78. Chapter 78
Cate
Present
Ifolded laundry on the couch because that was something normal wives did. Something non-threatening.
Domestic.
Predictable.
The television played softly in the background, volume low enough that I could still hear the faint click of Trevor’s keyboard down the hall.
Every sound registered.
Every pause.
Every shift of his chair.
My phone rested face up on the coffee table.
Unhidden.
That was the point.
I had nothing to hide.
The screen lit up suddenly.
Seth was calling.
My pulse detonated.
Trevor’s typing stopped, nothing but silence from the office.
Waiting.
I stared at the screen long enough for it to look intentional.
Then I picked it up and answered.
On speaker.
“Hey,” I said, light. Almost annoyed. “I’m kind of busy.”
Trevor’s chair creaked faintly.
Seth’s voice was tight. “You okay?”
“Yes.” I forced a small laugh. “I told you, I’m fine. You don’t need to keep checking.”
“I just wanted to make sure,” he said carefully.
I let my tone sharpen slightly. “I’m not a child.”
Trevor shifted in his office. I could sense his approval in the movement.
“I know,” Seth said. “I just…”
“I’ve got this,” I cut in. “Okay?”
There was silence on the other end of the line, long enough to feel like a code.
“Okay,” Seth said finally. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I won’t,” I replied, and ended the call.
The house went quiet again.
A moment later, Trevor stepped into the doorway of his office, leaning casually against the frame. “You handled that well,” he said.
My stomach turned.
“It’s exhausting,” I said instead. “Everyone thinking I’m fragile.”
He watched me, trying to read past the surface. “And are you?” he asked.
I met his gaze steadily. “No.”
Something flickered across his face.
Respect?
Possibly.
Or recalculation.
He nodded once. “Good.”
He disappeared back into the office but didn’t start typing again.
He was waiting, listening.
Ten minutes later, a car door slammed outside.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
But close.
Too close.
Trevor froze mid-step in the hallway.
I saw it.
The shift.
The predator stillness.
He moved toward the front window without looking obvious about it. Like he was just passing by. Just checking.
His body went rigid. “Stay here,” he said calmly.
He walked to the door, unlocked it, and opened it halfway.
And there, standing on the porch, was Seth.
Not angry.
Not shouting.
Just… there.
Trevor’s smile came easily. “Seth,” he said warmly. “What can I do for you?”
Seth’s eyes flicked past him into the house. “I came to check on Cate.”
Trevor stepped slightly into the doorway. “She’s fine,” he said smoothly. “You don’t have to keep rescuing her.”
Seth didn’t look at him; he looked at me. “Cate,” he said evenly. “Can you come outside for a second?”
Trevor didn’t move. “That’s not necessary,” he replied lightly.
“I wasn’t asking you,” Seth said.
The temperature in the air dropped.
Trevor’s hand tightened against the edge of the door. “Cate doesn’t need this kind of stress,” he said quietly. “You’re escalating something that doesn’t exist.”
Seth’s voice stayed level. “Then let her say that.”
Trevor glanced back at me.
The look wasn’t a threat.
It was a test.
Choose.
My mouth went dry.
If I went outside, I was declaring sides.
If I stayed, I was surrendering ground.
Trevor’s eyes held mine.
Calm.
Confident.
Certain.
He didn’t believe I would defy him again so soon.
I stood and walked toward the door slowly.
Trevor didn’t stop me, that would look bad.
He stepped aside instead.
Barely.
I crossed the threshold.
The air outside hit my lungs like freedom and panic at the same time.
Seth didn’t speak until the door shut behind us. “Marshal’s on his way,” he said quietly.
Everything inside me went cold. “What?”
“He got your voicemail. He didn’t like your tone. He thinks you’re under pressure.”
My pulse roared.
Trevor was two feet away.
Inside.
Listening.
“He can’t just show up,” I whispered.
“He can,” Seth said. “And he is.”
The front door opened behind me.
Trevor stepped onto the porch, his smile intact. “What’s this?” he asked pleasantly.
Seth turned, and for the first time since all of this began, he didn’t mask the hostility. “It’s over,” Seth said.
Trevor’s smile thinned. “For you,” he replied.
In the distance, a siren wailed.
His gaze slid back to mine.
And this time, there was no softness left in it at all.