12. Dorian - July
TWELVE
Dorian - July
FADED - ALAN WALKER
With the summer days stretching longer, my workdays seemed to follow suit, the hours slipping away as I juggled the constant demands of the clinic. Woodstone Falls might be small, but the need for a local vet was not. Between the ranches, the farms, and the families with pets, there was always something that needed my attention, whether it was a sick calf, a dog in need of vaccinations, or the countless checkups that seemed to line up without pause.
I was starting to wonder if it was time to bring on more staff. The clinic was growing, and my schedule was tighter than ever. I found myself squeezing in moments with Gracie wherever I could, sometimes stealing a few extra minutes in the morning before work or tucking her into bed at night. But at the end of the day, no matter how stretched I felt, she was always my priority.
Becoming a father was not part of my plan at twenty-three. Becoming a single father sure as hell wasn’t.
But when Hallie passed away giving birth to Gracie, everything changed. I was completely unprepared for the magnitude of responsibility that suddenly rested on my shoulders. And yet, there I was. The sole person responsible for a tiny human, navigating a life I never imagined. There wasn’t a manual for this. No one tells you how to hold everything together when you’re grieving.
But Gracie and I, we figured it out. Slowly, at first, but we did.
We grew up together, in a way. I had to face the hard realities of parenting much sooner than I ever expected, but there was something raw and fulfilling about it. Life wasn’t always glamorous. It was often messy, tiring, and overwhelming, but it was ours.
Hallie’s death taught me a lot—lessons no one could ever prepare you for.
How to balance life with a newborn, how to survive on little sleep, and even how to explain to a five-year-old that the Tooth Fairy doesn’t adjust for inflation.
But it was the little things, the everyday moments, that kept me going.
I had family, I had a community that had supported me from the beginning, but at the end of the day, Gracie depended on me. Only me. And I would carry that responsibility without hesitation, no matter the cost, because she was mine, and I was hers.
So, I kept my world small. Between my daughter, my family, and my work, there wasn’t room for much else, and that felt safer.
Easier.
The cool air hit me as I stepped outside after a long day at the clinic. My phone buzzed in my pocket, Trent’s name lighting up the screen.
Trent
Hey, you got a minute to swing by the cabin after work?
Me
Sure. What’s up?
Trent
Just get over here, jackass.
Me
Fine.
As I walked up to the cabin, curiosity nudged its way to the forefront of my mind. Dotty had done more than just fix the place up—she’d infused it with a piece of herself. The cabin still had its old bones, the same weathered wood and wrap-around porch I remembered, but now it felt… different. Alive, in a way I hadn’t expected.
The white porch swing, still hanging there, unchanged, like it had been in place for years. The scent of pine filled the air, and for a brief moment, I let it take me back. Back to summers that never seemed to end, when everything was a little simpler.
I spotted Colt’s SUV parked in the driveway and made my way inside. The cabin had a familiar coziness, with exposed wooden beams stretching across the ceiling. The walls were lined with family photos—some old, some faded—each one capturing moments of our childhood, holidays, and those long-forgotten summers.
Colt and Trent were seated at the dining table.
“Where’s Dotty?” I asked, glancing around, half expecting her to jump out from some corner.
“I bribed her to go spend the afternoon at the bookstore,” Trent replied with a grin.
“Why?” I raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
He scoffed. “Sit down, asshole, and let me tell you.” Trent grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed Sawyer. His expression shifted to something more serious, but I could see the spark of excitement in his eyes.
“Hey. What’s going on?” Sawyer answered, his tone familiar and relaxed.
“Hey, got you on speaker with Dorian and Colt,” Trent said. He paused for a second before exhaling slowly. “I already talked to your dad and got his blessing, but?—”
Sawyer cut him off. “Oh shit, you finally asking her?”
Trent laughed, low and satisfied. “Yeah, I am.”
It wasn’t exactly a surprise. I’d seen how deeply Trent cared for my sister. But hearing him say it still hit me harder than I expected. I wasn’t bitter, not by any means. I was glad it was him—my best friend, someone I trusted implicitly. And I was happy Dotty found her own version of a happy ending, one that was crafted just for her.
But it made me aware of how much my own life had settled into a routine. Comfortable, maybe, but a little too predictable.
Sawyer’s voice broke through the quiet, bringing me back to the moment. “Well, I’ve always thought of you as a brother, man. It’ll be good to make it official.”
“What he said,” Colt added. His voice was easy, but his gaze was serious. He tilted his head toward Trent, his lips twitching slightly in a half-smile.
I looked at my best friend, nodded. “You’re the only man I’d ever trust with her,” I said, and meant every word.
We spent some time talking about Trent’s proposal plans, tossing around ideas and laughing at how Dotty might react. But eventually, Sawyer had to hop off the call, leaving the three of us.
Trent leaned back in his chair, tipping it onto its rear legs. “Feels good to have people in here,” he said, gesturing around the cabin.
“Yeah, right,” Colt muttered, cracking his knuckles. “Makes you forget the shit we’ve got to deal with.”
Trent’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
Colt leaned forward, elbows on the table, eyes focused on his hands. “Talked to Lilah. Got an update on John.”
The words dropped into the room like a stone, sending ripples through everything. I stood up before I realized it and paced toward the window.
“And?” I prompted, the tension already thickening.
Colt rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding our gaze. “Lilah’s got a contact at the FBI. Found out how they connected him to the murders.”
“Go on,” Trent’s voice was tight.
Colt looked at us, his jaw set. He straightened, his voice low. “He killed his mom.”
“What?” Trent’s voice cracked, his palms hitting the table with a loud bang.
Colt nodded. His lips pressed into a thin line. “Yeah. She didn’t fit his usual victim type because of her age, but he did it the same way. Same signatures. He apparently was a little messier than usual too, and that’s what tipped them off.”
My mind struggled to keep up with the horror of it. “Why would he do that?” The question left my mouth before I could stop it.
Colt’s eyes were hard, distant. “She sent him to boarding school when he was a kid. Spent more time focusing on her career than being his mother. They think it was personal, not just another kill.”
“That’s… fucked up,” I muttered, shaking my head.
Colt’s gaze met mine. “And it gets worse. His patterns are changing. The newest victims all have a butterfly carved on their foot. No clue what it means yet.”
“What the hell?” I asked.
Colt’s voice was grim. “He carves them into the skin. On the foot, below the pinky toe.”
Trent swore under his breath.
I took a step back, my mind reeling. I couldn’t wrap my head around it, couldn’t make sense of it.
“Why?” I asked.
Colt’s posture stiffened, eyes fixed on the door, as if the place itself were suffocating him. “I don’t know. He’s changing it up. Sending some kind of message.”
Trent scrubbed a hand over his face. “This is insane.”
“None of it makes sense,” Colt muttered. His eyes moved to the door again, his jaw tight. “I know there’s more, but that’s what I’ve got. He’s gearing up for something. Like he’s got an endgame.”
I paced the room, fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms. The thought of Noah tangled in this mess, blindsided by John’s lies, cut through me.
She deserved better than a man who treated her like an afterthought when they were together, who deceived her while pretending to care.
“We can’t let him get anywhere near Noah.”
Colt’s gaze snapped to mine. “We won’t.”
Trent sighed, rubbing his neck. “And now what?”
“Now,” Colt said, his voice hardening, “We keep it quiet. Lilah’s already in too deep. If this leaks, it’ll come back on her.”
Colt’s phone dinged, and he shoved his chair back with a harsh scrape and stood, walking toward the door. “I mean it,” he said, his tone final. “This stays between us. If this gets out and falls on Lilah, I’ll kick both your asses. She’s got enough going on.”
I nodded; my words lost under everything that had been said.
“You got it,” Trent said.
“I need to head out. Happy for you though, brother,” he said to Trent.
The door clicked shut behind him, and the room fell into silence.
I stared at the empty space where Colt had stood, adrenaline still surging through me, now mixed with a darker feeling in my gut.
Turning away from the window, I faced Trent. He stood still, hands resting on the table, jaw clenched.
“You good?” I asked.
Trent let out a sharp exhale. “Yeah, it’s just… not my favorite thing to hear. That my girlfriend’s best friend’s ex is a murderer on the loose.”
“Well, Dotty’s your soon-to-be fiancée, if she says yes,” I added, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth.
Trent chuckled, but it was tight. “Very true.”
I grabbed my jacket off the chair and shrugged it on.
“Well, I need to head out and get G to bed,” I said, heading for the door. “But, hey—good luck with the proposal, man. This other shit will work itself out,” I said, trying to convince myself as much as him.
Trent smiled, a little relieved. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
I nodded, stepping out the door, and I walked into the quiet of the evening, my mind still racing.