, soft and steady, tapping against the windows like a warning.
Azzi stared at her, words clawing at her throat, desperate to be set free. But fear was stronger.
“Paige…” Her voice shook. “Not now. Please.”
Paige’s eyes hardened, and for the first time, Azzi saw the shadow of something she’d prayed never to see again: the look Paige had the night she walked away from the argument they had four years ago.
She grabbed her duffel, slinging it over her shoulder with a sharp motion. “You’ve got until tomorrow.”
The words hit like a punch. Paige didn’t shout. She didn’t slam the door. She just walked out—quiet and certain, leaving Azzi standing there like the air had been sucked from her lungs.
The door clicked shut behind her, soft but final.
Azzi sank onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. Tomorrow had never felt so close—or so dangerous
The door clicked shut behind Paige, but the silence that followed was louder than her footsteps ever could be.
Azzi stood frozen for a long moment, heart hammering like it was trying to break free. Then, as if waking from a spell, she grabbed her phone from the coffee table and hit the first name in her favorites.
Caroline answered on the second ring. “Azzi? What happened? You sound—”
“She knows, Caro,” Azzi blurted out, her voice shaking. “She knows about Mia.”
There was a pause, then Caroline’s voice dropped low. “What do you mean, knows? Did you tell her?”
“No! She just—she came over, and she looked at Mia’s picture, and I could see it in her face. She knows, Caro. God, what am I gonna do?” Azzi’s breath hitched. “She gave me until tomorrow to tell her the truth.”
Caroline cursed softly under her breath. “Azzi, you can’t keep this secret anymore. It’s been four years.”
“I was protecting Mia,” Azzi whispered, but even to her own ears, it sounded weak.
Caroline didn’t answer right away. When she spoke again, her voice was careful, measured. “Azzi… listen to me. If Paige is that sure, then she knows something. There’s no way she just guessed because Mia looks like her. Paige isn’t stupid.”
Azzi’s blood ran cold. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying she didn’t walk out of there empty-handed. She might already have proof—or she’s close to it.”
Azzi sank onto the couch, her legs trembling. “Oh my God…”
“You have to figure out what you’re going to do,” Caroline said gently. “Before tomorrow.”
Azzi nodded, though Caroline couldn’t see her. “Yeah. I will.”
They said their goodbyes, but Azzi didn’t move after the call ended. She just sat there, staring at the door, feeling the weight of a truth that was no longer hers to control.
Paige tossed her duffel onto the floor the second she walked into her apartment. The space was dark, save for the glow from the streetlights cutting across the hardwood. She didn’t bother turning on the lights.
Instead, she pulled her phone from her pocket and dropped onto the couch. Her thumb hovered over the screen for a moment before she unlocked it.
The email was still there, pinned to the top of her inbox. Subject line: Your DNA Results Are Ready.
She opened it.
Her eyes scanned the words she’d already memorized hours ago: Parent/Child Match: 99.98%.
Paige’s jaw clenched as her grip tightened around the phone. She’d known before the results came in. The curve of Mia’s smile, the way her laugh felt like déjà vu—it was all there. But seeing it in black and white burned hotter than she expected.
She leaned back, staring at the ceiling, the phone heavy in her hand.
She hadn’t confronted Azzi to find out the truth. She already had it. She just wanted to see if Azzi would give her a reason—any reason—not to hate her.
Paige closed her eyes, but the darkness didn’t bring peace. It just sharpened the questions clawing at her ribs.
Why did Azzi keep Mia from her? Why lie? And how the hell was Paige supposed to forgive that?
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The knock came soft, almost polite, but it hit Azzi like a gunshot.
She wiped her palms on her jeans, heart hammering as she walked to the door. When she opened it, Paige was there—calm, unreadable, like a storm that hadn’t decided where to land.
“Come in,” Azzi said, voice barely above a whisper.
Paige stepped inside. The house smelled faintly of lavender and coffee. Mia’s shoes were gone from the mat. Azzi made sure of that.
“Where’s Mia?” Paige asked, glancing around.
“With Caroline,” Azzi said quickly. “Just for a few hours.”
Paige nodded once, like she expected that. Then silence stretched between them—thick, heavy. Azzi motioned to the couch, but Paige didn’t sit.
Instead, she stood in the center of the room, hands in her jacket pockets, eyes fixed on Azzi with a steadiness that made her want to crawl out of her own skin.
“You said you’d tell me today,” Paige said softly. “So tell me.”
Azzi opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her throat locked.
“Azzi,” Paige said again, voice still calm, almost gentle—but sharp enough to cut glass. “Is she mine?”
Tears pricked Azzi’s eyes before the words even left her lips. “Yes.”
Paige closed her eyes for a moment, like she needed to swallow the weight of that single syllable. When she opened them again, they burned—not with fire, but with something colder.
“Why?” Paige’s voice cracked on the word, even though she fought to keep it level. “Why would you keep her from me?”
Azzi’s chest caved in. She tried to speak, but everything sounded wrong in her head. Excuses, apologies, fear—they all tangled together. “I—I thought it was best. You were—”
“Don’t,” Paige cut in, her tone sharper now. “Don’t tell me what I was. Tell me why you thought you got to decide.”
Azzi’s breath hitched. “Because I was scared. I didn’t know if you’d want her. If you’d… stay.”
Paige’s jaw tightened. “You didn’t even give me the chance.”
Azzi stepped closer, desperate now. “Paige, I swear, I only ever wanted to protect her. She’s my whole world.”
“And she’s mine too,” Paige whispered, pulling something from her jacket pocket. She held it out between them—a folded sheet of paper. Azzi didn’t need to open it to know what it was.
“I didn’t come yesterday to find out,” Paige said, voice steady but trembling at the edges. “I already knew.”
The words crashed over Azzi like a tidal wave. Her knees almost buckled.
Paige stared at her for a long moment, then placed the paper on the coffee table. “You had your chance to tell me. You chose not to.”
She turned toward the door. Azzi’s hand shot out, but she stopped herself before touching Paige.
“Paige, please…” Azzi’s voice broke.
Paige paused at the door, her back still to her. When she spoke, her voice was low, almost too soft to hear.
“You don’t get to call her yours anymore.”
And then she was gone
Paige lay in bed staring at the ceiling, her heart pounding like it wanted out. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Azzi—her laugh, her smile, the way her eyes softened when she looked at Mia. God, it hurt. Hurt because after all these years, after everything, Paige still loved her. Loved her so much it made her chest ache.
And that was the problem. How could you love someone who did something so unforgivable?
She turned on her side, burying her face in the pillow, trying to smother the thoughts clawing at her brain. But the anger was already unraveling into something softer—something desperate. She couldn’t handle being this mad. Not at Azzi. Not at the only person who had ever truly been home to her.
Before her mind could catch up, her fingers were moving, phone glowing in the dark:
Paige: I can’t do this. I can’t sit here hating you. Walk with me? Midnight. Lake trail.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Then—
Azzi: Yes.
Paige swallowed hard, shoved the phone under her pillow, and stared at the ceiling again. What was she doing?
The Walk
The night was cool and still, the moon broken on the surface of the lake. Paige spotted Azzi approaching, hands shoved in her jacket pockets, shoulders tense. For a moment, Paige just watched her. How familiar she looked, even now. It made her heart twist in ways she didn’t want to name.
Azzi stopped a few feet away. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Paige’s voice sounded thin, even to herself. She started walking without waiting for more, and Azzi fell in step beside her.
For a while, neither spoke. The gravel crunched under their shoes. An owl called somewhere in the trees. Paige kept her eyes on the path, trying to hold her thoughts in, but they spilled out anyway.
“You hurt me.” Her voice cracked just enough to make her clench her jaw. “You hid her from me, Azzi. For years.”
Azzi’s breath hitched. “I know. And I’m sorry. I thought—”
“I don’t care what you thought.” Paige stopped, turning to face her. The moonlight made her eyes bright, sharp. “You took away my choice. Do you understand that?”
Azzi nodded slowly, eyes glistening. “Yes. I do. And if I could go back—”
“You can’t.” Paige’s voice softened, finally. “You can’t take back those years.”
The silence stretched between them, heavy and raw. Then Paige looked down at the lake, swallowing hard. “But we can’t keep this from her anymore. She deserves the truth.”
Azzi blinked, startled. “You mean… tomorrow?”
Paige nodded. Her throat felt tight, but the decision came out steady. “Tomorrow. Together.”
Azzi exhaled like she’d been holding her breath for years. “Okay.”
They started walking again, slower this time, their hands brushing once, neither pulling away. The weight between them didn’t vanish—but for the first time, it shifted.
