Kyle's pov
The morning light spilled through the wide Carlisle windows, soft and golden, a perfect contrast to the storm Coco had been swept into online. I'd stayed awake half the night scrolling through the chaos on social media, people debating if she was alive, others spinning conspiracy theories, some calling her an icon for "resurrecting" herself, but the heart of it, the vicious rumours, the claws of strangers pulling her name apart, it made me want to wrap her up in armour.
So instead, I planned.
I'd called in a few favours and by morning, the house staff were rolling in garment racks draped with silk, chiffon, sequins, and velvet. Designer boxes lined the low table in the living room. On the couch, I'd stacked a fresh MacBook Pro, a new iPad, and the latest iPhone, all in her favourite colour palette, custom cases already slipped on.
Her gasp when she walked in was worth every second.
"Kyle…" She pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes going glassy. "What is all this?"
I tried to play it cool, leaning against the table with a grin. "Just… a little reset. I figured if the world is going to remember CocoJinx, she should come back sharper, stronger, and untouchable. These," I gestured to the clothes "are armour. And these," I tapped the stack of Apple products, "are your weapons my queen."
Her laugh broke into a tearful smile, and before I could blink she was in my arms, hugging me like she needed to anchor herself. I hugged back, holding her tighter than I meant to. "You deserve good things, Coco. And you deserve to be somewhere safe, not under Rose's thumb."
The words slipped out before I could soften them. "Stay here with me. With us. You don't ever have to go back there."
She pulled back, eyes wide, searching my face like she wasn't sure if I meant it. "Stay? Like… actually stay?"
"Yes." I brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. "No more hiding. No more abuse. You'll have space, freedom, and… us. In the meantime, I will sort out our own place."
Her lips trembled like she wanted to say yes and no at the same time. Before either of us could push it further, the sharp chime of the doorbell cut through the air.
I knew that tone of arrival before I even saw them. My skin immediately crawled.
Rose. Mika.
They swept into the Carlisle estate like they owned the place, all polished smiles and dripping poison. Rose carried herself with the air of a queen, Mika trailing close with that smug little curl of her lips.
"Kyle, darling," Rose purred, eyes flicking toward Coco as if she were dirt tracked in on the rug. "We came because we're… concerned. Coco has been spiralling, you see. We thought you should know before she drags your family's good name into her chaos."
Mika chimed in, as sweet as honey. "She sleeps around a lot Kyle. Just last week, she came home after midnight. Who knows where she'd been… who she'd been whoring around with."
I couldn't help it, after asking them about the day in question, I laughed. Sharp, short, cutting.
"Funny," I said, folding my arms across my chest. "Because I was with Coco on that particular day. I dropped her home at exactly 8:03 p.m. So unless she teleported somewhere in the next ten minutes, your little story doesn't add up."
Rose's painted smile froze. Mika's eyes darted to the side, betraying her slip.
Coco stood a little taller beside me, not saying a word, but I could feel her courage building next to me. I stepped closer, a protective wall between her and their venom.
"You don't get to rewrite who she is anymore," I told them evenly. "Not in this house. Not in front of me. Also, that post about rehab, don't make the mistake of thinking that I don't know it was you, I saw your filthy talons all over it."
"What post about rehab?" Coco asked in shock. "Nothing to worry about babe, it's taken care off." Was my only reply to her.
For once, Rose had no immediate rebuttal. Just that calculating look, a flicker of rage masked with poise.
"Come on, Mika," she finally hissed, turning on her heel. "We won't waste our breath here."
"Yeah, you won't ma'am, because that would mean we waste ours on you too." I said. They left the way they came, heels clicking like the echo of a threat.
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. Then I looked at Coco, whose lips curved into the smallest, shyest smile.
"You stood up for me," she whispered.
"Always baby" I said without hesitation.
And when she leaned against me, just needing the reassurance of my presence, I knew this war wasn't close to over for her, but at least she wouldn't have to fight it alone.
I didn't even let her finish the nervous ramble that spilled from her lips. The second I saw her eyes drop to the floor, shame tugging at her posture as though she expected me to believe the garbage Rose and Mika had just spewed, I reached for her. "Coco," I said firmly, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her against me, right there in the living room with Kairo watching from the couch.
"Look at me." She hesitated, trembling like a cornered bird, but when she finally lifted her chin, I saw the storm inside her, fear, doubt, a thousand bruised memories that still tried to convince her she was not worthy. I shook my head softly. "They do not get to define you. Not them. Not anyone. I know who you are."
Her lashes fluttered, her lips parting in the tiniest gasp, as if she couldn't believe someone might say that out loud. I cupped her cheek, brushing my thumb across the soft skin, and I swore to myself right then that I'd never let them touch her spirit again. "You're mine, my person, my girl." I whispered, so low it was only for her, "and I'm not going anywhere. The love your dad showed you, I will triple. The safety and protection you felt, I will do the same. I will honour his memory by doing right by you."
She broke then, not into tears this time, but into something else, something fragile yet radiant, like trust cracking open in her chest for the first time. She leaned into my touch, closing the last inch of space between us until her breath warmed my lips. I didn't think, I just lowered my mouth to hers.
The kiss was unhurried, not the desperate clash we'd shared before, but a promise, gentle, steady, grounding. Her hands slid up my chest, fingers curling into my shirt as if tethering herself to me. And I kissed her deeper, sealing the vow I couldn't yet say aloud: I'll love you, no matter what.
The kiss broke softly, and for a moment the room was just the two of us breathing the same air. Then Kairo's voice cut in, dry but not in an unkind way. "Well, finally," she muttered, leaning back into the couch with her arms folded.
"I was starting to think you two were allergic to each other and happiness." I turned my head, still keeping Coco close against me, and arched a brow. "Jealous, little sister?" I shot back. Kairo smirked, shaking her head. "Please."
"If I were a guy and I wanted to kiss her, I would've done it before you did." Coco let out a startled laugh, covering her mouth as her cheeks flushed pink. I tightened my arm around her waist possessively. "Not in this lifetime," I said, half serious, half teasing, and Kairo chuckled, holding up her hands in mock surrender.
The lightness of it all, the ridiculous banter, the laughter she hadn't allowed herself in so long, wrapped around us like a cloud of comfort. Coco's shoulders relaxed, her laughter trailing into something softer.
She glanced up at me then at Kairo, her eyes glistening not with fear but something warmer. "Thank you," she whispered, the words fragile but certain. "For standing up for me. For… letting me breathe again." My chest tightened at the sound of it, and even Kairo, for all her sarcasm, gave her a nod that carried more weight than her words ever could.