Chapter 53
Olivia
Kade barely looked at me when he left.
The distance cuts deeper than I want to admit, but I understand. He’s broken open right now, and the last thing I want is to be one more weight on his back.
I shower instead of spiraling, letting the hot water wash over me until the tightness in my chest softens. But it doesn’t go away. Not really.
Back downstairs, the house feels too still, too quiet, but I push the unease aside and move on autopilot—pouring coffee, checking my phone.
Nothing from Kade.
Swallowing down the sting, I slide my phone into my pocket, grab my cup, and turn—
And freeze.
My breath catches, sharp and panicked. The mug slips from my hands and shatters against the floor.
Caleb stands across the counter. Calm. Composed. Like he belongs here.
And then—he smiles.
“Hello, Olivia,” he says softly, his voice low and disturbingly familiar, sending an icy rush straight through my veins.
My heart slams against my ribs, panic rising fast.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” The words scrape out, barely a whisper.
He smirks, eyes glinting as he takes a slow, deliberate step forward. “I’m here for you,” he goads, gentle—terrifying—like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Did you really think you could run? That I wouldn’t find you?”
My pulse hammers in my ears, every instinct screaming. “You—you can’t be here,” I manage, my voice trembling. “My boyfriend—he’ll be home any minute. If you leave now, no one has to know. Just go.”
His smile twists, cold and cruel. “Your boyfriend?” he echoes, tilting his head with mock curiosity. “You mean the one at Elson General? Visiting his poor friend after that… unfortunate accident?”
The floor tilts beneath me. My stomach knots. “How do you know about that?” I breathe, fighting to keep my voice from breaking.
He lets out a low, almost amused breath. “Oh, I know all about it,” he says, pacing now, slow and measured, his hands flexing at his sides. “The thing is, it wasn’t supposed to be Trent up there. It was supposed to be Kade.”
My breath catches, ice locking in my chest.
“I planned it,” Caleb continues, almost conversational. “Every detail. But his fucking lackey got in the way.”
He shrugs, his eyes never leaving mine. He’s calm—too calm—but there’s something restless in the way he moves.
“You… you hurt Trent?” I stammer, the words tasting like ash.
“Are you not listening?” His voice sharpens. “It was never about him. The scaffolding was meant for Kade. He’s the obstacle. He’s the reason you’re not where you belong.” His gaze darkens, voice dropping to a near whisper. “I need him gone, Olivia. So, you can finally come home.”
I swallow hard, forcing the words through the tightness in my throat. “I am home,” I say quietly. “This is my home.”
Something snaps. Caleb’s hand slams down on the counter with a sharp crack, the sound ricocheting through the air. I flinch, instinctively stepping back, my heart crashing against my ribs.
“This isn’t your home!” he roars, his face contorting with fury. “You were promised to me.”
The room shrinks, the air thick with his rage. His words hit like shards of glass, slicing through the last threads of calm. My breath comes in shallow, panicked bursts as my mind claws for any way out.
“Caleb… please,” I whisper, my voice splintering, barely more than breath.
But he doesn’t hear me. Or maybe he doesn’t care. “You don’t get to run,” he growls, his tone low and venomous. “The deal was you… in exchange for your father’s company. His business for your hand in marriage. That’s how this works.”
I freeze, horror settling in my bones.
“They didn’t even care when you left,” he sneers, eyes locked on mine, wild and unhinged. “You meant nothing to them. But I—” his voice softens, twisted with something colder—“I found you.”
His stare burns through me, and for a split second, I see it, something broken, something monstrous simmering beneath the surface.
“Yes, you found me.” I manage to nod, swallowing hard.
He smiles then—sharp, wrong—his whole body thrumming with barely contained rage.
“I’ve been watching,” he admits, his voice soft in that terrifying way. “Watching you in this town. Watching you with him.” He stops moving, his gaze pinning me in place. “I put cameras in your house,” he whispers, almost reverently.
His voice drops into something colder, uglier. “I watched you fuck him… like some worthless whore. I was told I had to wait. Told I couldn’t have you until we were married. And you let him take what was mine.”
The words hit like slaps, each one sharper than the last. But even through the ice in my veins, something steadies inside me, something fierce, something that refuses to shatter.
“Caleb,” I breathe, my voice soft but unflinching, “I was never yours.”
His expression twists, something wild flickering in his eyes. “I was going to take you on the fourth,” he says flatly, like it’s nothing. “It would’ve been easy.”
A chill skates down my spine. “You… you were there? At the town party?” My voice cracks around the question.
“Of course I was there,” he says, almost smiling. “You were there. I had it all planned—slip something into your drink, wait for you to pass out. I would’ve had you out of this town before anyone even noticed.” He paces like a caged animal; eyes lit with something unhinged.
I swallow hard, my pulse pounding. “Why would you—”
“But I changed my mind,” he cuts in, his voice dropping, colder now. “While you were on the floor, unconscious, I realized I didn’t want it to be over that fast. I wanted you scared. I wanted him scared. I wanted you both to know I could reach you anytime I wanted… anywhere, at any moment.”
With the counter between us, I fumble for my phone in my pocket, my fingers shaking as I finally work it free, my heart hammering as he paces back and forth.
I glance down—Kade’s name glowing on my screen and with a shaky hand I press call, keeping the phone low, hidden in my palm, praying he answers.
Needing to keep him talking I take a breath before calmly saying. “I never wanted to hurt you,” I add, barely breathing the words. “I just… I was scared. I didn’t know what to do.”
“You didn’t hurt me, you embarrassed me, humiliated me. And now I’m here to collect what was owed to me.”
“You don’t have to do this, Caleb.”
His eyes darken, sharp and unhinged. “Oh, sweetheart,” he snarls, leaning in just enough to make my skin crawl.
“I want to do this.” His lips twist into a cold smile.
“As fun as this little catch-up’s been, here’s what’s going to happen next—you’re going to walk that fine ass outside, nice and quiet, and get in my car. No fuss. No games.”
I lift my chin, voice steady despite the fear roaring inside me. “I’m not going. This is my home, and you are not welcome here.”
Before I can brace myself, he lunges over the counter, shoving me backward. The phone slips from my grasp, clattering to the floor as my head slams into the cupboard behind me. Stars explode behind my eyes.
Desperation claws through me when I hear Kade’s voice—sharp and urgent—from the fallen phone. “Liv! Liv, I’m coming for you. Liv!”
Caleb’s cruel smile twists wider. “Now you’ve just complicated things,” he sneers. His voice turns sharp, vicious. “Get the fuck up. We’re leaving. Now.”
He cuts the call and tosses the phone aside, sending it skidding out of reach.
Before I can move, Caleb yanks me to my feet by my hair, his grip sharp and merciless. Pain flashes white-hot across my scalp. I scream—but his hand slams over my mouth, cutting the sound to nothing.
He drags me through the house, his hold bruising, relentless. I claw at his hand, kick my feet, but it’s no use. He’s too strong. Too fast.
When we reach the car, something flickers across his face—panic. Just for a second.
Then he slams me hard against the cold metal, his fingers digging into my jaw, forcing my head back. His breath rasps against my ear—hot, ragged—and my pulse pounds so loudly I can barely hear anything else.
“Get. In.” He snarls, each word bitten off.
He yanks the door open and shoves me inside. The lock clicks the moment I hit the seat, trapping me before I can move, before I can even think.
He circles the car, slow but sure, every step deliberate. The door on the driver’s side unlocks just long enough for him to slide in, then locks again with a final, heavy snap.
My breath shudders in and out, panic clawing at my throat as he starts the engine. The tires crunch over gravel, the house—my house—shrinking in the rearview mirror.
I press back against the door, my mind racing, searching for any possible way out. But the lock holds firm. His grip on the wheel is steady. Calm. Like this is just another night. Like stealing me away is the most natural thing in the world.
“You’re coming home, Olivia,” he snaps, voice low, and menacing. “Where you belong.”
The car picks up speed.
And the last sliver of hope I have shatters.