Chapter 19

Chrysti and Jalen spent the whole day doing ... nothing. And it felt great.

They never left the apartment. Chrysti couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed just being with Jalen. Her instincts said this was dangerous, but her heart had never felt so full.

This is exactly what she needed. For once, she was not fighting herself, overthinking, strategizing, or planning an escape. She was just existing with him, and it was effortless. She recognized it as the kind of thing you only did with someone you’re completely comfortable with. With someone you loved.

Chrysti didn’t do love anymore, or at least, that’s what she’d told herself, but today proved her wrong. She wore Jalen’s hoodie, play-wrestled with him, watched trash reality TV with him, and ate pizza in his lap.

That was love and she knew it. That’s why her instincts were screaming that this was a bad idea.

Then that night, they had sex again, and at that point, there was no denying it anymore. There were no more excuses or pretending that it was just sex. She had given in, and she knew that Jalen knew it too. He could feel it in the way she held onto him that time, like she didn’t want to let go, the way she whispered his name, and the way her body responded to him, not just with pleasure, but with trust.

Not only that, she allowed him to cum inside of her again, and Chrysti didn’t flinch, panic, or second-guess. She just wrapped her arms around him tighter and let it happen because deep down, she wanted this. Maybe not the consequences, or the risk, but she wanted him.

On Monday morning, Jalen had to go to work, and Chrysti had to go workout before her first client call. She stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at her reflection, her thoughts and emotions at war with each other.

Chrysti, seriously ... What the fuck have you done?

But there was also... I really don’t want to leave Jalen right now...

She splashed cold water on her face, as if that would somehow wash away the overwhelming mix of anxiety and desire swirling inside her.

Jalen was still in bed, his arm stretched across her side of the mattress. She should have left already. She should have been at the gym, getting her mind right for the day. Instead, she was still here, standing in the bathroom of a man she swore she wouldn’t get attached to, debating whether to climb back into bed with him or bolt before reality could catch up to her.

Her logical mind screamed at her.

Voice 1: You let him finish inside you. Twice. You were supposed to get the Plan B, but instead, you spent an entire day playing house with him. This isn’t you, Chrysti. You don’t do this. You don’t trust men. You don’t fall like this.

Then there was the other voice. The one that was softer and came from her heart.

Voice 2: But didn’t it feel right?! Didn’t it feel amazing?! Have you ever felt this safe, this wanted, this ... loved?

Chrysti closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gripping the edges of the sink. This was betraying all her principles that she had established concerning men. She knew it and felt it in her bones, but still ... she didn’t want to leave.

Forty-five minutes later, Jalen walked Chrysti to her car. Jalen could see it all over her face. He saw how her eyes lingered on him, how she hesitated as she reached for her car door handle, and the subtle bite of her lip.

She stood there for a second, keys in her hand, but making no real move to get inside.

“I had a great time with you,” she finally admitted, her voice softer than usual.

Jalen stepped closer, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. “Me too,” he said.

She looked up at him, and for a brief moment, it felt like she might just say screw it and stay. That she might just climb back into his arms and let the world wait a little longer.

Then she remembered he had to go to work too, and then she exhaled, shaking her head as if snapping herself out of whatever trance she was in.

“I need to go.”

Jalen nodded, though he could still see the reluctance in her eyes. He leaned down, kissing her gently, as if trying to make the moment last a little longer.

When he pulled back, he smiled. “You sure you don’t want to come with me to work?”

Chrysti let out a soft, breathy laugh, shaking her head. “You’re trouble, Jalen.”

Finally, with a sigh, she opened her car door and slid inside. Jalen leaned down, resting his forearm on the window frame as she started the engine.

“I’ll see you soon, Chrysti.”

She hesitated for just a second before nodding. “Yeah ... soon.”

She pulled him into one last soft kiss on the lips before pulling out of the parking space and driving away.

The Beyonder watched from a realm beyond mortal perception, his timeless gaze fixed upon the intricate tapestry of Jalen Moss’s life.

He had observed each woman in turn—Sydney, Kristen, Megan, Rachel, Karla, Heidi, Chrysti, and soon, the eighth—drawn into Jalen’s orbit by forces far greater than chance. What began as seemingly ordinary connections had become something profound. Each woman, in her own way, had chosen him. And now Chrysti, despite her fierce resistance, carried his child. The final piece of the lineage was nearly complete.

“These humans are quite fascinating,” The Beyonder murmured, his voice resonating through the cosmic void as he observed Jalen driving through the city below. “Fate may have placed him in their paths and sparked recognition ... but their choices remain entirely their own.”

He had witnessed countless variations of this prophecy across countless realities. Some required only one child. Others, a handful. In a few, the prophecy succeeded. In many, it failed.

But this reality was different.

Here, the coming threat was at its purest and most devastating form. It would demand the combined strength of eight prophesied heroes to defeat it. That was why eight specific human women had been chosen—each possessing a rare alignment of genetic qualities, character, and spirit. Women capable of not only bearing these children, but raising them into the heroes they were destined to become.

Yet the mothers alone were not enough.

The children required a father. The perfect human male. One whose genetics would perfectly harmonize with each of the eight women. A man possessing the rare strength of character, emotional depth, and unwavering loyalty needed to love and support all eight mothers through the inevitable storms, while raising eight extraordinary children into their full potential.

In other realities, multiple men might have sufficed. But in this one, only a single soul born in this era could meet such an exacting standard.

That man was Jalen Moss.

The Beyonder had watched him forge deep, genuine connections with the first seven women. He had seen the children conceived. He had witnessed the love, the struggles, the loyalty. And still, the outcome remained uncertain. The future was never fixed—only shaped by choices.

“There are countless reasons for these women to walk away,” The Beyonder mused, a note of quiet admiration in his voice. “Yet each has ultimately chosen the path that leads through Jalen Moss ... and has gifted him a child.”

He paused, reflecting on the resilience these humans had shown in the face of chaos, jealousy, societal judgment, and their own inner conflicts.

“Jalen has done well,” he said softly, the words echoing across the vast emptiness. “Only one remains.”

The Beyonder’s unseen presence lingered over the world below, subtle and patient.

One more woman. One more child.

Chris Westward’s response to the divorce filing arrived swiftly, and it was as aggressive and dismissive as expected.

Through his high-powered legal team, he formally contested every single financial request Megan had made, making it clear that he had no intention of giving her a dime.

His legal response was cold, calculated, and condescending, typical of a man who had always viewed Megan as a possession rather than a partner. The message was clear:

No alimony. No financial support of any kind. No division of assets beyond what was explicitly outlined in the prenup.

It was a clear attempt to pressure Megan into walking away with nothing. Chris’s lawyers also threatened to scrutinize Megan’s personal life, implying that they would investigate any infidelity on her part to challenge any claim she had to financial relief.

When Megan and Karla sat down to review the response, Karla wasn’t surprised. This was exactly the kind of response she expected from Chris.

“He thinks he can scare us off,” Karla said, tossing the papers onto her desk. “Typical narcissistic bullshit. He thinks you’ll fold. That we’ll back down.”

Megan, though visibly shaken, was not deterred. If anything, Chris’s arrogance fueled her even more.

“So, what do we do now?” Megan asked.

Karla smiled. “We remind Chris that he’s not untouchable.”

The very next day, Karla filed a formal counter to Chris’s refusal, doubling down on the financial evidence they already had against him.

Thanks to the copy of the prenup that Jalen retrieved, Karla was able to highlight clauses that Chris was trying to ignore such as those that could force him to pay out more than he was admitting to.

Karla presented evidence of how Chris financially manipulated Megan, restricting her access to funds and keeping her economically dependent. They also had receipts of Chris using marital funds on mistresses, escorts, and gifts for other women.

If Chris wanted a fight, Karla was ready to take it public.

Karla knew Chris cared more about his reputation than money. The threat of a public trial and his dirty laundry being exposed was going to be the real pressure point.

By responding the way he did, Chris underestimated Megan. He expected her to break and fold. What he didn’t realize was that she wasn’t fighting alone. Jalen had her back and Karla was a legal shark prepared to go for the kill.

Back at her office, Karla leaned forward, her expression serious as she clasped her hands together on her desk.

“Megan, listen to me. Chris isn’t just going to roll over. He’s going to fight dirty, and I guarantee you, he’ll send someone to watch you.”

Megan tensed. “You think he’ll actually hire a private investigator?”

Karla nodded. “Absolutely. That’s what men like him do when they feel cornered. He’ll want to find something, anything, to discredit you. He’ll be looking for proof that you were unfaithful before you left, that you’ve been reckless, irresponsible, or that you’re hiding something.”

Megan swallowed hard, her hand instinctively brushing over her stomach. She knew this pregnancy was her biggest vulnerability.

“Be aware of your surroundings,” Karla said, “If you feel like you’re being followed, don’t ignore it. Notice cars that seem to be around too often. If you see someone at a café one day and then ‘randomly’ see them again somewhere else, assume it’s not a coincidence.”

“Okay.” Megan said, nodding.

“Also, if Chris is desperate enough, he’ll have someone dig through your garbage. I know it sounds crazy, but don’t throw anything out that hints at your pregnancy.

No ultrasound paperwork, no vitamin bottles, no pregnancy tests, nothing. If you need to throw something out, shred it first, then throw it away in a public dumpster.”

Got it. Megan responded calmly, hanging on to Karla’s every word.

Karla continued, “At least for now, you and Jalen should not be seen together in public. If Chris gets photos of you two together, he’ll twist the narrative. He’ll try to paint you as an adulteress who left him for another man, even if the timeline doesn’t match up. If you need to see Jalen, it has to be in private. No restaurants, no coffee shops, no parks, nothing where you could be spotted.”

Megan swallowed. That hit hard. Being with Jalen every Wednesday was one of the few things she had to look forward to every week.

Megan thought about how Jalen had been using their Wednesday evenings to take her to neat places around the city to allow her to get away from the shelter.

He’d taken her to Ponce City Market, the Battery near Turner Field, Little Five Points, and nice little hole-in-the-wall spots to eat at that Megan had never heard of.

They’d usually end their nights together at his apartment where Megan’s pregnancy hormones could finally be satisfied with amazing sex with Jalen before he took her back to the shelter.

Now Chris was basically denying her these experiences with the man she loved. It made her sad but more so frustrated and angry.

She would follow Karla’s advice, of course. She understood what the stakes were, but this would make things so much harder emotionally.

“I hear you,” Megan said, sighing. “But God, this fucking sucks.”

Karla’s eyes softened. “I know. But it’s just temporary. It’s better to get through this now so you can be better off in the long run.” She gave a small smile. “And then we can truly have our man without any restrictions.”

Megan smiled at that. “How have your Fridays been with him?” she asked.

Karla looked down for a second, smiling more. “Honestly? We don’t really do too much. We just ... take care of each other and be what each other needs while we deal with all this. He usually comes to my place, and I allow him to feel as vulnerable as he needs to be and cared for. Meanwhile he allows me to feel like I can let go of my controlling and logistical side. We fill each other’s cups. I love my time with him.”

Megan smiled more warmly at her words. “Has he shown you his Atlanta Falcons boxers yet?”

Karla laughed. “As a matter of fact, he had them on last week.”

“I love him, but I hate those boxers.” Megan said smiling while rubbing her temple. “Sometimes he’ll wear them just to annoy me.”

“Really?” Karla replied a little surprised. “I like them. I think they’re kind of endearing.” She sat back grinning now. “I love it when he starts rambling about his team. He gets so passionate and ... I don’t know ... I think it’s kind of sexy.

Megan laughed. “I’m fine with him talking about the Falcons, even though I don’t follow half of what he’s saying since I don’t know football. But the boxers are a little much for me...”

They both laughed and smiled for a few moments as they reminisced on their time spent with the man they both loved.

Then Karla brought them back down to Earth to focus on the task at hand. “This is also important. Be careful with your phone and emails. If Chris has access to your old accounts, he could still be monitoring them. Do not text or email anything about the pregnancy. If you need to talk about it, do it in person.”